Smokers waste £11.9bn a year
If every smoker that tried to kick the habit in 2005 had succeeded, by now they would have collectively saved themselves £11.9 billion.
According to research form PruHealth some 6.5m smokers planned to give up last year, in an attempt to improver their health as well as their bank balance.
"Smoking seriously damages your health and wellbeing, as well as your wallet," said PruHealth medical director Chris Dark.
PruHealth points to figures showing that smoking is the single largest cause of illness and premature death in England, killing an estimated 83,200 people a year. On top of this it makes addicts more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases and a third of all cancers.
And people are forced to pay through the nose for the privilege of ruining their health, with a 20-a-day habit costing up to £1,825 a year.
Over their lifetime British smokers spend an average of £92,000 on cigarettes, Clerical Medical revealed this week.
And consumers could also save as much as 51 per cent on the cost of their life insurance by quitting smoking.
Price comparison website insuresupermarket.com found that a male smoker aged 35 could be paying £98.40 a year more for their life insurance cover than a male of the same age who did not smoke.
Over the term of a 25-year policy this amounts to £2,460.
When the insurance savings are coupled to the cost of cigarettes, a 20-a-day smoker could save £49,090 over 25 years, independent life insurance and protection specialist LifeSearch added.
Comments
Newsletter sign up