I'm done, I quit.

Great decision! I jumped in to say "No, don't quit, you can do it, let's be friends and help each other on MFP" but I am very happy you didn't mean that! Quitting smoking is one of the most important decisions of your life, and if I may suggest something?

As much as saving to pay off student loans is admirable, with the first money that you save, buy something for yourself. Something you can see every day, to remind you how awesome you are, and now also much more healthy since you quit this bad bad habit

Whoop, whoop.....you are amazing!

That is awesome!! Congratulations!!

I used nicotine patches & over the course of a couple of months, was able to kick it. I used the 'step down' patches where you start with a higher dosage of nicotine & it decreases as you get on.

However, the urge to not have a cigarette didn't got away completely until about 4 years or so later =/
It was easier not to give in, the more time that passed.

For a little perspective, I'm 45 & started smoking in the late 70's when butts were .65 a pack & it wasn't unusual to see kids smoking. I've never smoked while pregnant, just didn't feel the urge to, but certainly took it back up as soon as babies were born & celebratory drinks were flowing.

I didn't smoke around my kids & used to hide cigarettes outside in the garage, I took the garbage out a lot :laugh:
I just felt guilty smoking around them, so I couldn't even do it outside.

Anyway.....I don't miss it, but I had to find something else to do in the car, on the phone & to basically punctuate everything that happens in daily life

I still like the way cigarette smoke smells though....don't judge me

good for you, and best of luck with your plan.

years ago when i quit smoking, i just stopped. it wasn't always easy - i discovered that smoking gives you something to do with your hands, and that was actually quite rough for me. did i want a cigarette? sure, i did - but i'd get myself a tasty iced tea or go for a walk whenever i wanted a cigarette. i found that walking or jogging enough to breathe a little hard seemed to take care of the craving best.

I found that exercising more did the same thing for me too when I was cutting back way back when, and then trying to quit. A running and exercising high is much better than a nicotine one!

I do like that iced tea idea...luckily I just got huge 12-pack bottles of Snapple for a steal at the store recently!

One of my buddies would carry around toothpicks and chew on them if he started itching for a smoke. He felt like if he occupied his hands and teeth it made things easier.

Woo hoo!! I don't know you but I know you can do this! My husband and I quit together two and a half years ago. I had been smoking for 18 years (I started when I was 15. How sad!) but after we decided to quit, we set a date (like you have) and neither of us have smoked since. It was extremely hard at first but we used nicotine gum for a little while to get through the cravings. We also put money aside each week (like you're planning) and we actually went on a short trip to Paris with the money we saved from not smoking. Unfortunately, this was before I started on mfp so I snacked a lot after quitting and started really gaining weight. One thing led to another and I ended up here and now I'm the healthiest I've ever been in my adult life!!

Please feel free to add me if you need extra support...plus, I would love to know how you get on. Good luck!! Once again, I know you can do this!

Good for you. Deciding to do it (and meaning it) is probably the hardest part.

I smoked since I was 16, quit cold turkey for 2 years in my mid 20's, then made the mistake of having "just one." My "just one" cigarette turned back into a pack and half a day habit within a year.

Nearly a decade later...

I quit in January of this year, again cold turkey. I made the decision to not have "just one" ever. Not a puff, not light anyone's cigarette for them, nada. Never again. I loved cigarettes and smoking too much that I will become its slave if I don't cut them out of my life completely.

One problem, however is that my husband still smokes. Luckily he is understanding and doesn't smoke around me, but I do get to see him excuse himself to go smoke, and I do find it hard sometimes being left while he goes off to smoke. But that passes once he comes back and reeks. Cigarettes smoke on others is not nearly as offensive when you're addicted to cigarettes. When you're not, my God, it's so offensive. Any temptation to smoke goes away when I smell him come back. And I tell him he stinks (because he does, truly, smell awful), and he just says, "I know. Sorry."

He says he smokes less since I've quit smoking, and is working on gradually getting down to no cigarettes. But I know I can't pressure him to quit, he has to decide to quit, just as I decided to quit.

Good luck to you, stay strong as you get over the 3 day hump. It's a lot easier after that, and easier yet as more time passes.

Excellent decision.

I quit in April, 2003, after smoking for more than a decade. I had the help of a drug called "Zyban." I also assuaged my withdrawal irritation by playing violent video games. Both helped a lot.

You can do it.

Awesome job making the decision! Most of the time that's the hardest part. I quick 10/31/13 so coming up on a year soon here. and I'll just tell you real quick what worked for me this time (Because it was probably the 10th time i'd tried to quit).

First of all, the reasons for my renewed desire to quit smoking were as follows:
1.) Too damn expensive/too much work (I was rolling my own because they had gotten so expensive)
2.) I actually sick of the smell. I used to enjoy it so much, but at this point it had become nauseating.
3.) And this was the most important one... my boyfriend and I had decided we were interested in trying to have a baby in the near future. I wanted to quit smoking and get rid of those chemicals long before that happened and have the healthiest pregnancy possible.

Well, we tried for a couple months and then stopped trying because through quitting smoking I gained an additional 40 lbs onto my already large frame and I decided I wanted to lose some weight before getting pregnancy (both for health and vanity reasons). Then we got engaged... so now it'll be another year and a half or so before baby.

How I did it:
I decided over a month ahead of time what day I was quitting. I read as much as I could and just tried to get used to the idea that I would no longer be a smoker. I stocked up on nicotine gum because from previous experience the patches had bad effects on me. I decided I'd only chew the gum when I got a craving I didn't think I could handle. I also bought a new hookah, because that was not at all the same as cigarettes to me. Oh. And I decided that I was NOT going to limit my food intake until I was comfortable (hence the 40 lbs. Still don't regret that decision.)

When Oct 31 came, I had my boyfriend throw away everything that was left over. All the filters, tobacco, etc. He got rid of the rolling machines, the ash trays, everything. I woke up that next morning a non-smoker. I chewed maybe 3 pieces of gum and smoked the hookah when I was drinking (still do). And I just.... quit. It was awesome. I had cravings. I was a HUGE B for like 2 weeks, but everyone around me was forewarned so they expected it and supported me regardless.

I have since smoked a few cigarettes here and there. I'm not proud of that. It's usually when I'm out of the house drinking... But so far, I've not had the urge to buy a pack or pick it up regularly again. It feels great. Especially when you look back and go "Wow, I did that. I quit smoking. I'm the ****."

Anyway, sorry so long. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

TL;DR
Plan ahead. Get rid of everything smoking related. Warn everyone around you. Focus only on quitting smoking, nothing else. Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

That's awesome. I don't smoke, but I tend to drink sometimes. So I'm cutting that out for a while as well. You rock!