Rolling solo when it feels like everyone around you seems to be in a happy relationship can be a pretty crappy feeling, but we tend to overlook how great being the single friend actually is for these reasons and more.
- Your money is completely your own. Being single, you don’t have to pick up the tab for another person or shell out your hard earned cash on gifts for anniversaries, holidays, or any other random couples’ obligations. This means that whatever you make is totally yours, so when you do decide to go out with your girlfriends, you can totally pick up the check now and then since you’re not struggling for cash. Plus, you can buy that cute dress you saw last week without having to worry that the money might be better spent on Friday night’s dinner date with your boyfriend.
- When the night is finished, you get the best seat. After a night out, no one wants to be the designated driver, so you call an Uber (or Lyft—I don’t judge) to head home. The couple wants to sit together, so where does that leave you? You get to ride shotgun! You don’t have to deal with crawling in—you can just plop right down and have a great journey. If you’re in another friend’s car, this also means you get control of the stereo. NICE.
- You get dibs on all the other single friends in the group. Yes, sometimes this can be overwhelming and/or annoying when your paired-off friends say, “I found the PERFECT guy for you.” This usually means that they know the guy isn’t seeing anyone and that’s about it, but whether or not you make the group an even number is up to you. Pick a few appetizers before you decide on the main, right?
- You always have something new going on in your life. More often than not, people in couples slowly merge into the same person—or at least two people who are attached at the hip and do pretty much everything together. Being the single friend, you’re always the one that has something new going on in your life since the world is your oyster and you can do whatever you want whenever you want. Sometimes those paired of friends end up living vicariously through you, and that’s a pretty awesome feeling.
- When your paired off friends complain, you just bring out the popcorn. Your place is always the safe haven where wine and eager ears are waiting. After a fight, coupled up people always talk to the single friend about what happened, meaning you often get both perspectives on the same event. Whether it’s something simple like, “He left the dishes in the sink after I told him three times to wash them!” or slightly more serious like, “He was talking to another girl at the bar and I think he’s cheating!” you’re always the voice of reason. You have more information and less bias to give sound advice. Plus, you end up feeling WAY better about being single.
- You learn from example. Watching all of these relationships develop, transform, and fall apart in front of you means you learn how to avoid similar situations whenever you do finally find someone. Learning from other people’s mistakes is way less painful than learning from your own.
- Weddings can be super fun. Sooner or later, all your paired off friends will be paired off for life—and when you go on your own to these weddings, you can enjoy all the dancing and the (hopefully) free bar that’s typical of a special event like this. Everyone else in the group with a plus-one will be questioned about when they’re getting married/ if there will be babies soon. When you DO get questioned, more often than not, Grandma Marla will try to tell you about a nice guy who’s a friend of the groom’s and also happens to be at the wedding. Thanks for the matchmaking!
- You can do it all on your own. Watching all your friends move in together and start talking about planning their future can make you feel like you’re a step back in life. Your friends need to worry about how bills are going to be paid, who’s going to pick up groceries, who’s going to do the chores, and all the other boring adult responsibilities. You, on the other hand, are doing all these things on your own. You’re completely capable of handling everything that life throws at you. You are your own rock, and that’s a pretty awesome feeling.
