How Quitting Nicotine Turned Into My $10 DCA Strategy
For over five years of my life, I was spending around $10 a day on nicotine pouches. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal — just another small daily expense. But when I added it up, I realized I was burning through over $300 every month, and more than $3,600 a year, on something that wasn't adding any real value to my life. Just bringing anxiety for when I did not have access to the nicotine pouches.
When I decided to quit, I knew I wanted to put that money toward something meaningful. That's when I came up with the idea of replacing my nicotine habit with a new habit: Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) $10 a day into crypto.
Why $10 DCA Works for Me
- Habit Replacement: Every time I would've bought a can of nicotine pouches, I started to buy Crypto instead. Even if it goes down to zero, at least I would not be any worse off than before.
- Positive Reinforcement: Instead of feeling guilty about wasting money on something that made me feel awful, the "dopamine" from adding $10 to my portfolio helped give motivation to keep on going. I tried quitting cold turkey, tapering, using patches but nothing worked. That's when I decided to invest the money in crypto instead.
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My $10 Daily Allocation
I started with a simple approach: $10 every single day, no exceptions. It doesn't have to be crypto, whether it is chosing to donate the money to charity, put it in savings, or other investmenet methods. When you really put in perspective how much you waste on something that feels awful, it is one more discipline step to quit this habit
It also motivated me to look for other areas where I can cut out expenses like chosing to grab takeout or ready to cook meals instead of spending 15 minutes to cook something myself
The Takeaway
Quitting nicotine wasn't just about health — it was about redirecting money from something destructive into something productive. A daily $10 DCA shows that even small amounts, invested consistently, quickly grows to $100 → $500 etc. I am also starting to invest more in the traditional equity markets as well and focusing on building wealth.