As if there weren't already enough pressure to settle down, a new study has found that being single can be very depressing -- financially speaking, that is.The study of 2,000 adults, carried out by a price-comparison service company in the U.K. called uSwitch, found that singletons spend $382, 275 more on essentials over a lifetime than those living with a partner. And in case you were wondering, they're also unhappier, with two-thirds of those part of a couple saying they are better off compared to one in five people living alone.
Single people spend an average of $18,358 on the cost of housing and food, about half the average annual income of $36,656, which translates to them forking out $7,649 more a year than their coupled-up counterparts.
On the plus side, at least they're not part of the 20 percent of adults in the U.K. who are living with someone and secretly in love with someone else.
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Friday 23 July
By Demek
Staying single shouldn't cost more. I'll never be on FHA, HUD, SID, all those unemployed benefits. My food stamps a month would be $160 verse a person with kids of $600 a month. Somethings turned around here. And I pay a lot in taxes too.
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Friday 23 July
By Dave
No one gives a damn about your food stamps!!! Many countries don't even have food stamps and have to live off of the land. We all pay taxes, some get back more than they pay for some damn reason.
Friday 23 July
By FCLR
Not everything can be measured in dollars. Being single/divorced is much better than being in a bad marriage. I know that by experience -- twice. Secondly, just because we are single/divorced does not mean we are unhappy (altho' I grant that men tend to need to be married). And thirdly, just because the husband and/or wife of a married couple say that they are "better off" -- what does that mean? Better off financially? Better off because they are not living alone? Someone take a poll of husbands and wives who have been married more than 30 years, and ask them if they are still married because they love and like each other or because they don't want to be alone? Ask a good number of singles over 60 just how 'miserable' they are living alone. Might blow all this 'good research' right out of the water.
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Saturday 24 July
By tyrebitre
"(altho' I grant that men tend to need to be married)."
Really ? I believe you might be insane.
Friday 23 July
By leon
I don't buy it. My ex wife cost me over $3800 a month and my kids ( I raised by myself ), I calculated, cost me over $345,000 each. Adding and calculating all the costs I figured it came to over $800,000. This was all in the span of 18 years. I am single now and kids are moved away. I live on less than $20,000 a year now and doing just fine.
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Friday 23 July
By ExplorerFl
I agree. There is no way being married costs less. Besides, a single guy who spends $380K is doing it without the hassle of having a mate bugging him over what he buys and then turning around and wanting half.
Abolish all marriage laws. Require a business contract for all folks wanting to get married. Require providing for any children and ensure that momma contributes her half share.
Then, live as you will.
Friday 23 July
By jaeme
thank you
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Friday 23 July
By longarmss
LOL, can't stop laughing. This has been the funnest artical about single in a long time. Just like most of them. There so far off. why don't they show us the nubrs they used to come up this this so funny write up.
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Friday 23 July
By Ell
This article is totally twisted and turned upside down. I've been single and married. Thankfully no self respecting person marries based on money...true? Well anyway, unless you are marrying into infinite wealth, single is cheaper by far.
Friday 23 July
By Lonster
Well, all I can say in response to this article is that the almost 12 months in which I was married actually COST me about $150.00/month thanks to my ex-wife's spending habits (such as buying new clothes almost every month and eating out most of the time rather than making her own food like I did for myself) coupled with her very poor income. Yes, instead of her contributing to our "mutual expenses" like the mortgage of my condo (I had purchased it years before, but we BOTH lived there, so why should she get a free ride if she can contribute?), or our now higher gas and electric bills (thanks to her extra usage), or the cable bill, I was stuck paying what I normally paid for all of that PLUS her extra costs! And not only was the money she brought to our mutual household income not enough for her to contribute to our mutual expenses, it was not even enough to cover HER OWN spending habits and necessities, let alone doing the "fun" things in life like entertainment and travel! So, as we went through our marital counseling (and much of our fighting was about, big surprise, finances), I sat down and itemized everything we spent money on during a typical month and discovered that she was actually costing me $150 more than I had to spend on myself when I was single! At least the sex was great!
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Friday 23 July
By steve
Hmmm, my first ex wife put me in bankrupt, plus about 20K in misc bills, plus 2 kids to raise. That was a Bargain.
My 2nd ex wife, currently will cost me about 25K in credit card debt. No kids now, Again, A BARGAIN.
Ex -wife #3 ,,? NO FRKIN WAY
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Sunday 25 July
By katie
Gee...I guess the writer of this lil' ditty didn't check out the fact in 2011 the marriage penalty tax will be enacted. Uhm.....how convenient to be stupid and ignorant.
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Friday 23 July
By Dick
This article is about as informative as that guy in the picture is female. (Who is he anyway?) His chin and moustache shadow are dead give-aways.
If a single person rents/buys a place to live and buys enough food to feed him/herself, how does that equate to spending $7649.00 more than a couple? Is the single person the circus fat man/woman and the couple is ravaged by anorexia? Does the single buy only name brands vs. store brands for the couple? Does the single eat steak and lobster while the couple shares a can of un-recalled spagetti-o's? Is this article about Americans or U.K.er's ? Is the money actually pounds and not dollars or does this all happen in England and the single person is paying in undervalued U.S. currency and the couple uses 'real' money (pounds)?
The author should avoid any story that involves math or CLEAR writing. Can I get a job at her place of employment? I'd love to write 5 sentences a day for a paycheck. I'm sure I could do it, as it doesn't seem necessary to be clear or coherrent.
Lastly, I'm single and hear my friends bemoan the costs of living. In my case I can live much cheaper than them since I don't need 2 different soaps, shampoos, shaving creams and blades or any of the things 'couples' need. Me thinks the author overspends on herself and seeks a pretzel logic conclusion to make herself feel better about how much she spends.
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Friday 23 July
By joanofsac
I don't know where the justification for this article came from by I retired this year at the age of 52. My married girlfriends and their husbands are broke. Over the years I have tried to help them with their finances but they were busy spending two salaries. Recently one of my best friends told me they were flat broke and she has to wait 7 more years to work until she can retire at 66, and that's so she can get social security at it's top increment.
My parents have been married approximately 40 years (he's my stepdad). They are constantly borrowing money from me. His married brother died recently and the family is asking the rest of us to contribute to his funeral
Again, I don't know who researched this poorly proven article, but I believe it's someone who doesn't know that those of us who are single and living a wonderfully stress-free life, are those of us that you never talked to. Call me, I'll give you a long list of single, debt-free, happy folks you can talk to.
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Friday 23 July
By KC
Ha! I got married expecting to share the bills. What I got was a man who immediately quit his job and expected me to share my paycheck. When I didn't give him as much "allowance" as he wanted, he got a bunch of credit cards based on my income and credit history. That marriage cost me roughly a quarter-million dollars, plus my health and sanity. NEVER again will I get married.
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Friday 23 July
By Amy
LOL...l don't care if it cost me a fortune, l will stay single forever by choice! l have married and single friends and not one of my friends that are single by choice would change a thing however over half my married friends on the other hands are always stating if..."if l were still single, if l'd never quit my job and had children, if l didn't have someone else to answer to...if if if....YUCK! l understand there are people that need companionship and hate to be alone, but wouldnt a dog or cat be easier?
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Friday 23 July
By ruth alota
I am so glad that I don't live in the UK. I was married twice during my 20's and 30's and single with a long term relationship lasting longer than my married state. I am still happy and single. You have to consider the source of this quasi study/survey/research for its veracity and scientific objectivity (numbers) It is inadequate on both counts.
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Friday 23 July
By Workingstiff
They are crazy!!!
Let me see
-Got married at 23, wife did not work as we had to move around some when we were young.
-then had two kids, wife did not work (raised kids). Paid for everybody's cars, college, med school, sports, etc, etc.
-Kids gone- wife now stratrs works part time at very low pay. Just something she likes to do. She makes $8.50/hr and drives the very top of the line Jaguar (her weekend car actually), and a new Saturn (daily driver), etc.
If I would have stayed single, I could have retired at 45 with no problem. But getting married (not that I regret it), means me working another 12 years (or 50% longer).
If one spouse makes the money and the other does not work, then staying single is far cheaper (for the one working).
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Friday 23 July
By nana7
Being married will set you back. I'm divorced/widow, and now free. No man to tell me what to do or having to work 2 full time jobs, working 7 days a week so he can spend it on lottery tickets and such. I now work 5 days a week, can stay in jammies on days off if I want to. Watch what tv shows I want. Can eat or not eat, depending if I'm hungry or not. Can read a book, visit friends if I want to. Yes, I have a dog, a good companion. Have thought about marriage, but in mins. I remember I'd lose my freedom...no way...
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Friday 23 July
By SkyBlue
The old adage about 2 living as cheaply (or cheaper) as 1 is an absolute fallacy. This article is wrong. I'm 57 and I've been single for all those years. I retired last year because I can afford to do so. I paid cash for both my house and car. I have no debt. Think I could have done that if I were married? No likely.
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