Being Single vs. Being Married

When my cousin was single, he thought that married life was quite similar to single life. He imagined that marriage would not change his life much. However, after he got married last year he realized that he was totally naïve before. The single life and the married life differ in terms of how people use money, how free they are to set their daily schedule, and what roles people play in their life.

One of the differences between the single life and the married life is the way of using money. A single man can enjoy his money without any effort. He can spend money to buy what he desires or use his money frugally. The point is that no one will interrupt him or tell him how to use his money. On the other hand, a man, who is married, does not have this much freedom for using his money. Even though he works as hard as the single man does, he cannot purchase anything he wants without his spouse’s advice or decision. For example, my cousin, who is an architect, got married last year. Before he married, every month he bought a gift or had a wonderful meal as a reward to himself for his hard-work on his job. Once, he even bought a new fabulous Honda Accord and a new 65-inch PDP TV to enjoy his life. Since he has been married, he has to save his salary as a family foundation for his family. Now, he is not allowed to use his money like before.

Second, the way of scheduling the free time in the single life and the married life is different. The single life has much more flexibility in daily schedules. For example, a single man can go to a party, hang out with friends after work and go home casually late as long as it doesn’t bother his job. In the weekend, he can stay home whole days doing nothing or go traveling easily. Unlike the single life, the married life has less flexibility in daily schedules because of more responsibilities that spouses need to have to each other. For instance, a married man has to obtain a “dinner-out permit”, which is not easy to get from his wife, if he wants to have dinner with his coworkers or friends after work, not to mention the small chance of going to party or hanging out. Also on weekends, he is supposed to stay at home with his family and cannot have an occasional activity, such as doing exercise or traveling like what he used to do.

In addition to the way of using money and the scheduling of free time, the single life and the married life differ in terms of what roles people play in their life. Single people are receivers, while married people are providers. People that are not married usually are self-centered, and most of time they focus on what and how many benefits they can derive from the society. They know what sacrifice is, but they would rather trade what they have to others than give without being repaid. In contrast, people that are married no longer can just think about themselves. They must be willing to sacrifice their time, money, and even their hobbies to support their spouses and children. They tend to spend a whole weekend to take their children to the Disneyland for giving them a happy childhood instead of seeing their old buddies.

To sum up, the single life and the married life are totally different in three aspects: the way of using money, the freedom of scheduling free time, and the roles that they play in their lives. These days, more and more people decide not to marry just because they do not want to lose their freedom nor sacrifice what they love. I think, marriage is one of the important stages of the life that brings maturity and responsibility to every people. Everyone should go through this challenge to experience the love and the trust of being a part of a family.