You can feed a family of six for a whole day for the price of a cigarette pack

Looking for an easy way to save on the cost of your next grocery bill? Quit smoking.

Cancer Council NSW research recently found that you can feed a family of six a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a whole day for the price of a pack of 25 cigarettes.

With the cost of living going up, it’s a good time to think about how cigarettes are affecting your finances. In fact, cigarette prices can be a strong motivation for people to quit and quitting smoking can be the best thing you do today for your health and your wallet.

Our tobacco control unit, with help from the nutrition team, bought healthy foods in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines for around $50 – the price of an average 25 pack of supermarket-bought cigarettes. The shop consisted of ingredients to make spaghetti bolognaise, cheese and tomato sandwiches, cereal and fruit for breakfast, and vegies and hummus snacks.

Support to help you quit smoking

While quitting smoking is one of the best things you can for yourself and your family, we also acknowledge that some people are doing it tough. We want to remind them that quitting is possible, no matter how difficult it may seem and no matter how long you have smoked.

There are many support options out there should you need an extra hand, including NSW Quitline, GPs and other health professionals – we’re here if you need some extra information or guidance.

More needs to be done for a smoke-free future

Smoking currently causes 5,300 deaths and 46,000 hospitalisations every year in NSW, and in 2019 11.2% of NSW adults were daily smokers. While there has been a long-term reduction in smoking, since 2015, daily smoking rates have remained relatively stable. 

While we want to support individuals to quit smoking, we know that achieving a smoke-free NSW is only possible if the government takes action now to create an environment where it is easier for people to quit. That includes creating smoke-free environments to protect people from second-hand smoke, limiting the widespread availability of tobacco through retail restrictions, and encouraging people to stop smoking through investment in mass media campaigns.