It is hard to pinpoint exactly how much you are throwing away on marijuana unless you take the time to sit down and do a bit of quick math. How often do you buy weed, and in what quantity? Better yet, what else could you be spending that money on?

When it comes to the average amount of money that people spend feeding their marijuana addictions, accurate statistics are hard to come by. After all, people aren't exactly forthcoming about how much they spend on an activity that is probably illegal in their country. For the purpose of this exercise, let's assume that you spend an average of $35 per week on marijuana.

One Week Weed-Free

As with any addiction, marijuana addiction affects your perception of the problems it creates. A few bucks here and there seems to just slide through your fingers, so it helps to take a look at the big picture. When you are making the decision to quit, it really helps to put your problem into perspective. Write down the figure you spend on marijuana each week - $35, in this case. What else could you do with an extra $35 a week? Personally, I wouldn't mind going to the movies, something I stopped doing once marijuana took over my life. Content to simply sit on the couch and hang out with other pot smokers getting stoned, I realized one day that I hadn't been to the movies in over a year - something I used to enjoy doing once or twice a week.

An Entire Month Without Marijuana

If you quit smoking weed, based on our $35 a week example, you would have an additional $140 a month to spend as you please. What would you do with $140? When I quit smoking weed, I took a look at my wardrobe and almost died of embarrassment. Once upon a time, I actually cared what I looked like. However, at the height of my marijuana addiction, I must have stopped caring. My clothes were old, worn and sloppy looking. My hair was scraggly and long. Sometimes I wouldn't bother to shave for days… or weeks. Marijuana has this funny way of making everything beyond getting high seem… nonexistent. $140 goes a long way towards buying some decent looking threads!

Six Months Off The Skunk

In six months, you would have saved yourself $910. Now we're talking! With my rediscovered energy, I decided after quitting smoking weed that I wanted to do a bit of exploring, so I took a vacation. And I didn't have to worry about getting stopped in security checks with weed in my bag! You might decide that $910 would buy you that car stereo system you've been eyeing up, or maybe you could finally pay off that nagging credit card debt. Whatever you want… it's your money!

One Year After Sinking the Yellow Submarine

In one year, our $35 a week weed smoker has saved an incredible $1820. I don't know about you, but to me that's a good chunk of cash. Marijuana smokers are often shocked at the way their entire lifestyle changes after they successfully quit smoking, and it's no wonder! You will rediscover the activities you used to take pleasure in and actually have the time and money to do them.

A friend of mine quit smoking weed shortly after I did and used a shoebox to collect the money he would otherwise have spent on pot. Now, a lot of people would dip into the shoebox now and again, but he had discipline. Only after an entire year did he empty it out and count it up. He had enough stashed away from not smoking marijuana to buy his girlfriend a $2700 engagement ring. And she actually said yes, since she could now picture herself living the rest of her life with him (his stoned proposal a year and a half before hadn't gone so well).

You may decide that the money you save each week by not smoking marijuana will just help you get by and pay the bills. Or, you could save it up for a long period and do something you've always wanted to do. It's up to you! The important thing is that you realize and understand exactly how much you're literally burning up each week and what you're missing out on by doing so. And the best way to do that is to write it all down.