Smoking through the nose
Yeah, not being able to smoke in most public places is a bummer, but really just an inconvenience for most smokers. But Chicago is going one step further by turning that inconvenience into nothing in comparison to the giant hike that’s going to hit cigarette prices in the city.
Cook County just approved a hike in the cigarette tax, bringing the total taxes on a pack of cigarettes to $4.05. I remember my days as a stupid teenager when $4.05 could buy me a pack of smokes, a gallon of gas, and a bottomless cup of coffee at Denny’s – I call that “The Friday Night in the Suburbs Trifecta”.
Starting March 1st, prices are expected to jump up to over $7 a pack – but just in Cook County. All the more reason to go visit my folks up in Lake County – cheap gas and cheap cigarettes.
I wonder why more people don’t roll their own. 20 bucks spent at Blue Havana provides me with a month worth of quality tobacco. Tastes/smells better than Camelboros, no chemicals added, and rolling is the ultimate in cowboy-chic!
I switched to roll your own over three years ago in protest to the state of Illinois raising the tax a whole quarter. I use D&R tobacco at http://www.cigarettetobacco.com. It takes awhile to find the right blend of tobacco and tubes that matches what you’re used to. I buy their most expensive tobacco and with shipping a pack costs about $1.40. Each 14oz pouch makes 2 cartons and I’ve verified it. It takes about 10 minutes to roll out a pack. Buy the most expensive rolling machine they have, the Premier Supermatic. It’s built well and will last a long time. Initial cost is about $50.
People would laugh at me for making my own thinking I’m a cheapskate while they smoked some unknown generic brand from Indiana. Now there’s a smoking shop around North and Damen that sells these as gourmet cigarettes. LOL. I’ve been smoking gourmet cigarettes all along! After smoking my gourmet cigarettes, now I can’t stand manufactured cigarettes.
Making your own also helps you quit. Each pack of smokes requires work and makes me mentally count every single cigarette. I’m down to 7 per day. If I cut out smoking in bars, and one local pub in my neighborhood is smoke free now, I could get down to less than 2 per day and then perhaps 0 per day.