Stupid Tax (mine) Cigarettes
In addition to the other night’s stupid tax of locking my keys in the truck and having to call a locksmith to get them out, I have been paying stupid tax for years in the form of two vices: drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking cigarettes. I couldn’t even begin to figure up just how much I have paid into these two stupid taxes, but I know it is easily a few YEARS worth of income considering I have been smoking since age fifteen and buying alcholic drinks since about nineteen. I am now 34.
I have pretty much given up drinking almost completely. I don’t drink in bars or clubs, which is of course the most expensive way to do it, and seldom drink at home. I think I still have half a bottle of wine a friend brought over as a gift when it was still cold outside LOL
As for the cigarettes, that is much much harder (and will also mean the most to my family). I used to smoke a premium brand of cigarettes, but last year switched a probably the cheapest brand in the area which cut the costs of my vice in half even though it did nothing beneficial for my health. Another financial concern is that the state has raised its cigarette tax $0.40 per pack effective the 1st of July. Tuesday, I walked into the local VA outpatient clinic and asked for the stop smoking kit, but am waiting for it to arrive in the mail (VA sends almost everything non-emergency through the mail system).
Over the weekend, I used some step 1 patches that a coworker gave to me after he yanked his patch off and bought a pack of cigarettes and immediately chain-smoked two cigarettes (that we saw…). I have already used those up, and have tried to use the Step 2 patches my mother bought me that didn’t work over spring break. Those still aren’t working for me.
I do want to quit smoking. I have promised everyone that I would quit smoking. It was my christmas gift to my mother, my husband, my father, and my son and I have every intention of following through. Y’all nonsmokers probably won’t understand…but y’all ex-smokers and current smokers understand this completely. This ain’t easy.
