Single and ready to mingle? Well, if you didn’t need another reason to despise Valentine’s Day,  I’m about to give you one more – independence is expensive. Whether you are choosing to live the single life or you just haven’t met the right catch yet, you’ve probably experienced some of the nuisances that come with taking on the world on your own.

That’s right – next time one of your friends in a relationship gives you a “You are soooo lucky you don’t have a partner to buy an expensive Christmas present” feel free to fire back with “Oh yeah? Try paying up to double for monthly housing, rent, pets, cable, utilities, furniture and credit card fees.”

As a single guy myself, I can personally vouch for the frustration that comes with these costs so please consider this blog as not only a tool to help you save some dollars – but some much needed therapy for me.

Grocery Shopping 

One of the most surprising increased costs that come with being single is the increased amount spent on groceries. You may think “Wait a minute… shouldn’t more people equal more food costs?” It does – but couples are able to take advantage of volume discounts and decrease the amount of waste that drives up a single household’s grocery bill. There’s nothing more disappointing than walking the crowded aisles at Costco and not being able to buy the bulk pack of muffins and the 4L Chocolate Milk jug. If you are like me and end up splurging on them anyway, you’ve now paid double the amount it would cost someone in a relationship who can spread the cost over two budgets (and half of the milk won’t end up going spoiled).

On average, a single man and woman will spend $319.87 and $247.33 a month respectively on groceries. To put it in perspective how much extra they are spending, the average household of four will spend $494.50 a month on groceries. That’s well over half and that doesn’t include the amount of money spent on eating out, which single people tend to do a lot more.

TIP: Something I’ve found extremely helpful to manage grocery costs and limit the amount you eat out is to pair up with a “meal prepping partner”. Spend a couple hours at the beginning of the week cooking a couple of dishes to store in your fridge for the week. Not only is cooking more enjoyable when you have a friend, but you are splitting your grocery cost and preparation time in half while giving your meals variety throughout the week so you aren’t eating the same pasta for lunch for five days straight.

Home Ownership & House Expenses 

A 2017 Vice Money article reported that 64% of millennials identify as being single, which is up 12% from 2004 (seems like more people are joining the dark side!). That seems like a pretty high number since rent costs for one-bedroom apartment (averaging as high as $1,800 a month in Toronto and Vancouver) are skyrocketing so it makes sense why some couples are ready to “take the next step” and move in with each other so quickly. 

I’ve been a homeowner for three years and am in my first few months of living alone. The monthly costs are quite daunting to not have a tenant to offset mortgage, utilities, and condo fees and I’m constantly looking for ways to trim any unnecessary variable costs like cable costs.

TIP: If you are single and looking to purchase a home – there typically isn’t much of a difference between the cost of a one bedroom and a two bedroom place and it is much harder to turn a value on a one-bedroom if you are ever looking to sell. If you can bare it, spend a little more to buy the extra bedroom that gives you the opportunity to house a roommate if your purse strings get a little tight. When you have the flexibility to live alone, you can always turn the room into a spare bedroom/office/pottery studio or whatever you fancy. 

Maintaining a Social Life  

Here’s a shocker – single people spend more money on their social lives. Now that I live alone, I find myself spending a lot more money with friends just to get my social fix. From patio drinks to movie popcorn, these purchases can add up real fast.

Dating is also quite expensive, especially if you are footing the bill. A 26-year-old male from New York writing for Refinery29 just did a study where he went on 14 dates and tracked all of his purchases. In two weeks, he spent $771 and that’s with $0 dates included! Chivalry may not be dead but your chequing account may be if you are not careful.

TIP: Cut the booze. Or at least opt out of the casual 1-2 drinks after work or when you meet a friend for dinner. Last year when I was training for a Spartan Race, I cut out alcohol entirely for two months and ended up saving about $50-$100 a week! Depending how much you cut out, that’s enough to cover your utility bills for the month (and that 4L jug of chocolate milk from Costco).

Retirement Planning &  Benefits 

Depending on your age, retirement may be the furthest thing from your mind and the last thing you can imagine allocating any of your paycheck towards. Especially when you are single, it seems unfathomable to think long-term when you are constantly weighed down by short term monthly fees like car payments, cell phone bills, utilities, and mortgage costs.

Since couples can split the majority of these costs – they have the luxury of being able to contribute more to their retirement. According to this MarketWatch study, of those in the 90th percentile of wealth between the ages of 65-69, two-person households had $878,000 in assets versus $380,000 for those in the same demographic who are single. That’s a big difference.

TIP: I know it’s hard to imagine actively contributing to your retirement when CPP is likely being deducted from your paycheck but if you can afford it – it will pay off in the long run. I prefer to set up automatic pension contributions so I don’t even see the money coming off my paycheck.  Many workplaces will match pension contributions up to a certain percentage so if you can, max them out! It’s free money!

Single friends, navigating these costs solo can be scary so let’s take care of each other. Comment below with some tips and tricks you use to give yourself some breathing room in the monthly budget.