With a New Year to look forward to you may be thinking of how you’re going to accomplish your New Year’s Resolution without spending a fortune. If you’ve decided to cut down or stop smoking this year then you’re in luck as there’s many great ways to cheaply quit the habit. Although many people may advise a lot of expensive remedies, medications, patches and counseling, there’s many ways you can avoid these expenditures without sacrificing your ability to quit. Before you realize it you’ll be smoke free and your bank account won’t have been depleted to get you there! So, toss out your last pack of cigarettes and get ready to save money and improve your health greatly.
1. Ask For Help
This may be one of the hardest aspects of quitting smoking especially if you don’t like to ask others to help you. However, it can be one of the most crucial steps in the process and can even save you a lot more money. Before you stop smoking you should talk to your doctor about the process as well as steps you can take to lessen the stress of quitting. Make sure to mention you’re sticking to a budget so your doctor can help work around your financial needs. With a special referral you may even be able to get your insurance to cover medications or counseling so you won’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Apart from the doctor, you should always discuss your plan to stop smoking with your friends, family and co-workers. This will allow people to know you’re going to be tense and over stressed and will hopefully encourage others to avoid smoking around you. It will also ensure you have at least one person to talk to or to keep your distracted when the cravings get to be too much.
2. Know the Right Time
Although New Years is here and you probably want to get a jump start on your resolution, it may not be the best time to stop smoking. In fact, if you’re under a lot of stress or aren’t content with where you’re at then you might want to hold off until you’re actually feeling happy. Sure, no one wants to complicate the positive times in life, but when it comes to smoking its best to do it when you’re feeling good. Quitting on a whim can cause you to start right back up which will mean all your efforts will be for nothing. So, wait until a stressful period has passed and then try your luck. With the lack of stress preventing you from wanting a cigarette, your cravings will die down sooner so you can move on without having to spend a fortune on aids to help you stop.
3. Get Busy
A lot of smokers will pick up a cigarette out of boredom, while others feel cravings more when they’re not doing anything. So, avoid cravings by keeping yourself busy as much as you can for the first few weeks. Many smokers like to take up jogging during this time. The cardio workout will help clear out your lungs faster and will make cravings disappear. Another popular task in crocheting which ensures the hands are busy. With your concentration on your craft and your hands holding the needles you should forget about the cravings more and more. Picking up an instrument is another great distraction as it keeps your hands and your mind busy. Music is also great for relaxation which calms the body and reduces your need for the cigarette. Of course, there’s an abundance of things you can do to keep yourself busy, so follow your instincts and find something that will make you happy.
4. Snack Healthy
You may not realize how key your diet can be when it comes to quitting smoking. Many people crave cigarettes after eating certain foods, so if you know your triggers then try to avoid them for the first couple of months. Fast food and coffee tend to be some of the more common items that cause cigarette cravings. In fact, you may want to consider cutting out coffee for at least 2 months while you quit smoking as the excess caffeine could give you the jitters until the nicotine has worked out of your system. Rather than eating greasy and salty foods try to stick with a healthier diet. Fruits and vegetables have been said to detour the cravings of cigarettes substantially, so you might want to try eating healthier meals whenever possible. If you’re not a fan of vegetables then try creating healthy smoothies or juices that can substitute meals when you’re having trouble sticking to your goal. Another great food to eat is any shelled nut. These foods are healthy and filled with protein, but they’ll also distract your hands. When you feel a craving come on simply grab 3 or 4 nuts and peel away the shell. It’ll keep your mind off the craving while the food helps out your health. You may also want to consider snacks like lolly pops that allow you to keep flavor in your mouth while also keeping your hands busy.
5. Switch to a Vaporizer
If you’re not quite ready to take on quitting cold turkey then the vaporizer may be the best way to go. Vaporizers allow you to set your nicotine levels so you can start high and gradually lower how much nicotine you’re getting in a day. This will allow you to limit your withdrawals so quitting won’t be as challenging. Vaporizers will also keep up with the physical habit of smoking so you won’t have to find a way to combat the need to hold something in your hands until you’re ready to quit once and for all. The best thing about vaporizers is many companies will actually give you a coupon to get a free one which will help you save even more money. With cigarettes and their accessories off your shopping list you’ll spend a fraction of the amount on vaporizer accessories. You may even be able to find special flavors that will make transitioning from cigarette to something new even easier. Vaporizers also take away many of the harmful aspects of smoking so you’ll be doing your lungs a favor the moment you decide to toss the cigarettes.
6. Avoid Smokers
One problem with quitting smoking is it’s hard to do it when the world around you carries on with the habit. Smelling or watching other people smoke could bring back the craving so you may want to avoid smokers until you feel comfortable that you’ve kicked the habit for good. This may be hard as smokers are everywhere, but there are a few steps you can take to eliminate the temptation from your life. For instance, rather than stepping outside during your office break try doing office friendly stretches or chatting with colleagues in the break room. You could also walk the stairs during break to ensure you get some exercise which will help avoid cravings. You may also want to steer clear of parties for the time being unless you know it’s a non-smoker oriented party. On the weekends, try to stay in and clean or work on a hobby. If you do decide to go out then make sure you stay busy and visit friends that don’t smoke or those you know won’t smoke in front of you. Also, when you visit a café make sure to eat inside where smoking is not allowed.
7. Keep a Journal
Another key element to kicking smoking is to keep a journal. You may not think this is helpful in the beginning, but writing will help you work out your frustrations so you can get out some of your stress without taking to a cigarette. When you start in your journal make sure to write down how you’re feeling, the amount of cravings you had in the day or what you did to avoid them. As you start to feel better about not smoking then you can look back on your journey. Of course, keeping the journal may also help you feel inspired to keep going, especially when you look back at the more difficult days of your quitting experience. With all of your tips and techniques written down you’ll feel proud of your accomplishment and may even be able to help others in the future.
8. Get Rid of Accessories
When you stop smoking you may find that seeing all of your smoking accessories might make the cravings turn up again. Rather than leaving the items out like you’re planning on smoking again, you should get rid of them or pack them up. One of the biggest items to get rid of is ash trays. They smell like cigarettes and could entice you to want to pick up the habit again. If you’re attached to the ash trays then pack them away in a secure box until you feel comfortable with showing them again. Matches and lighters may be trickier to deal with since you often need them for household use. If you’re having a hard time seeing them place them somewhere up high or hidden away in a drawer until you feel comfortable with them being out again.
9. Join a Support Group
Friends and family are great when you’re trying to kick a habit, but sometimes you need more help than you bargained for. There’s countless support groups online and off that can help you stop the cravings and ensure you don’t pick up the habit again. You might want to start by asking your doctor or counselor for recommendations; however, often they can only provide you with groups that might cost a small fee. If this is the case then you can always try your community center as they will often have information that you can use to find a group at no cost to you. You may also want to look online. There’s many websites that cater to your needs or you could join a special group on social media which will give you convenient access to support whenever you need it.
10. Be Reasonable
One of the top things you can do when quitting smoking is use your reasoning skills. Clearly there’s reasons why you want to stop so write them down on index cards and keep them with you. When you’re feeling an urge to smoke pull out the notes and read why you don’t want to cave in to the craving. If your health is at the top of the list then add a picture of a healthy lung and a smoker’s lung for a dramatic and affective reason to stop. You could also come up with ways your smoking affects those around you in negative ways. Money is another big contributor. Try putting the money you’d spend on cigarettes each day into a jar to remind you how much you’re saving by not giving in. You could also write down the costs of cigarettes as well as the costs of something you really want, which could inspire you to save more. The more reasons you have the better off you’ll be!
Smoking doesn’t have to control your life forever. If your New Year’s resolution is to stop smoking, or you just want to quit for yourself then there’s never been a better time to try. With these ten tips you should be able to cut down on the amount of money you have to spend in order to quit while ensuring you don’t feel the urge to go back to your smoking lifestyle. Once the cravings have left you’ll be rewarded with better health and even more money to enjoy!
