DIY Juice - The Real Cost

[PuffPuffPass]

Just a quick cost analysis for those of you considering DIY juice. Coil building is another post in itself, but also a big money saver.

Please keep in mind, this is a recent MAJOR supply buy. You can get into DIY for less than 20% of what I spent.

And while this may seem a bit much. It is still less than what I would have spent in one month, purchasing cigarettes. I will NOT have to purchase any additional supplies for 3 months, because I will run out of 2 flavors. Additionally, I will not have to purchase VG/PG for another 6 months, if I'm still vaping.

My goal is to quit completely.

The numbers...
If you vape 15ml a day. You're going to purchase 450ml a month. And spend $50-$300 a month, depending on where you get your juice. And your start up cost for DIY would be significantly lower than what is shown here.

Within the next 6 months, I will purchase 2 more bottles of flavoring at $30. My total cost for that 6 months will include what was spent below. And I can get my supplies cheaper, I choose not to.

If you DIY your juice and coils. You can reduce your cost by as much as 80+%.
But you will have to commit the money to do so. And stay out of the new gear game.

 

[Fossal]

Ah yes "The Economy Of Scale", it makes seance to DIY your own juice. The savings are over 75% for me and with winding my own coils saves even more, I spend about 60 USD per month on "consumables" , and another 100 on my "new pretty,s". Still less than half of what I spent on smokes. I,m happier, healthier and best of all the wife is off my back.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

Ah yes "The Economy Of Scale", it makes seance to DIY your own juice. The savings are over 75% for me and with winding my own coils saves even more, I spend about 60 USD per month on "consumables" , and another 100 on my "new pretty,s". Still less than half of what I spent on smokes. I,m happier, healthier and best of all the wife is off my back.

I just finished pouring 36 - 30ml bottles. I've recovered my cost.

Now, if I could just stay out of the candy store. I'm really liking one of my box mods better than the other. I keep thinking I need another lol

 

[Fossal]

I buy online mostly,cost is lower and it's less hassle than the local B&M.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

I buy online mostly,cost is lower and it's less hassle than the local B&M.

I could have bought 3, with what I paid for this one. But I was in a hurry, and wouldn't be home for vape mail. That's my life.

 

[Fossal]

Retired and boored most of the time, and the wife still works so I lack adult supervision most of the time. Vaping gives me something to do.

 

[zaroba]

My exact numbers are at home in a spreadsheet on my computer where I have recorded everyrhing since starting DIY and I wont be home until next week.

But, if memory serves me correctly:
I have spent around $650 on supplies (vg, nic, bottles, flavoring, mixing stuff, etc)
I have made enough juice to being my cost down to $0.13 per ml
If I run out of *all* liquid (over 10,000ml) my cost will be under $0.05 per ml.

But, I'm out of nic now and I will run out of vg long before running out of flavoring. So that 10k ml will increase and force the cost per ml to go down more.

 

[Fossal]

I have my costs to less than 63 cents per 30 ml. bottle included, coils to 7 cents each. I blend 3 30 ml. bottles every other day and recoil my attys. every week. I think I vape a lot.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

My exact numbers are at home in a spreadsheet on my computer where I have recorded everyrhing since starting DIY and I wont be home until next week.

But, if memory serves me correctly:
I have spent around $650 on supplies (vg, nic, bottles, flavoring, mixing stuff, etc)
I have made enough juice to being my cost down to $0.13 per ml
If I run out of *all* liquid (over 10,000ml) my cost will be under $0.05 per ml.

But, I'm out of nic now and I will run out of vg long before running out of flavoring. So that 10k ml will increase and force the cost per ml to go down more.

Nic is one thing I won't be running out of soon. I grabbed a liter of 100mg/ml. Then split it to 24mg/ml in amber bottles and tucked it in the freezer.

 

[Fossal]

Yeap, I have my "vapageddon" stash also. Nic. PG, and VG in the basement freezer, enough for 64 liters at my 3nic. I ain't skeered.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

Yeap, I have my "vapageddon" stash also. Nic. PG, and VG in the basement freezer, enough for 64 liters at my 3nic. I ain't skeered.

Holy hell! You must go through a lot of juice. I figure a 2 year shelf life (in freezer) at best. Maybe a little longer. But not by much

 

[zaroba]

Vg and pg will probably always be easy to get. Its used in tons of stuff besides eliquid so any regulations regarding that stuff will pose a threat to many other markets.

Nic is the only thing to really worry about.

 

[Fossal]

A friend in the bizz assured me that when stored in amber glass sealed at 0 or below, shelf life is in excess of 7 years away from light and air. Right now it's a 5 year stash. I figure that's enough .

 

[zaroba]

The one thing I had read was that the higher the concentrarion of nic in the bottle, the better it kept.

If this is true, then it would be bad to dilute it before storing it in a freezer.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

The one thing I had read was that the higher the concentrarion of nic in the bottle, the better it kept.

If this is true, then it would be bad to dilute it before storing it in a freezer.

But not diluting it could be hazardous and costly if the bottle broke. I won't store it in plastic. And you would be exposing it to fresh air every time you opened the bottle.

I don't think there's much to worry about for the people who keep up to a 1/4 liter of 48/ml. Not really

 

[zaroba]

Thats why its good to seperate it into smaller bottles

I use 15ml amber glass bottles for my 100mg/ml.
Only one bottle opened and out of the freezer at a time.

Although, those small bottles wouldn't be feasible to store a liters worth. Would need 60+ bottles.

 

[Fossal]

My local feed store stocks 250ml bottles by the case with heatshrink seals, amber glass, 12 to the case. And 100 pound sacks of sugar (no clue what the farmers around here use that for).

 

[scalewiz]

Not sure about the bottles, but sugar is used often in animal feed to make it more palatable to the animals. Brown sugar especiallly!

While you're at the feed store, you may be able to pick up USP propylene glycol by the gallon. I bought my gallon at Tractor Supply 3 years ago for only twenty bucks. They use it for ketosis in cattle.

 

[Fossal]

White cane sugar, and yes, USP pg and vg. Also yeast. I live in the Ozark's.

 

[Huckleberried]

Thats why its good to seperate it into smaller bottles

I use 15ml amber glass bottles for my 100mg/ml.
Only one bottle opened and out of the freezer at a time.

Although, those small bottles wouldn't be feasible to store a liters worth. Would need 60+ bottles.

Very similar to what you do. I split mine to 100ml wide mouth ambers, put them in the box they were shipped in, since it had dividers in it, taped it all up and put the whole box in the freezer. The others I have, not in a box, are wrapped in bubble wrap, then put into ziploc bags, into the freezer. They're all labeled with what they are, the strength, lot # and the date that I got them. I have about 2 liters right now, maybe a little more, and one 100ml bottle kept out for mixing, also in glass amber, stored in a cool dark place.

 

[Fossal]

I buy pg and vg from the feed store in 5 gallon buckets, break it down to liters and into the freezer it goes. Every thing is dated to use the oldest first.

 

[zaroba]

OK, at home now so here is a breakdown of my expenses.

Supplies (bottles, beakers, etc): $121.41
Ingredients (Vg, Nic, Flavors): $747.74
Shipping charges / coupon code discounts: -$45.68
Total amount spent on everything DIY: $823.47

Total ML in VG purchased: 23,650
Total ML in 100mg Nicotine Purchased: 360
Total ML in flavors purchased: 2620
# of flavors: 101

Total ML I can make using all ingredients purchased: 26,630
Cost per ML if the above is made: $0.03

MLs I have made so far: 5,070
Current cost per ML: $0.162


(I have so much more vg then I have used since I just ordered 4gals from essential depot)

 

[PuffPuffPass]

OK, at home now so here is a breakdown of my expenses.

Supplies (bottles, beakers, etc): $121.41
Ingredients (Vg, Nic, Flavors): $747.74
Shipping charges / coupon code discounts: -$45.68
Total amount spent on everything DIY: $823.47

Total ML in VG purchased: 23,650
Total ML in 100mg Nicotine Purchased: 360
Total ML in flavors purchased: 2620
# of flavors: 101

Total ML I can make using all ingredients purchased: 26,630
Cost per ML if the above is made: $0.03

MLs I have made so far: 5,070
Current cost per ML: $0.162


(I have so much more vg then I have used since I just ordered 4gals from essential depot)

And there are people within our little community, that will think we're crazy. Or better yet, think we have spent too much money.

When in all honesty, you've spent no more on everything. Than I would have spent in 2 months buying cigarettes.

Those same people, will vape 30ml a day. At $20 a bottle. And still think you and I have lost our minds.

Call me happily insane.

 

[zaroba]

I can make another 10,000-14,000ml before I run out of nicotine
That would be $6,000 - $9,000 worth of eliquid at $20 per 30mls at a vape shop.
And only around a year to year and a half of liquid at 30ml/day.


Save money by switching from vaping to smoking?
Not if your paying $20 per 30ml and going through it faster then you smoked 3 packs of cigs.

 

[PuffPuffPass]

I can make another 10,000-14,000ml before I run out of nicotine

That would be $6,000 - $9,000 worth of eliquid at $20 per 30mls at a vape shop.
And only around a year to year and a half of liquid at 30ml/day.

Hell, even at MBV pricing. We've still come out ahead. No matter how you slice it. We've recovered our cost after the third month.

As long as we don't get caught in the buying the latest and greatest mod/hardware game.