Is day-to-day life more expensive for single parents than couples?

[ThisIsMe87]

I am just looking for some clarification in that I’m not the only one that thinks being single (parent) is more expensive then being in a couple.
Not talking about expensive stuff like holidays or housing but day to day. For instance if you have a partner it’s easy to spend time at home, but if your single sometimes staying at home can feel deathly lonely so you end up going out more, even for a walk somewhere ends up costing, parking etc.

Ofc it is.

Yes it definitely is because you still have to pay for utilities and even though you'd use slightly more if another adult was living there you have noone to split those bills with. Council tax for example, you only get a 25% discount so are paying 75% whereas couples pay 50% each.
I've also found (and I know this is sexist) but I am totally impractical so have had to pay to have even small things fixed around the home. I also think I am then charged more than a bloke would be.
To go out for the evening I'd need to pay for a babysias no second adult by default to stay with the children.
An on an earning front, you bring less in as no second income. it's also harder to progress career wise as if there's no other adult to be with the children then the hours you can work are not as flexible as for some people. I also found I had no spare emotional capacity for a more demanding job.
I've also found I've stuck with a lower paying but very flexible and secure job as there is no margin of error if I were to lose my job. In a couple, the other person could help support the other partner if they lost their job.
So many things really. I'm sure there's more.

For instance if you have a partner it’s easy to spend time at home, but if your single sometimes staying at home can feel deathly lonely so you end up going out more, even for a walk somewhere ends up costing, parking etc

This is probably more down to personality, preferences and what you have available locally. Some single people will be perfectly happy home alone, also able to get out and about without spending money.

Obviously paying all the bills on one income is more expensive, but you see a lot on here that some men are very selfish and financially irresponsible to a degree that when he leaves, his female partner doesn't struggle as much for money because the household is no longer paying for his hobbies, flash car, lots of meat when everyone else would be happy with soup or eggs on toast etc.

So to answer your question, probably, but it's not a given and some single parents are financially more comfortable alone than with a financially destructive partner.

Yes it’s super expensive and even worse if you think about what happens when you retire

Housing is more which I expected as have previously lived on my own prior to DC. But it just feels so much worse now and I am penny pinching as I wasn’t previously.
Flexibility is key when a parent, and I do agree with no room for movement in regards to progression. End of last year I requested my co parent to up their time to 50% so I could change jobs and allow for progression however they refused.

Biggest annoyance of mine. Booked a holiday through well known tour operator and it cost the same for myself and 1 under 10 as it would 2 adults and same child.

Yes it absolutely is harder as a single parent. All the expenses but one income .

I was married with two kids now I'm single with two kids

As a whole it's kinda cheaper though my mortgage went up as I had to buy them out

However I lost there car running costs and there general bills

I would say it generally cheaper.....but as a whole you have a lower income

So as a whole it's more expensive as the income has gone down (but bills also went down), but not by as much

This is a weird question, of course it is.

Of course it is more expensive. 100% of each and every thing is the cost of the one parent. I have to pay for 100% of everything so that is everything from mortgage to life insurance, home insurance, car, all insurances and taxes and fuel, absolutely all other outgoings with no money coming in from any other person. No second person to do any dropping or collecting or just there so I can get out and do the weekly shop which of course is solely funded by me, put away by me and cooked by me. All of the laundry and associated costs like electricity and powder I mean absolutely every single thing comes from my one wage. There is nobody else around to cover the cost of anything ever.

Of course it is, its more a less same outgoings but on one wage!

I mean the overhead costs of running the house is not more expensive either way. A home costs the same to maintain with a couple of on your own. As a single parent I can generally manage everyday costs the mortgage bills food etc. It's when it goes over that it's difficult. Really hard to find money for things like guttering needs fixing it's 1100 and no one to split that with. Car blown up? Find the money alone for a replacement. Big school trip, yea that's also me.

It's very fucking hard to ever get ahead.

But I do get a UC top up, small and work full time. I'm grateful for the UC or I'd be really fucking struggling.

However that said without being the main carer for the kids I'd have flown ahead in my career, so well another double down...
I wouldn't change it for the world but it's bloody hard.

No, having one wage instead of two miraculously makes you better off. What a stupid question!

Just to clarify I was talking about entertainment. As a couple you have each other for company. But as a single person specifically parent I find I need timeout for my own health which then in turn costs money

Bit rude. If you read my initial post I was talking about going out and socialising rather than the fact of one income.

I agree that of course it is but it isn’t a weird question. One of the first MN threads I contributed to was someone insisting that it was actually worse financially to be in a couple than single.

I’ll go against the grain and say I actually find the opposite. Ex-H was more of a going out person than I am so either he (alone) or both of us went out more. I’m single now and my favourite weekends are the ones just pottering at home and in the garden. So entertainment and travel costs are lower.

Of course. My biggest bill is running out of something and not being able to pop out to the shops as my son is asleep so having to order groceries on deliveroo, costs so so much. A £3 shop run becomes £15

A higher rate earning single mum is much more taxed than two couples earning a few pound more than her each . A single mum earning 100k will lose thousands in childcare funding but a couple can earn £199,998 between them and have this funding saving them thousands

One income, one household to run. Don’t think going out etc, I do everything v cheap. Not to do with being single.

Yes! And the child benefit done on single income. Massive p take that is

Can you have people over or go to theirs? I walk or run wirh friends which is free

Family tickets is another one. Couples get reduced entry to things and often single parents pay full cost of one adult and however many children. That is improving though, I got a 1 adult 1 child ticket when out with DS yesterday.

I don’t know. I know plenty of people in couples who go out more to avoid each other. 😬