What brand do you prefer?
I prefer Marlboro Mediums and have smoked them from pretty much the moment they were introduced. In the last year or so, I've switched to Marlboro Special Blends or Marlboro Red 72s as these tend to be priced cheaper per carton than the regular Marlboros.
A RYO (roll your own) tobacco shop opened up near my home that offers a carton of smokes for $28.80 (as opposed to the roughly $45 for a carton of Marlboro Reds). They sell you a bag of tobacco blended right in front of you to resemble your preferred brand and let you use one of their high-tech rolling machines for the 7-10 minutes it takes to roll the 190-210 cigarettes they'll guarantee this bag will produce. I'm thinking about giving this place a try. Only thing is I'll have to buy a cigarette case or two as the end result is a whole box of cigarettes. No individual packs. Best part is the tobacco is all natural. No additives or safety extinguishing chemicals.
I'd prefer to find a black market dealer and choke the government of tobacco taxes. If the prices go any higher, this otherwise law-abiding individual just may be forced to do that.