I’m not sure if there are such things as inexpensive addictions, but I know different kinds of addiction require different levels of spending. For example, I’m addicted to coffee. I have to consume at least 2 cups a day. But I don’t find it expensive because it’s  free at work. And it costs only a few bucks if I need it on weekends.

But for a cigarette smoker, it may be a different story. First of all, cigarettes are not free anywhere. Secondly, prices for cigarettes keep going up due to many different taxes that target tobaco industry. Furthermore, the degree of addiction is usually much higher for smokers than coffee drinkers. In other words, it’s much easier to give up coffee than to quit smoking. So addiction to smoking does cost more compared to coffee addiction.

From there you can think of more serious forms of addiction such as uses of methamphetamine or other illegal drugs. The reason they’re more serious because they cost more money and it’s also much harder to give up the habit.

Needless to say, addictions cost money. Eliminating addictions will save money as well as time and avoid other negative consequences. But HOW? It’s easier  said than done. However, I know for sure the first step you need to take is to reach out for help. For example, there are many social programs to help people quit smoking. There are also rehabilitation centers that help people recover from more dangerous addictions. These services are usually free or inexpensive because they’re mostly funded by government’s and public sources.

Again, I should stress that only expensive or very harmful addictions must be eliminated. I do have an excuse for coffee addiction: it’s cheap and it enhances or maintain productivity. So the benefits may outweigh cost. The reason I know it’s not so serious is because I actually quit several times before, months at a time. How? It’s easy. Most coffee addicts have problem quitting it because of withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and depression. But you’ll have a big chance to quit caffein intake after recovering from a Cold or Flu. While taking Cold/Flu medicine, you don’t have to drink coffee. After a few days, all  withdrawal symptoms disappear along with the illness.

However, I actually volunteer to drink coffee again because it helps me a lot with my work. In other words, it does give me more benefits than cost.

We all understand that it’s hard to quit smoking or stop using meth because of the level they control human body. But how about gambling? Anyone can be addicted to gambling. In other words, it’s easy to get addicted to gambling habit. Yet, I don’t understand why it’s hard for many people to stop the gambling habit. I could just stop thinking about it. Well, the thought that I could win anything from  gambling have never even crossed my mind. But I know many people lost everything to gambling: houses, cars, jewelry, anything of value they can use to gamble. Even in places where gambling is illegal, many people still bet on sport games and lose big time.

I guess everyone understands the risky nature of gambling, but they simply ignore it. Perhaps they believe in shortcuts to riches. Money savers, on the other hand, don’t believe in shortcuts. Instead, they believe in hardwork, discipline, and  patience. To make it clear, gamblers do get rich some time, but it doesn’t last. As a player who has little or no control over the game, the probability of winning can be so little that it’s almost certain to lose money. Besides, even winners  don’t know when or how to quit. In other words, they don’t know how much winning is enough. They keep playing until they lose everything.

In short, if you want to save money, you got to quit expensive habits. If you are still addicted to just one of those expensive habits, you may kiss your savings good-bye!