Bad vices and what they cost us per year

I try not to be a holier than thou kind of person, especially as I am certainly not holier. I have vices a-plenty and I tend to enjoy them with great sincerity; the odd tipple, the cheeky cigarette and the barely contained, desperate desire for a coffee that grabs hold of me every couple of hours.

It only takes one night out a week to truly scupper my budgeting plans. Because as much as I’ve promised to be good, vices don’t come cheap There’s the sheer quantity (and in Australia, we bring a new meaning to binge) and then there’s the holier-than-thou taxes installed by a government who are probably trying to recoup some of the money these vices are costing the health system.

So how much do our vices cost us every year?

Alcohol

Our most common poison, alcohol functions as everything from a social lubricant through to a painkiller. What better way, we ask ourselves, to enjoy Australia’s glorious weather than in one of its glorious beer gardens?
I couldn’t agree more, but unfortunately our habit can cost us anywhere between $3,000 – $4, 500 if we are moderate drinkers. Heaven protect those who need it as a crutch.

Apparently on top of the yearly cost, those of us that indulged in under-age drinking end up earning less over a life time. Now that’s sobering.

Cigarettes

Even thinking about sitting on a back porch and lighting up a cigarette to truly illuminate the sunset makes me crave, so I try and avoid thinking about. The money that I will eventually have to pay on helping me to breathe aside, smoking is not a cheap habit in Australia any more. At $10- 15 a packet, it’s not even close to inexpensive.

If you are pack a day, you’re spending $4000 a year on the spins and a bit of calm. I’m not saying I’m not with you on this one. All I’m saying is that it’s expensive.

Coffee

Ah, the millionaire drink. You know the argument- save on a coffee a day, and you’ll save a million dollars by the end of your life time. That’s dandy, but how am I meant to function at work without a bit of a caffeine buzz?
Well, I guess I could focus on the $1,500 a year it’s costing me to be buzzy. That might help me move on from the habit.

Late afternoon chocolate bar

I’m a sucker for this cure for three-thirtyitis, but it’s a sucker on my wallet. If a standard chocolate bar costs $2 (and I’m being generous here, as I don’t know how many of them are still that cheap), then I am eating away $730 a year. And then I’m spending a couple of hundred dollars on gym memberships to try and exercise away my chocolate bar guilt. That seems a little crazy to me.

Lottery tickets

A tax on the poor, lottery tickets have everything you need from a vice- hope, excitement and the promise of another chance next week. But they can end up costing you $100- $500 a year, and doesn’t take into account Scratchies, pokies and all the other goodies you can get your hands on should you be feeling like a bit of a flutter.

How much does your vice cost you?

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