isleep wrote:preserve wrote:
So is staying single frugal or not frugal?
I consider it as 100% guaranteed divorce insurance.
By getting married, you may save money (though that's debatable), but you stand to lose much of it 50% of the time (along with money you haven't even earned yet). This happened to a co-worker just a couple months ago (he lost his baby daughter and his paycheck is being garnished).
I guess you could consider a pre-nup as divorce insurrance, but very few go that route, and it would have to be iron-clad. But even so, it doesn't remove the psychological impact of divorce (which heavily affects any children involved).
Staying single may be divorce insurance, but it sure ain't health insurance.
RAND Center for the Study of Aging, "Health, Marriage, and Longer Life for Men"
[excerpt]
Effects of Marital Status on Health
Analysis of whether marriage directly affects health produces mixed results. Comparisons of currently married and never-married men show that while the former are generally healthier, this difference cannot be attributed simply to the protective effects of marriage. The self-reported health status of men shows that, by itself, becoming married for the first time does not lead to any noticeable benefits. Comparisons of older married and divorced men, however, show that the relative health levels of the latter drop significantly as they age. By the time divorced men reach age 50, they can expect their health to deteriorate much faster than the health of those who are married. For this group of older divorced men, remarriage offers a direct health benefit, bringing their health up to the level of men who have remained married.
The health benefits obtained by men who stay married or remarry stem from a variety of related factors, including care in times of illness, improved nutrition, and a home atmosphere that reduces stress and stress-related illnesses, encourages healthy behaviors, and discourages unhealthy ones such as smoking and excessive drinking. Influences of this type tend to enhance a man's immediate health status and may often improve his chances for a longer life.
Effects of Marital Status on Mortality after Controlling for Health
As men age, their health declines and the risk of mortality increases. Not surprisingly, however, the level of risk is tied to marital status: married men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s have lower mortality rates than those who are unmarried (never married, divorced, or widowed). For divorced men, this higher risk of death is explained primarily by their poorer health. Among never-married men and widowers, however, excess mortality rates are less related to self-reported health status--a finding that raises questions about the factors that lead to earlier death. Previous research has indicated that part of the marriage advantage stems from co-residence with a partner or with other adults. Never-married men may prefer to live alone, thus forgoing the potential life-extending benefits of social integration.
A health plan I can snuggle with; sounds frugal to me.
OTOH, that means your resources will have to last you for a longer time, so choose wisely (and hope for the best). Like some other posters, I'm pretty 'thrifty' but have a wife who makes me look extravagant.
We cannot absolutely prove [that they are wrong who say] that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us, and with just as much apparent reason. |
-T. B. Macaulay (1800-1859)