People who have kicked a long cigarette addiction will often talk about not just the health benefits but the financial benefits as well.

Giving up two packs a day, for instance, can save more than $4,000 in a year.

I've never had a tobacco problem, an alcohol addiction or a high-priced call-girl habit to kick, but I've often wondered what could have been if I had spent my money more wisely. I've come up with a list of poor money management decisions in my life that could have been reversed. Maybe some of you are young enough to learn and change your own wayward habits. All totals are estimates; no official records exist.

Quarters pumped into arcade games: A misspent youth full of Frogger, Galaxian and Gauntlet. I never really got very good. $1,873.75.

Deposit cans that were thrown away instead of being returned: Bad for the environment, too; I'm not proud. $612.

Gifts, meals and various personal items for girlfriends who treated me like dirt before eventually dumping me anyway. $5,104.

Baseball cards: I collected them casually from my youth into young adulthood, but apparently none of them are worth much of anything now. Do you know how many Mo Vaughn rookie cards I have? $1,296.

Purchases on the Home Shopping Channel: When the whole concept was new and cool, an 87-band boom box that included AM, FM, cassette, CD, weather, CB, shortwave, TV, 8-track and a sausage maker was irresistible. It weighed 700 pounds and worked for almost two days. $49.95.

Eating out because I was too lazy to make anything for dinner. $17,884.

Taking an extra dessert even though I wasn't hungry: We'll work out the poor calorie decisions later. $3,708.

Overpriced snacks and soda from the vending machines at work. $4,112.

Presents that were immediately broken, thrown away or re-gifted: This number may actually be much, much higher. $3,944.

Money spent on fixing the transmission of a car that still died within a week or was totaled by a pickup truck in a snowstorm. $3,705.

Gasoline used while driving in circles because I refuse to ask for directions: Hmmm. Might be time for GPS. $1,660.

Fines for late library books and movie rentals: Stupid freaking library police. $118.