Cigarettes costs society $167 billion dollars a year in health costs and lost productivity. Sweet liquid bread costs us $185 billion dollars a year. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s? $115 billion. And indulging in carnivorism alone costs over $1 trillion a year. The tab of costs to our economy, according to research by various interests groups, is truly astronomical.

Wow, who knew we were losing so much money? We know what you’re thinking: “How much does all this smoking, drinking, meat-eating, burger-munching cost us at the end of the day, if you add it all up?”

Good question. We were too lazy to break out the abacii, but luckily for you, gentle reader, the Guardian was not. So how much do our vices cost us? How much money do we spend a year on them? The Guardian’s answer is shocking:

We come up with a grand total of $7.39 trillion – well in excess of the $6.70 trillion that actually exists. That’s right, when you allow for the basic costs that we’ve all got to put up with, and the inevitable losses to criminals like Ken Lay and Ted Bundy, and then pile on the items that meddling little turds hate to see us enjoying, it all costs more money than there is.

We wonder how many people die each year, when you add it all up. We bet it’s comparably ludicrous.

Middle-class peeves cost more money than exists [Register]

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