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Many of us are over the moon when we first switch from smoking to vaping.
You may have found that you could breathe better, exercise more easily – and that you had more money in your pocket (up to £800 a year, according to the University College of London!)
While that’s often enough for starters, as time goes on our expectations increase. You may want to carry on vaping, but you might also want to have more spare cash to enjoy your life or save for the future. That’s particularly relevant at the moment, with energy and living costs on the rise.
So for all the thrifty vapers out there, we’ve found some ways to help you minimise the cost of vaping – while still staying off the fags!
Here are some of our top tips for vaping on a budget:
1. Choose a less advanced device
While a high-powered mod with advanced technology and features may look and sound cool, for many vapers the bells and whistles of these devices aren’t needed.
A lower-powered, less feature-rich pod device such as the Vaporesso Xros 3 or the Voopoo Argus Z, can still provide you with a satisfying vape, with versatile features such as adjustable airflow, just at a much lower price.
Higher-powered devices also, unsurprisingly, use up more power, so sticking to a lower-powered device will help reduce the power costs of recharging your device.
2. Vape Mouth-to-Lung
The way you vape can also impact your vape-related spending. Choosing a Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) vaping style can save you money in the long run compared to Direct-Lung (DL) vaping.
DL is more costly than vaping MTL for a number of reasons;
Firstly, DL vaping requires a more powerful device which, as mentioned above, are usually more expensive.
The lower-resistance coils required for DL vaping also tend to burn out more quickly than the higher-resistances needed for MTL and will need to be replaced more often – meaning more cost. The difference can be significant – many DL coils only last a few days while MTL coils can last weeks with proper care.
Direct-Lung vaping also produces larger vapour clouds – causing e-liquid to be used up a lot more quickly. Sticking to MTL will stretch your vape juice further.
3. Shop sales and clearances
Like any consumer product, you can get some great deals and discounts on devices, vape juices and accessories. Browsing clearance sales is a great way to find a cheaper, reduced-price vape and liquids.
Also looking into the Vapella loyalty scheme, which gives customers the chance to earn points on their purchases that can be redeemed in stores.
4. Bulk buy
After you’ve been vaping for a while, you’ll start to get a good idea of how much vape juice you consume, which flavours you like and how many coils you go through on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
This is when bulk buying becomes a great money-saving technique.
Buying all of your required e-liquids and coils each month rather than each week will mean you can take advantage of multibuy deals. Saving you both time and fuel fees spent on making repeat trips.
5. Refillable tanks & replaceable coils
When you first start vaping, you want as little fuss, setup and maintenance as possible to stop you resorting to quickly sparking up a cigarette.
In this case, disposable vapes or devices such as the Lost Mary and Elf Bars that use fixed coil, pre-filled pods are a great solution.
However, in the long term, this kind of vaping can affect both your bank balance and the environment.
Switching to a refillable vape tank or pod with replaceable coils is not only better for the planet, but it will also save you money AND gives you more flexibility as you’ll find a wider choice of e-liquids & coil resistance options.
If you’re not ready for a refillable, replaceable coil device, a good halfway point are devices that used filled pods such as the Elfa Bar or a fixed-coil disposable such as the Vaporesso Xros range. These are still easy to use, but as you do not throw away the battery after every use they are still better for both your pocket and the environment.
6. Look after your coils
A prematurely burnt vape coil will not only leave you with a horrible taste but also means wasting money. The longer your coils last, the less often you have to replace them and buy more! Looking after your coils will help them last longer and stretch your pennies further.
You can help prolong coil life by:
- Making sure to prime the coilfirst
- Using e-liquids with the right VG:PG ratio for your coil
- Sticking to the manufacturer’s recommended wattage or using Smart Mode to ensure you stay in the right range.
- Keeping the tank or pod topped up to stop the coil from drying out.
- Locking the device to stop any of those accidental fires in the pocket or bag!
7. Use shortfill e-liquids
If you’re a Direct-Lung vaper using low resistance coils that need a high VG e-liquid, you’ll use a lot more e-liquid than a Mouth-to-Lung vaper.
Fortunately, opting for shortfills is a great way to save money.
Due to TPD regulations, e-liquids containing nicotine are limited to 10ml bottle sizes.
Shortfill e-liquids are nicotine free so can be sold in much larger bottles (usually 50ml) and can also be mixed with nicotine shots so you’re not missing out on your nic fix.
Priced at around £10 – £18 (for 50ml and 100ml bottles), choosing shortfills over regular 10mls is a much cheaper option. The average 50ml bottle, mixed with a 10ml nic shot, will give you 6 times as much e-liquid for much less than you’d pay for 6 individual bottles – stretching your cash further.
Do note that shortfills usually come with a VG:PG ratio of 70:30 or higher. This results in a thicker e-liquid which doesn’t work well with MTL devices, often burning out the coil quicker and therefore not helping your curb that spend. For best results, use a low resistance coil with wide coil ports for better absorption.
8. Get your nicotine strength right
Using the wrong nicotine strength is the reason a lot of smokers fail to switch to vaping and can also be expensive.
If your nicotine strength is too low you’ll need to vape more to satisfy your cravings. This will mean you’ll be using up your e-liquid more quickly. Choosing the right strength will not only make you more likely to make the switch for vaping but also save you money on e-liquid.
Chat with our trained staff, across our stores to get set up with the correct device and nicotine strength for you. We won’t over sell and our staff are trained to listen to YOUR needs and offer you the best devices based on them. Our managers are also NCSCT Smoking Cessation trained to help you on your Stop Smoking journey!
Vaping doesn’t have to be a disaster for your bank account and you can save a substantial amount of money by making just a few small changes.
If the cost of vaping still seems inconvenient, just remember that, compared to smoking, there are big benefits for both your health and your bank balance.
