Life as a single person with all its freedom and care free attitude has its own flipside. Single life presents you with great elements which we consider as making us independent. Logic is that, a single man or woman has lesser worries but don’t forget with independence comes a higher responsibility.
Being considered as single means, you need to hold the singular responsibility of paying for your rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, your car, car insurance, fuel and other basics from your own coffers.
Singles vrs Couples
That is not to say that couples do not experience the same expenses however, they share the expenses among themselves. This means the load won’t be on one party alone as found in the domain of the single person. With little add-ons gained aside the actual income gained by most couple they indirectly reduce the pressure of having to cater for the expenses of two people.The luxury of being able to live the life of a single person by couples is what supersedes the single livelihood especially when the couple are mostly sharing some things.
This isn’t to make you regret the decision of staying single or force you into making hasty decisions about getting a partner, but to give you the key strategies to outwit the pressures of single penalty.
Here are a few tips.
1. Tackle Your Housing Bill
The most disturbing or dominating factor is the issue of housing. Paying of your rents if not taken care of can take up all your income , so why not cater for this by getting a roommate.
Reduce the pressure of rent by getting to share with someone. You might be surprised how helpful that is.
Accepting to get a roommate replicates the life of couples in terms of sharing responsibility of paying for rent and utility expenses that would have been absorbed by yourself as a single individual .
If you’re not comfortable with the idea of getting a roommate for some reasons most especially for privacy reasons here are some great ways to go about it;
Move into a smaller but comfortable space and embrace minimalism, the art of owning little but better and quality things. Simply put, own little but better to reduce your rent and utility cost.
Getting rid of clutter and living in a smaller space can reduce both your rent or mortgage costs and your utility bills.
Check out house-sitting gigs which allow you to live rent-free at someone else’s home in exchange for looking after their property while they’re gone, that sounds like fun right? Try renting out a portion of your home on Airbnb. When you do not feel comfortable with getting a permanent roommate, you could at least offset a portion of your rent or mortgage payment by occasionally renting out your spare bedroom.
2. Buy in Bulk
Buying large quantities of food at the grocery store is cheaper than buying smaller single-serve packs. Buy in bulk to enjoy the benefit of large sale or wholesale discount. This will reduce your expenses and keep you going for a long time before you run out of stock again. This is better in most ways than buying in small quantities. Try to cook in large quantities and store them in the cooler while dishing out some small quantity and reheating them when needed.
This way, you still get the benefit of buying in bulk, and as a bonus, you won’t have to spend a whole bunch of time cooking other than one dedicated day per every few weeks or months.
3. Buy in Bulk and Split Things With Friends
Talk to a couple of friend who are willing to buy some stuffs at the store, mostly non-perishable goods and get them to agree to pull your things together in bulk and share afterwards. This way you reduce your expenses and fill the void with your friend’s income. That’s pretty smart and convenient for both of you as you both enjoy having bought things at s far lesser cost
4. Reduce Your Transportation
It might be is to share a car with your significant other, because you are single and might be heading towards different parts of town every now and then. It doesn’t also mean that you should almost always be locked inside your car enjoying the ride when you can actually walk to save you the cost of transportation.
In a case of not having a car, make pedestrian friendliness one of the chief criteria you look for when you’re searching for a place to live. Make a habit out of walking to places and enjoying the scenry and remember its even good for your health because it serves as exercise of sought. You might even reach a point where you won’t need a car depending on where you live.
If you do own a car, and you’re struggling to make the payments, give some thought to selling your current vehicle and replacing it with an older used car.
You can buy reliable vehicles for as little as $3,000 to $5,000.
5. Budgeting:
Be sure to budget every month or week prior to receiving your paycheck. Know what to buy within the month, how much to save etc. that will serve as a guideline to serve as a road map for spending. That reduces unnecessary spending
6. Cash over Credit Card
Try to use cash for all your shopping with little use of credit card. The temptation to spend more than necessary is high when you have direct access to a higher money base. So anytime you go shopping go with physical cash to reduce your spending because you have a limited amount of funds and will be forced to spend within that range. It also reduces impulse buying habits as compared to the use of credit card.
Being single doesn’t mean you’re confined to using chunk percentage of your income towards fulfilling basic necessities. Be innovative, live simple, live smart and seek to roll with friends who will be willing to share some few expenses with you. Try these tips to overcome the single penalty and enjoy the true independence of living a single life. A few simple moves could lower your bills by as much as hundreds every month to help you have enough for future and emergency purposes.
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The Haymaker 