Don’t get me wrong, I want to get married and have kids someday. But in the meantime, I’m living it up and enjoying the single life. Even as a 32 year old, with 10+ years of clubbing, dating, and partying under my belt, I’m still loving life. I haven’t grown bored with the single lifestyle yet.

Do I want a husband, a pretty house, and two cute kids at home? Absolutely! But until that happens, I might as well enjoy life, right? Marriage plus kids equals one big lifestyle change, so why not appreciate the single life?

If you are feeling down about being single, look on the bright side! Here are seven unexpected benefits of being a single woman or a single man. So don’t fret. There are many perks to being single.

Jump ahead to:

7 Unexpected, Fun Benefits to Being Single

(for Single Men and Single Women!)

1. You Can Drink Out of the Milk Carton as a Single Person

I’ll admit it. I drink milk out of the milk carton. I put milk in my coffee cup each day, but at night I often have a craving for a sip or two of milk. So why bother with a glass? I live by myself and I drink milk right out of the milk carton. Because…I can!

If you like to have cereal for dinner, enjoy hot sauce on ice-cream, or like to leave dirty dishes in the sink to soak overnight – do it! You are single. Do what you want!

2. You Can Blast Music When You Live Alone

I love to listen to dance pop music while getting ready to go out. I have a UE Boom that I connect to my iPhone, and then I turn up Pandora’s “Dance Pop” radio station and rock out. I listen to music – LOUDLY.

If you are a single man or a single woman and like to listen to music, go ahead and listen to whatever you want.

Similarly, take advantage of your time as a single person to watch whatever you want on TV. Craving a night of the Bachelorette? Go for it girl!

3. You Can Have a White Couch as a Single Woman

I have a white couch. Seriously. And guess what? I love it. As a single woman, I don’t have to worry about a man or kids messing up my white couch. I don’t have pets either. The man at IKEA thought I was crazy, but I love my white couch. And it stayed perfectly white for a good three years.

Now, I’ve decided that I don’t care about maintaining a perfect couch. So what do I do? I put my dirty, sticky feet on it. It’s my couch, and I can do what I want with it. (PS – This is SO much better than my sister and her husband. They ended up compromising on an ugly, beige couch because that’s the only couch they could agree on.)

Similarly, go ahead and decorate your place as YOU want it.

If you are a single woman, go ahead and buy that hot pink, zebra comforter. Spurge on that feminine end table with mirror. Buy the fluffy, pink pillows that make you happy.
If you are a single man, embrace the black and red theme. (Because all single men I’ve dated seem to LOVE decorating their place in red and black.) Go ahead and put a foosball table in your living room. Put your beer on the coffee table with no coaster. Hang up posters of hot women in your bathroom. Do whatever you want!

4. You Can Walk Around Naked as a Single Man or a Single Woman

My friend is going through a divorce, and I asked her what she’s going to do as a single female. Her answer? “Walk around naked!” Embrace your single life and walk around naked if you desire.

Or have a dance party in your living room wearing just a bikini and a bra. Do what you want!

5. A Great Benefit of Being Single? LOTS of Friends

My favorite thing about being single? I have lots of free time, which means I can easily spend quality time with my female friends. As a single female, I can have also have LOTS of guy friends. I have guy friends for tennis, guy friends for clubbing, guy friends for game night, and guy friends for going out to bars.

There’s an unspoken rule that you can’t easily be close friends with someone of the opposite gender once you are in a relationship. But as a single man or a woman, you can befriend anyone!

An added benefit of being a single women? You can invite yourself to any party hosted by a man.

6. Your Money Is Your Money (a Perk of Being Single)

Every couple handles money differently. Some couples put everything into a single pot, and others keep a percentage or a set dollar amount for themselves as discretionary income. Whatever your situation, there’s always the potential that your spouse or partner will disapprove of how you spend your money, or feel resentful. For example, my sister and her husband share everything, and he gets upset when she spends excess money on purses, fabric, or makeup.

The benefits of being single? Your money is YOUR money. Spend it however you want.

If you want to blow $200 on drinks one Friday night, go ahead.
If you want to buy a $250 cheerful, designer purse, go ahead.

Similarly, you can feel proud that what you own is 100% due to your hard work. I take great pride in the fact that I own my condo without anyone else’s help. Would I love to be in a house? Absolutely. But I get much pride and joy in knowing that what I own is 100% due to my hard work.

7. You Can Do What You Want as a Single Man or Woman

My friend Carole recently got engaged, moved in with her fiancée, and got married. She recently confided, “It’s so weird Christina. Now I can’t just walk out the door. I have to tell Tal that I’m going to the grocery store.”

As a single male or female, you can come and go as you please. Want to do Thursday poker night? Go ahead! Want to sleep in on Saturday morning and then go on a run? Go ahead! No need to check in with your significant other as a single female or male. You have so much freedom!