Spending Too Much on Vaping? How to Cut Costs

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When you first quit smoking and started vaping, you were probably excited about eliminating the cost of buying cigarettes and saving some money in the process. And while it’s true that vaping is generally less expensive than smoking, that doesn’t mean it’s cheap either.

There are a few ways that you can save more money once you learn more about vaping. Two changes that can shave off a few dollars are upgrading to more sophisticated hardware and/or choosing cheaper e-liquids.

These changes are small but can make a world of difference for your wallet. At first, you may not notice it, but if you’re tracking your spend, those couple dollars here and there will quickly add up to something substantial after months or years.

Vape Math

Depending on where you live, vaping could save you anywhere from a few bucks a week to slicing you current cigarette budget in half.

We know smoking habits vary, and so does the price of cigarettes. For a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation, let's say you're smoking a pack a day, and that pack is costing you $6, which is pretty close to the national median.

Some disposable cigalikes can start around $10 but these need to be purchased again once they run out. 'Pod mod' devices are available starting in the $15 to $20 range and can be reused; you just need to either replace the pod or refill it with e-liquid. And 'Starter kits' containing everything you need to get going (aside from vape-safe rechargeable batteries) can be purchased for less than $50. Once you buy a pod mod or starter kit, you're in the clear for a while. Most devices shouldn't need to be replaced more than once or twice a year.

Now, let's compare costs. Again, assuming you're smoking a $6 pack of cigarettes a day, your weekly cost is $42. A non-refillable 'closed system' pod mod device plus the cost of liquid pods, which run about $9 a pair, means vaping saves about $10.50 a  week. That’s more than $500 a year.

Save With Advanced and Open Devices

If you’re buying disposable vaping devices with short-term usage, then they might begin to run up a pretty heavy bill. These devices are great to start with because they require very little maintenance and are great for beginners, but over time you might want to move up to something more expensive in the short run but more economically viable in the long run.

If you’re currently using a disposable cigalike you could step up to a closed system pod mod device. And if you’re currently vaping on a pod mod, another way to save money would be to switch to a more advanced open system (also covered in the link above). Closed systems come with sealed and prefilled e-liquid cartridges that are tossed out and replaced with a new one once you’re done. This makes them great for beginners but more expensive over time.

When it comes to buying pods, the choice is pretty simple. Pre-filled pods are expensive because they’re so convenient.

Get into open-system devices where you fill up your own tank instead of using cigalikes with pods, though, and the cost plummets even more drastically. Refill e-liquid can cost as little as $1 a top-up—one or two daily fills is usually enough to satisfy a former pack-a-day smoker. Now you're saving $28 a week compared to a daily $6 pack of smokes, which amounts to nearly $1500 annually. And you don’t need us to tell you that’s a lot of bank.

You can see it’s clear that being able to refill your pod yourself may be a tad more time-consuming and possibly a touch messy in the beginning until you get good at it, but it’s unquestionably the best way to go to save a few bucks and it’s super easy to figure out.

Even if a bottle of e-liquid costs more than a pack of pods, it will still last much longer than a disposable pod, and refillable pods can be used four or five times instead of just once. It all depends on what type of e-liquids works for you and how often you vape.

Ways to Save on E-Liquids

The next way to save money on vaping is to buy cheaper e-liquids. E-liquids need to be purchased on the reg and if you’re a serious vaper, this is an easy way to save money.  

Buy in Bulk

Another way to cut vaping costs is to simply buy cheaper e-liquids. If you buy upper-tier premium e-liquid, it can go as high as $30 for a 60 ml bottle. These e-liquids are more expensive for a variety of reasons; they use more ingredients, offer complex flavor combinations and typically use higher-quality nicotine, often taking greater care to ensure it doesn't get oxidized. There are admittedly a lot of reasons to love them but saving money isn't one.

Buy Economy Liquids

If you’re strapped for cash, economy e-liquids are a great option. The average range can be as low as $7 to 10, with the most being around $15. Additionally, some economy e-liquids come in 100 ml or 200 ml bottles, which allow you to save by buying in bulk, an option not afforded by premium e-liquid bottles that come only in 30 to 60 ml sizes.

Depending on how much you vape, you can save up to $100 a month by taking the economy liquid route. It goes to show how much can save by making a small switch.       

When it comes to savings, there’s no doubt that vaping is much less expensive than cigarettes. There's roughly 30 mg of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes; making a 30 ml bottle of 3 mg liquid the equivalent of three packs. At higher nicotine levels you can vape even less and still satisfy your cravings.

Meanwhile, with e-liquids available in large 100 or 200 ml containers for a relatively low cost, that means you can get your fix of nicotine pretty easily without breaking the bank. That being said, it’s important to be smart and you can always save more when it comes to your purchases.   

Buy Bundles

Another way to save money is to bundles. Bundles include multiple e-liquid flavors from a single manufacturer thrown together into one giant money-saving product. Bundles allow vapers to try flavors they otherwise might not, meaning you'll have a chance to discover a new favorite while still spending less. If you’re particularly attached to one e-liquid brand and get them on a regular basis, bundles can get you more e-liquids and more variety for less money.   

Other Ways to Save

Here are some more quick tips on how to save.

• Use lower power  device since less power = less cloud = less vaporization = saved juice.
• Store your liquid correctly so it doesn't go bad.
• Look for deals; Breazy offers deals on hardware and liquids everyday
• Prime your coils right so you don't burn them accidentally; that costs money.
• Be careful not to spill. This seems obvious, but yet we’ve all been there and done that. If you’ve got butter fingers and find yourself spilling regularly, it might be worth the investment to buy a tool like this one to make tank fills easier.
• Sign up for emails with discount codes that can save you tons of money on your purchases.
• Vape less. Some vapers enjoy vaping so much they may end up vaping more than they ever smoked. It can happen without you even noticing it. If that’s the case, try setting limits on total number of vaping sessions, or use a device with a puff counter so you know how much you’re consuming and can set steady and trackable reduction targets.