A woman has revealed how a split decision to give up cigarettes after more than three decades has transformed her life, and padded her pocket.
Jennie, 45, started smoking when she was just 15 years old, stating that at the time the health risks associated with smoking weren’t common knowledge.
But when a single packet of cigarettes hit $43 recently, she and her husband Scott decided to finally give them up.
“The packets had gone up to [$43] — that was the crux. It made us realize it wasn’t good,” she told news.com.au.
“Anything over [$31], we were starting to go, ‘Gee, we really should quit’. But the price went so high so quick that all of a sudden it was [$43].”
Their go-to packet of smokes now costs $45 at their local supermarket. On average, the couple were smoking up to 25 cigarettes a day. However, some days the count would be a lot less and some days it would be more.
Throughout their lives, while expenses such as kids in daycare were taking up a huge portion of their income, cigarettes were relatively cheap. But, as their other expenses dropped down the price of cigarettes rose.
She said ultimately the price point was what forced them to quit, but in reality “our health should have been our highest priority”.
Jennie, who works as an ambulance dispatcher, said it wasn’t until a week in that she realised she could run across their NSW property’s paddock without being out of breath when the realisation hit her.
Another thing that made her realize she likely should have ditched cigarettes years ago was the disappearance of a mysterious skin condition that had been plaguing her for over a decade.
“I had lupus or psoriasis — misdiagnosed — for about 16 years. No doctor could figure out why I was getting chronic hives all down my back and arms,” she said.
But, two days after she quit smoking, the hives disappeared and she hasn’t had them since. She said it was another reason she’d never touch a cigarette again.
Arguably one of the biggest perks – within three months of quitting, the couple have an extra $6,000 in their pocket. In a year, that figure will hit $26,000.
Jennie said in this day and age, the realization of what that money could be spent on instead is a huge focus for many people around the country.
The family have big plans for the money. Their property needs some renovations, and Jennie and Scott will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary later this year.
It’s also meant the couple can help their daughter, who recently started university, pay for her accommodation while she studies.
“We were pretty excited about that. We would have always paid it, but it would have been a bit of a strain,” she said.
“Now, she’s not ever going to feel guilty about us having to pay for that.”
She said the couple were so proud of themselves — and so are their five daughters.
“They’re excited. We’ve just our third little grandbaby, who’s only a month old, and they’re coming to visit the farm,” she said.
“I hated the thought of smoking around babies, so we’d always go up and around the back but now I’m excited to be a grandmother — and a healthy one. It’s a smoke free environment.”
Jennie has been sharing her journey about quitting smoking to both her family’s TikTok account and to her personal account. She said she has been inundated with messages and comments from people who have been inspired to quit because of her content.
She called it “phenomenal” and said that she didn’t even expect to help just one person quit.
For anyone thinking of quitting, the NSW grandma said her mysterious health issue points to how toxic cigarettes are. She also encouraged people to document the amount of money saved.
“I never thought we’d ever quit, but once we realised we could easily pay for that uni and go on a trip, that’s really important. It became more important than smoking,” she said.
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