Couple save £22k a year after major lifestyle change
A couple have managed to bank just under £22,000 after making a major lifestyle change. Gordon Darnell and his wife Muriel revealed how they would once smoke 80 cigarettes a day between them, with their habit growing over the years.
But the couple, from Gillmoss, have managed to kick their habit. Gordon, 71, began smoking when he was a teen, like many people in his generation, but over the years his habit grew to an extreme level - to the point where he was smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day while Muriel would smoke more than 30 a day.
If the couple were still smoking at that rate today, it would cost upwards of £21,900 a year on four packets of 20 cigarettes a day at £15 each. Gordon, a former senior manager in the food industry, often spent long periods away from home before changing careers and being home more made him realised he needed to kick the bad habit.
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He said: “It was costing me and my wife so much money. In my management role, I didn’t think twice about spending £7 a pack on cigarettes. But when I became a support worker, it changed my mindset and made me reconsider my priorities.”
Gordon learned about a smoking cessation service offered at his local doctor’s surgery. With the help of a supportive team, he and Muriel began their journey to quit smoking.
“The advisor told me, ‘You won’t quit all at once, but I’ll be here to guide you.’ I was given patches, gum, and other aids, but the inhalator made the biggest difference. It gave me the nicotine I craved while mimicking the physical act of smoking. That was key for me after 40+ years of the habit.”
In the first week, Gordon went from smoking 50 cigarettes to 25 cigarettes a day, then to 12 and eventually none. However, years of smoking had taken their toll. After accepting an invitation for a routine scan, Gordon was diagnosed with Stage One lung cancer.
Gordon said: “I come from a family of seven, and all my siblings have had cancer. I always thought it was inevitable, which made me think, ‘Why bother quitting?’ But that mindset was wrong—I know that now.”
Thankfully, early detection and surgery led to Gordon being declared cancer-free within weeks. He said: “When you hear the words, ‘You no longer have cancer,’ there’s no feeling like it. It made me appreciate life so much more. I’ll never take my health for granted again.”
Gordon explained how he and Muriel had spent the money experiencing the world. He said: "We’ve travelled the world—Europe, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong. These are places we never could have afforded before because our money always went toward cigarettes. Quitting has truly changed our lives.”
He added: "I tried to quit so many times in the past and failed, but it’s never too late. Get support, find what works for you, and give it another go. You’ll save your health, your life, and your wallet too.”
According to All Together Smokefree, in Merseyside and Cheshire smoking costs the public purse £1.75bn annually, over seven times the £274m raised through tobacco taxes. Dr. Sarah McNulty, Lead Director of Public Health for All Together Smokefree Cheshire and Merseyside and local Director of Public Health for Knowsley, said: “The statistics paint a stark picture of the wide-reaching impact of smoking. Beyond the public purse, smoking places significant financial strain on individuals, with the average smoker spending up to £2,338 per year on cigarettes.
“This isn’t about blaming individuals but rather addressing the systemic harms caused by the tobacco industry. Our goal is to support people on their quitting journey and prevent future generations from starting to smoke. The All Together Smokefree programme across Cheshire and Merseyside will ensure people have the motivation, help and support they need to quit successfully.”