Even if you don't smoke yourself, cigarettes may affect your finances: Between 1997 and 2001, smoking was responsible for $167 billion in annual health-care costs and lost productivity in the U.S. alone.
Sure, quitting can also be costly, depending on which route you take. But once you kick your daily habit, you will likely find your bank account is healthier too. Cutting out cigarettes—whether you light up once or more than a dozen times a day—can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year.
When Kirk Danby decided to quit smoking, he made a list of the benefits he'd gain—starting with the $3,650 he would save per year. "Multiply that by 20 years, and I realized that I have smoked enough to have put a decent down payment on a house," says Danby, 38, of Tokyo, Japan. "Shock and horror sets in."
Use the information below to determine your own spending habits. Knowing exactly how much you've been draining your bank account may be the motivation you need to quit.
Click
here to find out how much smoking is costing you 
.
This interactive tool calculates how much money you have spent on cigarettes in the past or how much you will spend on them in the future. When computing future costs, this calculator does not take into account inflation or the rising cost of cigarettes or the taxes on them. The actual amount you spend will be higher.
Although you may be surprised at how much you spend on cigarettes over a period of time, smoking costs even more when you consider illnesses caused by smoking. The more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you smoke, the more costs will add up from smoking-related medical problems such as lung cancer, heart disease, or emphysema.
Perhaps most importantly, this tool can't calculate the costs that aren't measured in dollars. Smoking will eventually cost you time and will take a toll on your quality of life, and it will likely have an impact on the people you care about.
Last Updated: August 1, 2007 