It is safe to say that I am single AF, hence the title of this blog.
I know right?! Finally, truth in advertising!
All joking seriousness aside, it’s good to know that others in my situation are managing to find a faint silver lining to the cloud that is our sad lives…and that lining might be financial.
First, let’s face it. For those of us who are in debt, being single makes getting out of debt even more of a struggle. Couples simply have more money to throw at debt. They can lean on each other for financial security in the event of job loss, etc. Plus sharing a house / apartment and living expenses with an SO or spouse provides a significant step up in quality of life vs. living with rando roommates. Need I go on? There are many, many financial advantages to being in a relationship.
There may also be, however, a few benefits to being single when paying off debt. Gasp! Did I just say that? Well, it depends on how you want to look at things.
This write-up from Student Loan Hero covers some of the ways being single may work to our advantage. Oh, and I’m totally not biased because I’m quoted in the post, heh!
Source: Studentloanhero.com
10 Ways Being Single AF Helped These People Pay off $126,000 in Debt (StudentLoanHero.com)
Take a look and tell me what you think. Do you agree or disagree?
Are you single AF? How do you think it affects your finances?
In the meantime, I think I found a relationship status that I like better…
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“Debtor’s prison is real, and opportunity cost is a bitch.” (DDSW) (List of all posts)
Double Debt Single Woman 
You’re awesome, indeed! I do have to say it’s easier to pay off debt rapidly as a married lady myself. The downside is that you’re responsible for paying off two people’s debt. It particularly sucks when your partner is the one with the higher debt load and you still are stuck with paying that off. So in that way single ladies def have an advantage!!
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Thank you! 🙂 Yes, I agree.
If someone is in a relationship with a person who shares their anti-debt outlook, then it can be great, even if there is debt involved. Because after the debt is gone, you have two people with two incomes who can save and invest like crazy. On the other hand, if someone is married to an unrepentant spendthrift, then that would certainly be a disadvantage. I wouldn’t envy that at all.
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I’m single AF. I think it is a toss up whether which is harder (single/married/partnered) because it also depends on the person’s peer group, cultural background, and level of determination. It seems like being single is a little bit easier. I don’t know too many couples out here in real life that would be equally on board with such a big lifestyle change over a long period of time. That’s just me though.
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Good point.
Though I can’t help but imagine that if I had a partner that matched my outlook on personal finance how much different my life would be. But then again most people, including me, aren’t so lucky.
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I think single AF would have its advantages. I know if I was (I am single AF w/teen), I would be happy to eat rice and beans, live closer to work and go car free until my debt was paid off. When I was married, my SO did not share my ideas and thoughts on cutting down (hmmm, maybe why I am not married anymore – lol). But I see that you are proving the advantages to SAF. You are killing those loans quickly.
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lol. Thanks! 🙂
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OK, I’m ignorant. What does AF stand for and SAF?
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Ha! It means ‘as f*ck’, as in ‘single as f*ck’. It’s also google-able. 🙃
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I was kind of ignorant to that term as well. But! Is single AF different than being regular single? I don’t get it?
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Hey! Yeah, it basically means *really* single or *super* single. A little google-fu will do the expression more justice than I can do here. 🙂
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I am married but thought I’d throw in my 2 cents here.
For me, it was a lot easy to manage my money when I was single. I could sacrifice where I wanted, splurge where I wanted, and only had myself (and my 2 cats) to worry about. Now there’s another person in the equation, it’s a lot more complicated. I can’t just eat cereal for dinner in order to pay down a big chunk of my credit card anymore, but boy do I wish I could!!!
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I don’t understand why people always sacrifice food/health when attempting to tackle debt? Eating cereal for dinner sounds awful and not to mention it’s horrible for you. I’m struggling to come to terms with this as it seems like sacrificing healthy eating is one of the most popular things to do in the “paying down debt” blog world.
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Hi Amanda! I agree that a single person has more control over where they put their money. One the other hand, the shovel (income) they have to dig themselves out of debt is likely smaller than an employed couple. There are pluses and minuses to both, it seems.
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I don’t live with my girlfriend, which means we don’t share expenses. She also recently had to move over 1000 miles away. During the weeks and months without her I spend less going out for dinner and drinks. But traveling to visit her is not cheap and involves unpaid time off of work.
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Things can never be easy, it seems…
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My debt was created when I was married. With my spouse, it was impossible to discuss finances at all, let alone budgeting and planning for the future. When we divorced, I kept all the debt which included a too-expensive house, an RV, and all of the current and future Parent PLUS debt for our kids college educations. Today, I’m on the hook for $150,000 worth of Parent PLUS loans, and I intend to have them paid off in three years or less. Despite my staggering debt, my net worth has grown from -$20,000 to $135k in 2 1/2 years.
It’s way easier for me to manage my finances as a single person. I’m concentrating more on my career and side hustles, and no one but me decides how to spend my money!
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Congrats on your financial turnaround. I’m cheering you on in your debt payoff. Let’s enjoy the silver lining of singledom. 🙂
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I am SAF and yes, taking care of your own debt can be “easier” than helping with your spouses debt too.
I wonder though. After working so hard to paydown your own debt at this age, would I/you be willing to take on another persons debt after working so hard to pay off your own? I guess I can answer my own question by saying if that person was willing and proved they were interested 100% in doing so.Makes me wonder though.
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At this point in my life, I would not pay down someone’s else debt, to be frank. I would help them pay off their own debt, by pooling resources, being frugal together, PF education, etc. They’d have to show a big turn around in spending and saving behavior. The type of debt also matters to me. Student loan debt is a different beast from say, gambling debt.
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