Making It Through the Tough Times

In this ever changing world today, prices on certain things in life are becoming out of reach for certain people. So people have had to come up with strategies and plans for making it through the times. One of these things that's getting out of reach is the good old cigarette. The prices have really skyrocketed with all of the state and federal taxes that have been imposed onto cigarettes.

Note: This hub is meant for smokers, and if you don't smoke then you may want to proceed to another hub

In a world of two dollar sodas, and four to five dollar a gallon gasoline, a person sometimes has to find unique ways to make ends meet. It's gotten bad enough with smokers rights being slowly taken away by a bunch of fat blue bellied Yankees who polluted and destroyed their own dirty cities. Some people may not realize this, but smoking is still legal today and not against the law.

Now on top of all of that they want to try to tax us all half to death. I guess they figure that cigarettes will take care of the other half. Smokers are by no means second class citizens in this world, and we work and pay more then our fair share of taxes in this society today.

Quitting and going all the way with cold turkey would be the smartest and cheapest solution, but fortunately for hardheaded people like myself there are now other alternatives. I fully realize that the best thing would be to simply quit smoking, however everyone has different lifestyles, and I enjoy smoking tobacco too much. After all there really are worse habits out there.

With this ever changing world that we all live in comes some brand new technology, which has brought to us at least two new alternatives to help reduce the cost of smoking for all of us. These simple two alternatives will help smokers balance the scales out some in their favor once again. The first alternative is the smokeless electronic cigarette, which offers you the selection of a tar free cigarette that does not pollute the air or create second hand smoke.

Since the electronic cigarette does not produce second-hand smoke, it very well may be permitted in public places where traditional cigarettes are now banned. The electronic cigarette emits a smoke-like vapor that simulates the experience of smoking a real cigarette.

The tip of the cigarette is an L.E.D. light, and it lights up in an orange color just like a normal cigarette, but there's absolutely no heat involved. Since there's no need for an open flame to ignite the electronic cigarette, then there's no fire hazard present as associated with traditional cigarettes.

It's powered by a small three volt lithium battery inside of the cigarette body, which can be recharged in a special supporting charger jack, that it's sold with. The nicotine and tobacco flavor are contained in a disposable replacement cartridge, which is easy to replace inside of the electronic cigarette.

Electronic cigarettes have come down in price, and now a days they are very affordable. You can often find them for sale at local gas stations for just $19.99, compared to around a hundred dollars just a couple of years ago. There are many different brands of these electronic cigarettes available now in both stores, and over the Internet. However if the electronic cigarette fails to meet your needs then there's still another solution.

The second alternative is a growing trend of simply putting together, and making your own cigarettes. This is really a lost art that has been reborn because of tough times. The process has really come a long ways from the old days of rolling your own cigarettes. By using this method the cost is over half of what it would be if you purchased the cigarettes over the counter. You can do so much more with this 50% savings in today's economy.

You only need four things when it comes to making your own cigarettes. They are the machine, empty cigarette sleeves, tobacco, and your time. The last item may be the hardest one to find, but it'll save you a heck of a lot of money in the long run.

Today there are both hand cranked, and electric machines on the market, to meet all of your needs when it comes to making your own cigarettes. You can make a pack on an electric machine in about 3 to 5 minutes, and it takes about twice that long on a hand cranked manual model. I know from reading the forums and hub page questions that there are still quite a few hubbers out there in hubville who smoke. These are just two suggestions to help all fellow smokers make it through these tough times.