We liked this story from New York Magazine‘s The Cut blog that suggests that along with the financial perks of being in a long-term relationship (half the rent, cheaper health insurance), there are costs that you just can’t avoid — like buying pricey wedding presents for people who are your significant other’s friends, not yours.
Here is our favorite “hidden cost” from the article:
Food: When singles bother to prepare their own food, they do so with the knowledge that one night of cooking and dishes could feasibly feed them for an entire week. Boyfriends suck at leaving enough for leftovers.
Cost: Buying lunch for the rest of your life; hiding your favorite snacks/liquors.
Speaking of liquor, one of our relationship costs is wine: We’d be happy to drink $5 swill at home (sometimes we can’t tell the difference, nor do we care), but our significant other has no taste for that wretched stuff. Buy a better bottle, or ignore his preferences unilaterally and torture him for life? The choice is yours, but if you’ve got a soft spot for your guy, we’re guessing you’ll upgrade to keep the peace. Then he drinks half of it too. Womp-womp.
But we guess it all comes out in the wash, especially when he springs for a truly great vino to share.
Do you have any hidden relationship costs? Is there anything you buy now that you wouldn’t normally, as a single woman?
[The Cut]
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I resent spending time with my husband’s family. I know that’s bad to say, but I miss spending all the holidays with my own parents and brother and sister.
I find myself buying a ton of food that I wouldn’t normally. :/ Also 5 pounds heavier.
@Ann: why would you not spend holiday time with your own family as well? Split up Christmas (eve with one family, day with another), or Thanksgiving early and late meals – or have them ALL together at your place. Blended families aren’t new, there are ways to cope. My sister resolved this by going on vacation out of the country/timeshare during holidays or spending holidays with friends, then being with parents the following weekend (that’s not a holiday) Whining won’t get anything solved, unless your goal is to continue to feel bad.