Beat smoking and inflation at the same time

 How's this for frugality in an age of inflation? I have been chewing nicotine gum since I quit smoking in 2004 — probably 5 to 10 pieces a day. That sometimes led to three boxes a month at $31.99 a pop. (Expensive but cheaper than cigarettes) There came a day when every store that sold the kind I wanted ran out of stock. I tried to gut my way through by cutting back on what I had left and in the process reached the point where I only had one a day. Now, get this: I found out I could go a whole day on one piece and have been doing that ever since with a few exceptions and get this I kept track and the last time I bought a box was June 1. Two and a half months on what I used to use up to three per month. Oddly the price is still the same, $31.99 for 110 pieces. However I noticed a year or so ago the maker had reduced the size of the pieces somewhat. (Inflation by deflation? ) I'm still ahead.