After food and water, the thing I fear the most about a grid down SHTF scenario is not being able to have any cigarettes. I know that is a sad commentary, but it happens to be the truth. I am a smoker, and going without cigarettes when my adrenaline is through the roof and its a struggle to survive sounds pretty awful to me. Even if I have to cut back, my goal is to ensure that I do not have to quit cold turkey and go without nicotine during these tough times.
For almost 2 decades now I’ve been smoking the same brand. They’re red, and their cowboy spokesman ironically passed away from using their product. For me, stashing away a carton or two of these really doesn’t work. I’ll be at home feeling lazy not wanting to go to the store, and I will break into my stash. It’s not like with storeable food, where in my day to day life I eat totally different food and don’t feel a temptation to steal from the piggy bank. With cigarettes it’s totally different, and I am always at risk of pilfering my stash.
Then one day it dawned on me. A true solution for this aspect of my preps. A cost effective solution. You might have guessed it. During a grid down time of survival I will roll my own cigarettes! I’ve thought about doing this in my day to day life in an attempt to save money, but making that transition in my day to day life just doesn’t seem likely at all. I’d much rather just buy my favorite brand from the store. This is good for me. This means I won’t dip into my stash and it will always be waiting for me after I’ve smoked my last store bought cigarette in a pack.
The cigarette tobacco I buy is typically sold at a weight that equals a carton of cigarettes. The price varies by brand, but it is about 1/3 the cost of tobacco products at the gas station or store. You’ll also have to buy the tubes, but those are reasonably prices as well.
You also might consider an affordable manual cigarette rolling machine. With these you can roll up 20 cigarettes in 10 minutes or less moving at a slow pace. Little tasks like these can keep your mind occupied, and keep you busy. Most smokers will be totally out of luck, and have to deal with nicotine withdrawl on top of everything else. I don’t envy that situation, and I am very pleased to know I won’t have to go without cigarettes when the SHTF. If you are a smoker I encourage you to look into ways to have such an essential item on hand, because heading up to the store to buy a pack will not be an option.
