Accounting 101

I just spent the last hour scratching my head and balancing this month's budget. Being single is expensive.

This afternoon I spent $140.00 in single-related activities. I signed up for the summer league of kickball, which costs $50. Then, some guys I've been hanging out with during my weekly night out asked me—me—to play kickball on their team as well. So this summer I'll be playing kickball two nights a week. That cost another $50.

Tomorrow after work I'm playing whirlyball (think lacrosse on bumper cars). $20. And Saturday I'm playing cornhole for some Chick-fil-A charity event. Another $20. All in the name of being single and trying to get out there and meet new people.

And this isn't even including the wardrobe. All of these events require cute outfits that require cute shoes. Earlier this week I bought two dresses, one romper and a pair of ballet flats. This being single thing is expensive.

Then again, it wasn't cheap being in a relationship. I dated "outside of the box" for my last two relationships, which is a very PC term for dating men who were "unemployed and living off the government." Anytime I wanted to do something—go to a movie, eat at a restaurant, etc.—it cost me double what it would have cost me to do it alone. Being in those relationships didn't just make withdrawals on my checking account, they also bankrupted me emotionally. So really, being in a relationship isn't the answer either. Correct that: being in a relationship with just anybody.

I view these activities—kickball and whirlyball and cornhole and whatever other plans I have this month, oh god, kayaking and rock climbing—as deposits into the mental and physical and emotional accounts that were so poorly overdrawn until a year ago. It's all about priorities. And this month I'm making those deposits a priority over, say, eating lunch out.

Sigh. I'm going back to the running trail. That was free.