Living well on a shoestring

I don’t smoke which stops my money going up in smoke. Besides not being good for your health smoking is an expensive habit. Luckily I’ve never smoked though I have been a passive smoker. My father smoked a packet a day. He lit the next cigarette from the smouldering butt of the one before. He smoked in the car, in the lounge room watching TV, all around us. Rothmans Plains was his choice of cigarettes, I remember the red packet. Back then I liked the smell of a freshly lit cigarette. Not any more. Now the smell of cigarettes on someone’s breath or clothes is completely offputting. Growing up with a smoker it may be surprising that I did not take up smoking myself. My father’s smokers cough, that dreadful hacking sound, put me off forever. My mother, who clearly was the healthier parent didn’t smoke. Subliminally I must have taken note for I became interested in being healthy. These days I’m really pleased I don’t smoke, besides being expensive, it’s very addictive and hard to give up. In a twist on the smoking thing, ages ago I used the smokers QUIT campaign principles to give up caffeine. It’s tough but works. After quite some time I went back on caffeine which I’m not worried about as it’s not as devestating to one’s health as cigarettes. More importantly by not smoking I save so much more money than smokers and stay much healthier!