A really interesting survey from TotallyMoney has recently revealed whether or not people believe they would be financially better off being single or in a relationship. The standout figure from the results showed that 45% of those in a relationship think they would be richer flying solo, compared to just 32% of singletons who felt their bank balance would benefit from having a partner.
It’s when we look at the specifics that things become really intriguing however. Gender seems to play a major factor, with 52% of men thinking they spend more while in a relationship. This contrasts significantly with the 39% of women who feel the same way, implying perhaps that somewhat archaic spending stereotypes may still be an influence when it comes to dating, with men still footing the bulk of the bills.
Delve further into the numbers and we see that this in turn is influenced by age. Nearly 68% of the middle-aged male respondents (35-44) felt being single was more cost effective, while only around 49% of those aged 24-35 agreed. This could possibly suggest that we are seeing a cultural shift towards a more even keel when it comes to couples’ spending habits.
There’s no denying that there are arguments in favour of either side, with people in relationships paying for dates, weddings, birthday gifts, etc. and single people taking the weight of food costs, rent and so on alone.
You can take the quiz to find out for yourself whether you personally would be better off single or in a relationship. You simply answer eight questions about your general outgoings, including the likes of clothes, presents, holidays and phone bills and in return you are given a breakdown of how your costs compare to the average single or coupled person, before a final figure as to how much better or worse off you are. Definitive; not exactly, but interesting nonetheless.
In my case, the results do show that I am indeed better off financially single compared to the average couple (by a little over a grand!).
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