As a single mother for many years, I feel that I have tons of practical financial advice to offer other single mothers. When it comes to saving money and becoming financially independent, my first piece of advice may not seem practical, but it can be the biggest way to save money and give your children the quality time that they desperately need. What is this huge piece of advice you ask? Are you sure you are ready? Here it is, stay single and don’t date.
I know that it is not a popular opinion or piece of advice but I will give you the thought process behind this financial advice for single mothers. Naturally when a woman has a man in her life that she is attracted to, she will want to spend money on things that are not necessities. The bra with the under-wire that is starting to poke through the fabric will instantly have to be replaced if she even suspect that someone else will be seeing it. The panties that she has comfortably worn for years will start to look a bit shabby when she envisions undressing in front of a man that she is trying to attract. The mismatched sheets that are a bit thread barren are no longer good enough to allow someone else to sleep on even though they have worked perfectly for her. Are you getting the picture here?
While you may think that all of this is a bit silly, let’s look at another side of this financial advice for single mothers. When dating, you will most likely want to have a night out on occasion and while the man may be more than willing to pick up the tab for dinner and a movie, the mother will be picking up the tab for the new outfit and the sitter for the kids. Eat in you say….Even if you are comfortable enough to have the man over for dinner and think that you can save a bit on a sitter. Wrong….you may not be spending money on the sitter but will what you typically serve your children and yourself for dinner be adequate to feed a man that you are trying to attract? I can honestly say that it wouldn’t work in my house. My daughter and I typically eat light, healthy meals that contain very little meat. I don’t think my typical dinner menu would have any man begging to come over for more.
Not only can dating be expensive for a single mother, it also takes time and that is something that most single mothers are short on. The spare time that you do have should be spent with your children or with a second job that can be done from home. When I started dating, my income instantly dropped because the time that I had spent writing was now being spent with a man that was not contributing to my bottom line. This may be a harsh way to look at your finances but dating is expensive and can take precious time away from other activities such as spending time with your children or working a second job. Take from this advice what you may but as a single mother myself, this is the best piece of financial advice that I can give to single mothers.
