No one wants to be single on Valentine’s day. Although you may be missing out on the romance of Valentine’s day, this isn’t something to be sad about.
There are some obvious financial benefits for being single on Valentine’s day. “Being single is great because you don’t need to spend any money on Valentine’s Day,” says Joshua Mui, a junior. And he is right– the average consumer in the US spent $192.80 on Valentine’s Day in 2023, and this is a significant amount of money for anyone, especially for us high school students, who make less money than adults but can often be expected to be just as extravagant on Valentine’s Day.
On top of putting a lot of pressure on those in a relationship to spend money, Valentine’s Day creates the expectation that you should create a perfect romantic experience for your partner, and the stakes of not trying to do so can be disastrous for a relationship. In fact, 53% of women have stated that they would break up with their boyfriend if they didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, and in general, around the time of Valentine’s Day, people are twice as likely to break up or end their relationship than at other points of the year. This shows that people are more likely to have bad experiences in their love life around this holiday, and as Kaylen Ng, a senior, points out, “if I broke up with someone near Valentine’s Day, I would be reminded of that every year.” So although being in a relationship on this day may seem pleasant on the surface, it is not without its imperfections.
So although being single on Valentine’s day means you may feel like you are missing out on romantic affection, there are no expectations for the amount of money you spend or the date you go on. Sam Meece-Potowski, a senior, states that she feels like she is “free to just do whatever [she] wants” because of being single on Valentine’s day, which highlights the freedom and lack of pressure that come with not being in a relationship on this holiday.
So instead of treating Valentine’s day as a day of mourning if you are single, treat it as an opportunity for self-discovery and care.
