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I haven’t seen any of the actual revenue figures on taxes collected by the state since those new taxes went into effect on July 1, but I have been keeping track of my contribution, or more precisely, my lack of contribution in at least one category — the cigarette tax. As of this week, I have avoided roughly $408 in state taxes since I quit smoking. Overall, the total savings since I quit is $918. That’s what I would have, but haven’t, spent on cigarettes. I mention that this morning for two reasons: First, people keeping ask me how I’m doing; And second, today is the 38th Annual Great American Smokeout.

I haven’t provided any kind of progress report in some time, mostly because I wasn’t really sure how often it was worth mentioning. Where are the benchmarks? Do you update your progress every week, once a month? And I wasn’t really sure if anyone actually cared that much after that first month. But apparently they do. There hasn’t been a week that’s passed when someone hasn’t asked how it’s going. It’s going well. The past Monday marked three months without a cigarette.

I’m not sure if that’s some kind of milestone, but I thought I’d take advantage of the day and provide that little update for those who care. I have no desire to start preaching about the benefits of living a smoke-free existence. It’s not an easy habit to quit, and the level of success that can be achieved depends solely on the individual. One size does not fit all. The methods employed by one person to break the habit may not prove to be as successful for someone else.

Money was not the motivating factor for me, but doing the calculations to determine how much I’m now saving is quite the eye-opener — especially when you see how much of that total cost is just taxes. The state tax on cigarettes is $3.40 per pack. That’s $34 for a carton of cigarettes. That’s what I was giving the state on a weekly basis — but not anymore. And, much to my relief, the state seems to be doing quite well without my money — and it would if you stopped contributing, too.

If you’ve been thinking about quitting but haven’t found the right circumstances yet, today would be a good day. There’s help available at the American Cancer Society’s Web page; visit cancer.org and click the Great American Smokeout link.