Ten Things Americans Waste the Most Money On.

NUMBER 9 = Tobacco

> Annual Amount Spent Per Household: $380
> % of Total Annual Expenses: 0.8%

The average household spends more than $380 each year on tobacco products and smoking supplies, which includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and chewing tobacco. It is worth remembering that this average includes households where no one pays for tobacco products. Despite this fact, tobacco’s portion of the average household’s budget, 0.8%, is larger than what Americans spend on fresh fruit and milk combined. A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day in New York state will spend more than $4,000 a year, which is roughly 10% of the average American income before taxes.

#8 Entertainment..Hunting, Fishing, Sporting Equip. etc etc...
#7 Alcohol
#4 Pets....

Looks like a lot of the slopes we are on, some consider a waste...??:-)
Read more: Ten Things Americans Waste the Most Money On - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2011/02/24/ten-...#ixzz1FEDoXEhb
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:-) $380 a year....oh that's funny. :-)
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yeh it is. seems like people around here make up pretty good for the non smokers
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Just trying to do our parts :-). It's not like nonsmokers don't blow their money too, they just don't catch sh!t for it. Number 7 alcohol you say :-) :-) Reminds me I'm thirsty.
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hey how come picking up prostitues isn't on there? :-)
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I can't image that $380 us correct -- most of the smokers I know seem to pay around $5 per pack. That's around 1.5 packs a week -- seems low for most smokers...
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yeh but thats the AVERAGE amongst americans. Not everyone smokes. so assuming only 1/4 of the population smokes thats 6 packs a week for the smokers. :-)
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That article is crap. Whats the point of making money if you can't spend it?
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Thats average per household. I'm pretty sure the 3 houses across the street from me (south) are tobacco free. The 2 east, the 3 north, and the one west of me I think are tobacco free too. Counting my house thats ten..I'm the only tobacco "user".
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That whole article is kind of meaningless and asinine. What constitutes waste? While I agree with their point that most Americans are overleveraged, and that spending money you don't have on luxuries is terribly irresponsible, i think that if you have good income and enough savings and property to be reasonably secure in your future, then there is absolutely nothing wasteful about spending some of your liquid assets and enjoying your money. That article presupposes that money is a useful and desireable thing in and of itself. Wrong. IMO, If you plan well, you should die having lived life to the fullest and left your family self sufficient and comfortable. Dying a billionaire doesn't mean anything if you had to starve yourself of all of life's little pleasures to get there. Once you've taken care of the basic necessities, provided for your family, prepared for the future and left a cushion for unexpected emergencies, spending your money on experiences or the finer things in life is the best possible use for it. The only problem is that a lot of people seem to have forgotten about the first part of that statement.
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They point out that the average is across all households, but fail to point out that the % of household income is an average as well. So the $380 is not really correct then neither is the % of household income as the same factors apply.

Bunch of meaningless crap that we probably paid to have studied...
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I've spent $380.00 this month alone..........smoking cigarettes is a waste, this much I will concede. But smoking a fine cigar is one of those little things that makes life tolerable. I could think of numerous things that would be a waste of money....gambling, drugs, too much booze, $7.00 starbucks ventis every day!
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So between my use of chewing tobacco, alcohol, fishing/hunting and cigars I pretty much have that list covered. I wish I only spent $380 a year on tobacco.
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They must have left us outta that survey:-):-):-)
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I covered almost 24 "american households" just with what I spent last year. :-)

You can't take it with you when you go! I've never seen a brinks truck following a hearse. :-)
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a year.....month maybe :-):-):-)
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oh...to have a vice!
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Yup, there's nothing like a bunch of paid busy-bodies rendering value judgments on how other people live their lives. :-)
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Is it really money wasted if I enjoy myself and can afford to indulge?
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Wouldn't you like to tell the person who originally wrote this article..."hey dumbass, that's what an average is"!
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