Interesting bit of synchronicity. I have been cutting back on the smokes for a couple weeks or so in preparation for quitting. They say that doesn't help, but I don't see why not. For me it was a matter of wanting to reduce the physical withdrawal (insomnia, headaches, etc.) in preparation for "cold turkey".
I am only on my second day of zero smoking. I was up to about 30 per day and really feeling it. The past couple days I've had brief feelings of wanting a smoke, but it passes pretty quick. For me, anger is a motivator. It really pisses me off that I ever got into smoking in the first place, and I'm pissed at myself that I am weak-minded enough to get addicted.
Get on Google man! Learn yourself up about different things people do to quit and stay off 'em. Don't go into this half-baked and just start back up again. There's lots of good info on the net and it's easy to find. If it takes drugs, gum, patches, heroin - whatever - or none of the above, do it! It's possibly the best thing you can do for yourself. I got a prescription for some kind of drug, but one thing I know about all these late-model designer drugs is that they seldom work as well as they claim, and the side effects are more detrimental than they claim. If you need them to quit, then take them and don't look back - they are still better then smoking.
Rather than filling the prescription I got, I'm trying various behavioral psychology run-of-the-mill stuff and it seems to be going OK. Throw or give away every bit of your cigarette stuff. Even heirloom Zippo lighters (give them to a different family member or something). Dispose of all ashtrays, lighters, definitely any cigarettes from the house entirely. Clean your car ashtrays and fill them with mints or the like. Clean your house or preferably paint at least a couple main rooms and enjoy the clean air smell. Maybe shampoo the rugs & upholstery in the house and possibly the cars too. One thing I can already notice is that cigarette smoke from others no longer hits me in a pleasant way. To me it already smells a bit stale and "chokey" which is a big help for me. Many folks never go through this and still enjoy the smell even a few years after quitting though, so don't count on this until you find out for yourself.
I haven't got into a routine yet, but exercise universally helps not only with cessation of smoking, but with physical and mental health in general. I notice an improvement in myself even immediately after I find myself exerting myself via shoveling snow or dirt, taking many trips up & down the stairway to move a bunch of boxes of stuff, etc.
Quit smoking, get exercise, hell all that's left is eating right and you're gold!
As for saving money, all I can advise is to quit spending it impulsively. You might be surprised once you look at things head-on and honestly what things are necessary and what are impulses. If you sleep in a dry bed, only eat simple, healthy food, and own basic, reliable transportation, then honestly you're pretty well set. Anything beyond this is honestly not necessary and you've just rationalized it for yourself and your family. Nothing wrong with owning more than you need and living a richer lifestyle containing more than the bare essentials, but an awareness of what you're doing is healthy while floating through unaware is not only unhealthy (without exception) but also targets yourself and your family to be pulled to and fro by outside forces, i.e. marketing and political, etc. It's tons easier said than done, but if you went one year without making one impulse buy, I'm guessing any one of us would likely have a few thousand $$$ in the bank. I'm not kidding. Most everybody I know (and the younger they are the worse they are) spend
way more than the deserved attention on yearning for the next purchase, then
rationalizing their way into feeling OK about buying it. Truth be told, the same thing can be said about pinnies (blasphemy!
) but in the search for truth, all weaknesses must be revealed. If it came down to it and you needed to pass on that holy grail pin purchase so you could remain secure in your basic finances, then so be it. You should be proud of knowing that your priorities are properly aligned and feel zero regret. Besides, these things always seem to come back around again (which is one mantra to keep in mind regarding ALL impulse buying).
Note that this is all advice derived
in retrospect of my own personal experience, so by definition I am not an image of the actions I've illustrated above. I
am steadily working toward it though, and even making progress - kind of like eroding a mountain with a feather, but still...
