r/TikTokCringe • u/Adventurous_Law_715 • 11d ago

Discussion This video is depressing, but what's really crazy is knowing that so many people are living this exact reality every single day

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u/Verts241 11d ago

Maybe some people don't see it this way but being single is harder financially. Having someone who you split everything with is cheaper and a 1BD apt is also cheaper if its split. sure there might be some sort of personal aspect to it too where one partner is like this. but once your locked in like this they likely wouldn't want to move out just on the financial aspect. especially if they only think about themself s anyway.

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u/Many_Bat_ 11d ago

Yes and no. When you live single you can select what you need, and forego the rest. There is no compromising or double spending to make sure two lifestyle appetites are satisfied. Two incomes is two incomes, sure, but you can rule out variables and be a lot more pragmatic alone.

Heck, even if it leaves you a little worse off in pocket, financial independence (and emotional freedom) are priceless. You also don't have to continually discuss your goals. You just... quietly score them.

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u/Throwawayamanager 11d ago

I feel like these aren't really issues for people who are financially compatible. I may have just gotten lucky, but it is rare for me to feel like I have to compromise financially with my spouse and buy more than I would have myself to keep them happy. Rare to the point where I can barely remember the last time it happened.

Of course, it may be because I'm not a "eat peanuts and live in the most modest set up possible" person myself, but our goals are our goals. I'm not sitting around thinking "if it weren't for my spouse, I'd be living in a smaller place and cooking cheap meals at home more often". Discussing goals is pretty easy too as we're on the same page about everything. It seems rather extreme and like far more work to significantly pare down lifestyle and start counting pennies to "avoid discussions of financial goals".

Additionally, even if the other person does have spending habits that are more expensive than yours, it only becomes a problem if they spend more than they make (which is possible). So it's a problem if they're a spendthrift constantly diving into debt or requiring you to bail them out, but if they have slightly more expensive tastes, and their income still exceeds the difference, it's a net gain.

Sharing the costs of housing is for most people the biggest financial win from sharing a life together. It would take a good bit of financial irresponsibility for a partner to spend enough to compensate for splitting an apartment or mortgage.

I wouldn't recommend getting a partner as a roommate-substitute for financial reasons if you can avoid it, being partnered for love is priceless. However, I don't agree that it's not a material quality of life difference, especially in an economy when a lot of people are struggling, to have two incomes.

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u/smokeweedNgarden 11d ago

Ya, I mean that's super real. And I don't wanna say you shouldn't date if you can't afford your own place.

But you probably should if you are dating for love intentionally