Did anyone else go mental to begin?

[big bopper]

I've been positively frugal in comparison with some of the replies on here! Transitioned from hardened cigarette smoker to occasional cigar smoker about 9 months ago now. It's a once or twice a week affair from me and that's been reflected in my buying habits. I've mainly been buying to consume more or less straight away via boxes and singles but have slowly accumulated stock of 20 which I'm going to try and put a little age on (particularly the remainder of a Siglo II box which is only a year or so old). That said, I'll be maxing out on duty free allowance at the end of the year which will keep me going for a bit.

Other than that, my only other expenditure has been on a humidor and digi hygrometer.....sticking with the swan extra long matches for a while!

[cj121]

Before the children arrived (and during pregnancy, my wife took a serious dislike to the lurve waft of a fine puro) I was smoking them as fast as I was buying them. It was great at the time Consumption has dwindled due to time constraints, but in addition to the set aside times, getting the cheeky ones in is great

[cigarmo]

I still go mental, every holiday is a secret cigar stocking trip (dont tell the girlfriend she thinks its for her) and I am thinking about everything that can be used as a humi. Cigars you have to love them

[fordi]

I can relate to all comments here, it's obsessive.

[sheppsea]

Its not just the cigars and accessories, I also found the reading about it a complete obsession as well - reading about the history of brands, of cigars in general, how they're made, health issues etc etc, even checking this forum whenever I had a spare minute! 😊

That side of it has calmed down a bit now, but resisting spending all of my money on the sticks is still very difficult, although I do resist now, which is a massive improvement!!

[dazzer]

If I had the money, I would buy 2 boxes of everything, one to smoke, and one to keep pristine and stored as is. To my messed up mind, once you open a box and take a cigar, the box is ruined and on a downward slope lol (Not that I have bought a box yet, but that's how my mind works)

Would need a lottery win to pursue this hobby in the way I would like.

[JoeyGunz]

Tell me about it Dazzer, by a box, smoke 1, think well I might as well round that number down to 20 now, then when you have another and theres 19 you think about rounding it down to 15 and so on and so on...

[larrysson]

I would have gone mad, but I learned my lesson with pipes. When I first discovered the pipe some years ago, I went mental and burned through a lot of my savings, shorting myself when other opportunities came up. That spending spree lasted about four years, and cost thousands. I eventually sold every single pipe I owned to raise funds for my business, and fortunately recouped most of the cash back. But I learned a lesson through it...pace yourself. You have, Lord willing, a lot of years ahead of you, and there is plenty of time to collect cigars and smoke them. Slow and steady, that's my motto concerning accumulating anything of interest.

[Maxsi]

Wise words Larry, but the temptation is sooooooo hard to resist.

Awesome site btw and although I'm not a pipe smoker (could never get the beard just right) I can certainly appreciate the fine works of art you make. Kudos

[Agricola]

I store my cigars in tupperware containers, I store the Tupperware in a large wooden chest ... out of sight and out of mind. I smoke two cigars a week and buy the odd box of cheaper Cubans, so if I want to age my Cohibas and Trinidads I might smoke a Fonesca instead. I guess it boils down to, if you don't have the finances then you need the discipline and strategy to pace your consumption against purchases.