Kicking the habit could breathe life into your finances

WEDNESDAY’S 50c increase in the price of a packet of cigarettes means that an average 20-a-day smoker will be spending over €2,500 a year on their habit.

For those thinking of giving tobacco the boot, encouragement may be found in the knowledge that the extra money would provide quite a decent treat.

* If you’re married with two children, the whole family can take-off next June for two weeks in Luxor, Egypt. Just under €2,500 buys a package holiday, including flights from Dublin and 14 nights at the Movenpick Resort and Spa at the El Gouna peninsula.

El Gouna has been described as “a new Venice on the Red Sea”, surrounded by lagoons, inner courtyards, cobbled alleyways and a central piazza.

* Those who like their telly viewing can plump for a considerable upgrade if they kick the habit. Two and a half thousand euro will buy a 32-inch Philips high definition-ready plasma TV (€1,779.95 at DID Electrical) and a Sony home cinema system featuring a DVD player and surround sound speakers (€529.95) with enough left over for a new DVD recorder.

* For music lovers, €2,500 will buy a serious set of kit, such as the latest in speaker technology to fill your home with sound — an Acoustic Wave system from Bose (at €1,300), with plenty left over for a top of the range MP3 player, a 5-CD changer hi-fi and even a portable CD stereo at about €289.

* For a taste of the high life, the money you won’t be spending on cigs in 2007 will get you a couple of nights for two in a luxury suite at the world-famous Dromoland Castle in Co Clare.

In the run-up to Christmas, suites are currently priced at €594 per person, per night.

* Consolidate the health benefits of giving up the cigarettes de-stressing in a hot tub. A Rio Spa can be got for just over €2,400 and holds up to four or five people, enjoying 14 jets of hydrotherapy.

* Buy a car — the saving on ciggies may not stretch to a new motor, or even nearly new, but according to www.cbg.ie (car buyers’ guide) the cash will still be plenty for an 11-year-old red Volkswagen Golf estate.

* Or just buy lunch every day instead of a packet of smokes. The €7 plus is plenty for a daily roll or sandwich and cup of tea or coffee from most cafes, restaurants or pubs.