With everything you can go as crazy as you want. I’ve maybe spent 5 or 600€ on DIY in the last 2 years. My friend who only vapes commercial e-liquid spends that in 6 months (and I still have enough to not have to buy anything for the next 2 years, except for some VG and PG).
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Welcome @Blackjack3, @GSAutoTech, @Santovapor. @Beardedkojo and @GeorgeT93! Hope you enjoy your stay.
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Hi @Blackjack3. Like you, I started vaping back in August. I’m not using any of the fancy mods (the equipment options alone make my head spin!), but I’m quite happily vaping using an Aspire Breeze 2 pod system on a 1 ohm coil. Nice and pocket friendly, and just push a button. Simply something I could carry around even easier than my cigarettes and lighter, and that I didn’t need a master’s degree in electricity to operate it lol. In any case, I haven’t had a cigarette since my 3rd day of vaping and I’m now officially over the 2 month period without having a cigarette (in fact, the last pack I was smoking is still sitting on the table near the door, but I couldn’t stand the taste of them compared to the vape, so that’s exactly where they’ve sat since August.
Now as much as I was enjoying getting my nicotine fix from vaping rather than smoking, I wasn’t enjoying paying $25 a bottle for eliquid. When I found out that I could make my own liquid, I started researching, learning, watching videos and when I felt like I knew enough basic information to get started, I placed my first order just over a month ago, and a second order just arrived here yesterday. I’ve spent about $140 on flavors, nicotine, pg and vg, and about another $70 or so on equipment like the scale, erlenmeyer flasks, a magnetic mixer, and about another $30 in Boston round bottles (15, 30 and 60ml bottles with droppers). So, roughly $250 in my initial startup costs. Now, I justify the money I’ve spent in this way - I smoked over a pack a day. Every 2 weeks, I drove to New Hampshire and bought 2 cartons of cigarettes each time at $64 a piece (so $128 every 2 weeks.) That’s $256 in just one month of smoking (in my case). I haven’t bought cigarettes since the middle of August, so that’s around 4 cartons not bought in September and another 4 cartons not bought in October. Those 8 cartons would have cost me $512 in this same time period. So I’ve spent less than half the money I would have spent on cigarettes and have enough supplies on-hand to last me until next summer at the earliest. So I feel like I’m still well ahead in terms of my out-of-pocket costs already.
Now I have really only been making single flavor testers to learn how the different flavors taste before I start making any real mixes. Some have been ok with weak to no flavor, others have been good flavor strength, but weren’t really a good taste on their own. But so far, they’ve all been vapeable. Heck, just in single flavor testers alone I’ll have plenty of stuff to vape for at least a month!
The thing that really sealed the deal for me was the whole mixing by weight. That was the method that made me feel like it was something that I really could do without being a lab technician. Since I’m still learning, I haven’t made anything that I’d say was amazing, but it’s been good enough for me that I haven’t had to buy any more commercial juice than the original 3 bottles I bought. 
Anyhow, nice to meet you (I’m new here too!) Good luck with getting off the cigarettes. The vaping just made it so easy for me (and I was over a pack a day Marlboro Red smoker for 35 years!) that I just found I didn’t even desire the cigarette for my nicotine anymore, because even the almost tasteless stuff I’ve made has still tasted better than the cigarettes do to me now.
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Welcome @Blackjack3, @GSAutoTech, @Santovapor. @Beardedkojo and @GeorgeT93! Lots of good advice for you already. The one secret to this place is stategic reading. ELR is like School, but it’s all dumped in one visible pile. It is organized well, so stay in your lane for now and allow these guys to point you in the right (Reading) direction.
Strategic Reading? I mean reading this in an order that makes it easier to stack up and make sense that you can retain and use today. Like School you wouldn’t want to start trying to learn Algebra before knowing how to add/subtract/mult/divide. Always just ask and for now the Beginner section will keep you busy reading for many hours. Great way to learn what confused the last New Guy. Hey? One day soon you will be welcoming new people and pointing then in the right direction too!
No worries about the Language Barrier. We have people from around the world posting here and we are able to read around translation bumps. Some GREAT stories this week! Welcome aboard!
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Welcome and glad you joined.
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Welcome y’all
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Hey there everyone thought I’d introduce myself… New to the forum, kind of new to vaping, but extremely new to mixing (as in have never done it lol) I am a heavy smoker looking to change to vaping because smoking is getting way to expensive in Australia. I have already cut down on ciggerettes a lot but not exclusively vaping just yet. I do enjoy smoking however so i think vaping will be a great subsitute. I am excited to give mixing a try once I get my hands on my concentrate! I’m pretty sure bakery/custards are going to be my preference, not too keen on the fruity stuff. I’m already pretty addicted to mixing and have been trying to immerse myself in as much information as possible. I have already fallen in love with ELR because of the wealth of information here. I look forward to getting know other mixers and getting some feed back once I get my recipe skills to a point where I can share some creations. Any mixing tips or suggestions will be much appreciated to help improve my Noob status lol.
Peace out,
Dfex 
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Great to see more Aussies on the forum welcome aboard.
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Welcome and glad you joined.
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Welcome aboard 
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Hi all my real name is Marc but I go by the handle FoOtTaPpEr or FT for short, I’ve never tried vaping as I’ve kicked the fags for over 7/8 years now and now that I have COPD any thought of smoking might trigger an episode, having said that out the way the reason I’m making and creating vape flavours is because of my daughter who was worried about some of the ingredients that go into the making of vape juice (colouring/ preservatives etc) not to say there in fact in them but she would rather me make her favourite vape flavour than purchase elsewhere. Now that’s out the way all so for all the above reasons I’m glad to be part of what seems on the face of what I’ve read in the forums a great bunch of men and women who really enjoy giving advice etc to all who have a part in a great pastime.
Regard, FoOtTaPpEr.
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Very cool that your willing to mix for your daughter even though you don’t vape.
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Thanks for the reply Chris,
Yea she very happy with all aspects she says my version of pinkman is better than pinkman you buy over the counter, so if my own daughter can give me an honest opinion I’m glad in the knowledge that I’m giving my own sibling the very best ingredients (win/win).
Regards,
FoOtTaPpEr.
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Thanks Mark, I’m sure I’ll learn bucket loads on here.
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Welcome, greetings from Barcelona. Here you will find friendly people who can always help you (I am not, that I am a novice) and much knowledge accumulated in the forum
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