Learning Something New: the cost of marriage

I have far too much time on my hands at work to really call it work. But I get more important things done doing my own things than what my job asks me to do--sell poison (ie candy) to children.

I also spend a lot of time learning relatively worthless things on the omniscient (but compulsively lying) internet.

My latest learn:

For a few weeks, a friend of mine has been insisting that married life is more expensive than single life. But this confused me. Not only do couples get natural benefits (sharing an electric bill instead of having two: cheaper overall) but they get tax breaks.

So I decided to do a little research.

I came across several news-stories, from the BBC and the like; most of them talk about the cost of being single. But there was one rather in-depth article from Forbes.

They followed several couples who make more in a month than I spend in a year (opulently wealthy people: so it might have less bearing on a guy like me), but the basic conclusion is this:

Most married people spend more money. Because they choose to. They make "adult" decisions and have to buy themselves a nicer house and car and save for their future children's college and whatnot.

So that's it: simple: married people choose to spend money being "adults". But you don't have to choose that. It is not the act of marriage that makes life more expensive.