Priced Out Of Leaving The House
Is doing things alone literally too expensive now?
Welcome to Cheaper Than Therapy, a newsletter by Shani Silver.
I haven’t done this in months. Maybe half a year. Last night I took myself to dinner solo, at a completely realistic local restaurant. Not something you’d save for a fancy occasion, not something you’d recommend to tourists—just a solid neighborhood spot. I got a spritz off the happy hour menu, one regularly priced glass of wine, and two appetizers. Following tax, kitchen fee, and tip, my total came to $73 and change. That’s a lot of money for one person to eat dinner. A completely casual weeknight dinner a single woman wanted to treat herself to because she’d only left the house once in the last eight days. I’m glad I went, I’m glad I was out in the world for a moment. But when did being a normal person get so expensive?
Yes, it feels cliché, passé, and blasé to bitch about money at this point. But since I’m literally being priced out of leaving the house, we’re going to talk. If you think single people are complaining about a mild inconvenience and imbalance when we say that dual-income households have more money, you are massively underestimating our experience. I like to ask couples to mentally double their rent or mortgage payment to get a taste of how we live every day. Then imagine all the wealth and disposable income you never get to build over the years when your cost of living is that high. Then when they tell me to get a roommate, I tell them they didn’t have to, why should I, and that’s where people start to understand how lucky they are to have a romantic partner. Single people shouldn’t have to stay home because the world is priced for pairs, and overpriced for everyone. That’s not fucking fair.