4 Things I Tell ALL Single Women

And not a scrap of dating advice in the bunch.

Photo by Shani Silver

The only thing I really want to say to single women is “enough with the dating advice, just live your life,” but let’s introduce a bit more depth, hmm? Support for single women is something of a speciality of mine, but as with any area of expertise, I find myself repeating the most important bits. It then becomes your choice to heed advice, or not.

1 — Start A Savings Account

Lady, if you learn nothing else. I don’t care if its beginning balance is $50. Start a savings account — today. Saving accounts and consistent savings habits are endlessly valuable to single women, and I don’t just mean from a financial perspective. When part of your personal culture is smart savings practices, you give yourself not only the actual ability to handle shit hitting the fan, but you also relieve yourself of the stress and worry of not being able to. A savings account is good for your health.

You’re not going to build a savings account by skipping lattes and avocado toast like Boomers who’ve never lived our reality will suggest in passing like they’re giving you sage advice when they’re really just being dismissive of what the world has become. The way to build a savings account is by cutting your money off at the source. Designate a percentage of your incoming paychecks for your savings account, and have them automatically routed there. I save one-third of every paycheck I receive (I am freelance, so this also accounts for the money I need to save to pay my taxes, which are never taken out of my paychecks). Initially, I found this process painful, but you know what makes everything feel better? Seeing your money grow. And then grow more. You know what doesn’t hurt a bit? The moment you open your first investment account (I use an app called Betterment, I love it) and start routing money from your savings over to it and your money grows EVEN MORE without you having to do a damned thing. Having a rough day? Check your investment app balance. It’ll perk you right up.

If you lose your job, you can still pay your rent. If your car breaks down, you can get it repaired. If there’s an emergency across the country, you can buy a plane ticket. And if you’re burned out, you can rest — because that counts as a valid savings expenditure, too. My…