SNUS 101: Snusonomics

Let me preface by saying I'm writing this from a 'Merican perspective.  It assumes buying from an e-store and the (considerable) costs of shipping (UPS) from Sweden to the states. Coming up on the holidays, inflation, yada, yada... figured it would be timely to muse on the economics of this stuff.  I've spent the last 20 years as a procurement professional (miserly fuck) and snus enthusiast (evangelist?), and would like to think I'm uniquely situated to offer perspective and/or advices here.  Read: I'm about to talk out of my ass, for my own amusement.

I guess a good starting point would be my ordering habits:

I just pulled the trigger on my latest order, 40 cans for $138.30, or $3.46 per can.   Roughly half the cost of a can of (that bergamot or mouthwash bomb, and everyone's favorite) General in my area (central Ohio).  

Through trial and error, I've found 3-4 rolls to be my economic order quantity, for my rate of consumption (1 can every 2-3 days).  This is a good balance of shipping costs, storage space and shelf life for me.  All those fancy italics indicate, that this might very well be different for you.  Generally speaking, the bigger you buy, the more you save. 

Let's circle back to cost, now I get that ~$150 isn't necessarily cheap.  Here's some of the things that can be done to help mitigate snus costs.

As a procurement professional, I'm all about competition.  I will price shop multiple sources (usually 3) before ordering.  My experience with buysnus, snuscentral and snusme has been consistently solid, they're my go-to's for this shit.  I've signed up for their newsletters, leverage sales, specials (roll discounts) and discount codes (snubie10 FTW!). Gaming these factors saves me roughly the cost of shipping with every order. Of course, that means sales/specials sometimes (often?) dictate what rolls I end up with.  That said, I'm an often ridged, cantankerous, creature of habit... a little novelty here and there is probably a good thing for me. 

Another consideration is lös/loose.  You get nearly 2x the product for your buck.  Using Ettan as an example, a can of lös comes in at 42g, whereas a can of original portions are only 24g and white 21.6g--all three cost the same per can.  Since I'm a fucking math nerd, using my most recent $3.46 per can cost... that looks like $0.08/g lös vs. $0.14-0.16/g for portions. Won't pretend there isn't a learning curve for lös, it's not always as convenient (especially unloading) but it is undoubtedly the most economic (not to mention tasty) option.  

I'll admit I've lost touch with the cost of cigarettes (last bought my wife a pack of American Spirits, $10) and zero clue what vape or those nasty nicotine pouches run... but my habit comes out to around $1.50 per day, $50/month, $600 per year.  

Anyway, hope this helpful and happy snusing!