As a young adult paying my way through college, it can be difficult to set aside much of a monthly cigar budget especially since I really enjoy smoking what would be considered some more expensive sticks (but who doesn't right?). I'm wondering if anybody could give me some tips on one of two things: 1. How best to go about setting aside some cash ie. Setting aside $10 a month until I have enough $ to buy a box at a time? Or 2. Some tasty low budget sticks that I can fill my humidor with that won't break my bank. As with most things on this forum I'm sure the answers will be subjective but I'm also sure that many of you successful BOTLers started out as a poor college kid like myself. Thank you for any and all input you brothers may have for me.
Cigar Nut on a College Budget
- Thread starter Robertsndr68
- Start date
I'm also a college student.
#1 thing I did was stop pissing away money on copious amounts of alcohol. My monthly budget went way up.
For budget smokes, I recommend them time and time again: labelyourcigars.com
They sell naked bundles that are quite tasty. I like the barber pole the best.
#1 thing I did was stop pissing away money on copious amounts of alcohol. My monthly budget went way up.
For budget smokes, I recommend them time and time again: labelyourcigars.com
They sell naked bundles that are quite tasty. I like the barber pole the best.
when i was in college i easily spent $180 per week on alcohol. looking back it really was not worth it lol
do not get drunk at bars way too expensive. and get drunk off keystone light or its equivalent. when i was in college (2008) they were $11.99 for a 30 rack. can't imagine the price has changed much since.
do not get drunk at bars way too expensive. and get drunk off keystone light or its equivalent. when i was in college (2008) they were $11.99 for a 30 rack. can't imagine the price has changed much since.
icehog3
Outlaw Hockey Biker
I prioritized, and didn't smoke more than a cigar every couple weeks in college. Food, books, electricity were more important. When I got out of college and into the workplace, I was able to afford smoking better cigars, and more often.
Im in college now but my situation is a little different
I work at a cigar bar so I get discounts on all my sticks, but my paycheck goes straight to savings/living and my tips go to my cigar budget. So if I have a good tip night I might splurge on something, but if I know something is going to be released soon (Like Tat TAA
) Ill save my tip money for a month(s)
Also I drink cheap as liquor instead of cheap/expensive beer or expensive liquor
Pregame bars- dont do all your drinking there
I will also occasionally pay to go to the dining hall and bring tupperware in my back pack and eat chicken nuggets for the rest of the week
I work at a cigar bar so I get discounts on all my sticks, but my paycheck goes straight to savings/living and my tips go to my cigar budget. So if I have a good tip night I might splurge on something, but if I know something is going to be released soon (Like Tat TAA
) Ill save my tip money for a month(s)Also I drink cheap as liquor instead of cheap/expensive beer or expensive liquor
Pregame bars- dont do all your drinking there
I will also occasionally pay to go to the dining hall and bring tupperware in my back pack and eat chicken nuggets for the rest of the week
1) Dont buy individual sticks.. buy in bulk...
2) Dont buy super premiums.. youre a college student.. no need to keep up with the jones'... T52, Padrone, and CC's shouldnt be in your vocabulary yet unless they are gifted to you... save your money.. finish school.. get a job that pays well.. and then smoke all the T52's you want (once you can afford them)..
3) Talk to people here about what good, low cost/budget sticks are out there.. and only buy these types of sticks... (there are PLENTY of $1-$3 sticks out there that are just fine for every day smokes..)..
4) Look at jumping in on group purchases so you can take advantage of bulk pricing, but dont have to buy a whole bunch of sticks at once if you dont have the money
5) Establish a budget.. and STICK WITH IT.. never make exceptions.. never over spend.. its just a leaf.. there is no deal out there too good to not pass up.. if you cant afford it.. DO NOT BUY IT..
I can pretty much afford to smoke just about anything I want these days.. but as often as not I reach for something like a 5 Vegas Classic (I think Ive got about $2 a stick in the last purchase I made).. I also occasionally buy bundles of 20 Magellan Petite Coronas on Cbid for about $11 each (less than $0.50 a stick including shipping..).. Neither of these are super complex, knock your socks off type sticks.. but they are decent cigars that are affordable, easy to obtain, etc.. and will keep you in smoke for a month for less than $60 if you smoke 1 a day.. I save the "super premiums" for times when I am hanging out with friends, doing something special, etc.. and smoke "premiums" a couple of nights a week while just sitting on the front porch watching the world go by, etc..
Again... youre a college student.. if youre just sitting around watching the world go by there is something wrong.. you should be sleeping, chasing tail, drinking beer, working a part time job, or studying pretty much 24 hours a day... (dont need much more than a 5 Vegas to accomplish any of that!)..
2) Dont buy super premiums.. youre a college student.. no need to keep up with the jones'... T52, Padrone, and CC's shouldnt be in your vocabulary yet unless they are gifted to you... save your money.. finish school.. get a job that pays well.. and then smoke all the T52's you want (once you can afford them)..
3) Talk to people here about what good, low cost/budget sticks are out there.. and only buy these types of sticks... (there are PLENTY of $1-$3 sticks out there that are just fine for every day smokes..)..
4) Look at jumping in on group purchases so you can take advantage of bulk pricing, but dont have to buy a whole bunch of sticks at once if you dont have the money
5) Establish a budget.. and STICK WITH IT.. never make exceptions.. never over spend.. its just a leaf.. there is no deal out there too good to not pass up.. if you cant afford it.. DO NOT BUY IT..
I can pretty much afford to smoke just about anything I want these days.. but as often as not I reach for something like a 5 Vegas Classic (I think Ive got about $2 a stick in the last purchase I made).. I also occasionally buy bundles of 20 Magellan Petite Coronas on Cbid for about $11 each (less than $0.50 a stick including shipping..).. Neither of these are super complex, knock your socks off type sticks.. but they are decent cigars that are affordable, easy to obtain, etc.. and will keep you in smoke for a month for less than $60 if you smoke 1 a day.. I save the "super premiums" for times when I am hanging out with friends, doing something special, etc.. and smoke "premiums" a couple of nights a week while just sitting on the front porch watching the world go by, etc..
Again... youre a college student.. if youre just sitting around watching the world go by there is something wrong.. you should be sleeping, chasing tail, drinking beer, working a part time job, or studying pretty much 24 hours a day... (dont need much more than a 5 Vegas to accomplish any of that!)..
I'm in school now as well and it's tough to work them into the budget. I manage a local B&M now so I don't pay retail too often for my smokes, but it wasn't always that way. When I wasn't working in cigar shops I just smoked a lot less than I truly wanted to. Who doesn't want to be able to smoke a padron, opus or liga every day?!? Just can't do it though. For me, it also made my smokes that much more enjoyable.
Been there bro (poor college student that is) but god I remember it as the best time of my life! Nothing like being a young 20 year old stud. . .
Forget the ultra and super premium sticks. Just had a 5 Vegas Gold and it was very nice (about $3). The suggestion about sampler packs was great, you can get some nice sticks for cheap as they are trying to get you to buy in bulk after you have sampled them.
Like the other guys said, check out auctions, you can get some great deals there. Also perhaps go in with a fellow smoker on a box and split it.
But have FUN man!! You'll never be at that age (prime of life) again.
Forget the ultra and super premium sticks. Just had a 5 Vegas Gold and it was very nice (about $3). The suggestion about sampler packs was great, you can get some nice sticks for cheap as they are trying to get you to buy in bulk after you have sampled them.
Like the other guys said, check out auctions, you can get some great deals there. Also perhaps go in with a fellow smoker on a box and split it.
But have FUN man!! You'll never be at that age (prime of life) again.
Poriggity
CRA Ambassador #0042
Hasn't changed much, keystone light is still a staple in my beer fridge and between my wife and I, we make around $100k a year (which is surprisingly little living in so cal) and I pay $14.99 per 30 pack. Hahaha
I'm no college student but money is tight so i got to budget. Take care of the important things first, books, food, etc. then figure how much you can AFFORD to spend on cigars, if it's only $25 a month then that's what it is. It's tough to stick to a budget so find a method and stick with it i opended a second checking account and used it just for cigars. Make a list of what cigars you want to try / buy, as said before avoid buying singles and stick to 5ers/samplers. Then every month go around and price check to see where you can get the best deal on what you want if you want something above your budget you can always hold off on buying for a month or two untill you got enough to buy what you want. you can also try box splits to ease the costs.
Suggestions for good budget sticks.
padron regular line
Pinar Del Rio
Perdomo Lot 23
Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
Suggestions for good budget sticks.
padron regular line
Pinar Del Rio
Perdomo Lot 23
Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
I am not in college but I have 2 young children so money is tight. I have stopped buying cigars for the next few months. Gonna smoke what is in stock in my humidor. When on a budget I enjoy the chateau fuente series. Especially the sungrowns. About 4 dollars a smoke.
Red Raider
Wreck 'em Tech
Don't try too hard to be an adult... God knows we all get there soon enough...
Two things:
1. The recurring theme is smoke/buy what you can afford. I have to remind myself of this from time to time... It is easy to get carried away, and at some point you may have a significant other that is slightly less enthused about your cigar obsession. Enough about that, its depressing getting old
2. My local has its own private label, they are rolled in the Fuente factory (or used to be, its been a while) but they were great value. Good smokes, $1-$3 each, tasty and easy to find... Look around and see if your local has something along these lines
And do exactly what you are doing: plan ahead, budget, and talk to people who have been doing this awhile, there is some great advice and knowledge to be gained from others...
Party on brotha!!!
Two things:
1. The recurring theme is smoke/buy what you can afford. I have to remind myself of this from time to time... It is easy to get carried away, and at some point you may have a significant other that is slightly less enthused about your cigar obsession. Enough about that, its depressing getting old
2. My local has its own private label, they are rolled in the Fuente factory (or used to be, its been a while) but they were great value. Good smokes, $1-$3 each, tasty and easy to find... Look around and see if your local has something along these lines
And do exactly what you are doing: plan ahead, budget, and talk to people who have been doing this awhile, there is some great advice and knowledge to be gained from others...
Party on brotha!!!
If youre a Padilla fan.. cbid just put boxes of cazadores toro's on "special"..
already a pretty inexpensive smoke (I can usually get them for less than $4 each online.. CI carrys them all the time at $25 a 5 pack..)...
but these will likely go for less than $50 for a box of 25 (they have 100 boxes up for grabs with a starting price of $45)...
http://www.cigarbid.com/Auction/Lot/1337298
not a bad smoke for someone on a college budget..
already a pretty inexpensive smoke (I can usually get them for less than $4 each online.. CI carrys them all the time at $25 a 5 pack..)...
but these will likely go for less than $50 for a box of 25 (they have 100 boxes up for grabs with a starting price of $45)...
http://www.cigarbid.com/Auction/Lot/1337298
not a bad smoke for someone on a college budget..
Don't forget some B&M's have the 2nds of the bigger brands, don't be afraid to try those as well. One of the shops by me keeps a regular stock of HdM 2nd's and a couple of others, and even without the band and all the fancy crap, they are some outstanding smokes and only set me back about $2/stick. Gave my next door neighbor one last night and after he finished it and was raving about how great it burned, the draw was amazing.... I told him it was a 2nd... He went to the shop and came back with 20 of them.
Unlike many others here, I would strongly recommend against buying anything more than a 5-pack at a time. Sure, you'll get sticks at a lower individual price, but you also better hope you keep liking that stick for quite a while. I doubt you're smoking multiple sticks a day, so a bundle or a box is going to last quite a while. And if you end up not enjoying that particular cigar, you haven't saved money, you've wasted it. Also, the more cigars you have the more you have to deal with keeping them at the proper temperature and humidity. I suggest that's a concern you can do without. My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to buy good quality cigars individually at the best local shop you can find when you can afford them, smoke 'em and enjoy 'em. You'll have many, many years in the future in which you can fill your humidor.