Top Five Benefits of Being Single on Valentine’s Day

author: elisabeth sahlmueller | staff writer 

Love hurts / Jeremy Davis

A festivus for the rest of us. 

Despite unclear origins, Valentine’s Day likely emerged to commemorate the mysterious Saint Valentine, who lived in Rome and died around 270 A.D. Although not much is known about this individual, he is remembered as someone who strongly believed in love and romance, demonstrated either by performing secret marriages after it was forbidden by the Roman Emperor Claudius II, or by sending a secret love note (first valentine) to the woman he loved, while imprisoned.  During the fifth century, Valentine’s Day was declared as an official holiday by the Catholic church in order to replace Lupercalia, a popular Pagan fertility festival. However, at the time, the holiday was not centered around romance. By the 17th century, it became more widely celebrated and in the middle of the following century, it was a day for both friends and lovers to tell or show each other how special they were by sending them a note, or small gift. As time went on, the sending of written valentines became extremely common, especially with the technological advancements of the 1900s. Over time, Valentine’s Day has become a day for lovers associated with romance and passion, excluding and irritating those not in a relationship. However, Valentine’s Day can also be great for those of us who are single. 

1. Watch whatever,and actually enjoy it

Even though your significant other may tell you that they are fine with whatever movie you choose for Valentine’s Day, this is not true, especially if you’ve picked a ‘complicated’ romantic comedy like Thirteen Going on Thirty. If the movie lacks anything they are interested in, they are not going to enjoy it at all and vice versa. However, being single completely eliminates this whole situation. No more having to miss favourite parts of the movie while you’re busy explaining some ‘complicated’ element (yes, she is now thirty… because that was her birthday wish), listen to endless complaining about how the movie is too boring, emotional, violent etc., or feeling obligated to pick a romance movie simply because its Valentine’s Day. Instead, you can genuinely enjoy whatever you choose to watch. 

2. Wear whatever you want

Getting ready to go out with your significant other can be an extremely long and complicated process. And, if this is a specific holiday or an important day in your relationship, like Valentine’s Day, there is even more pressure and effort involved, because you feel you have to look your best. Choosing what to wear is never a quick or easy decision, as you go through multiple options frequently changing your mind on what looks good. However, if you are single, it doesn’t matter how you dress on Valentine’s Day. There is no need to impress anyone, so you can wear whatever you want and deciding on your outfit will be much simpler. 

3. Avoid appropriate gift–giving dilemma. 

Buying gifts for people is difficult, especially since you have to find something that they will like or use and will not return. Gift giving becomes even more complicated with Valentine’s Day, whether this is your first or twentieth together. The first Valentine’s Day is difficult for any couple because there is a lot of pressure for it to be special, and this becomes problematic. If your partner gets you a good gift, every year that you two are together, your expectations will grow and your partner will always feel like they have to do better than the last year. On the other hand, if your partner doesn’t get what you want or expect, this could cause tension in your relationship. Additionally, as a girl, should you get your significant someone a gift? Or is the guy just supposed to get the girl something? Some suggest a card or chocolates, but no matter who you ask, there is never a clear answer. However, if you are single, not only will you not have to deal with this stressful situation, but you will also not be the person staring at the boxes of chocolates at the store with no idea what to do. 

4. No stress

Valentine’s Day is a day for showing someone how special they are to you, or how much you love them, and this can be stressful for a variety of reasons. There is a huge expectation for you to be romantic and this may not be your thing. It also requires time, effort, money, planning and creativity. Having to plan a romantic date night for you and your partner can be stressful, especially if you end up throwing something together last minute or can’t find a babysitter for your young child/ren. Additionally, you have to be creative in your ideas and have to come up with something new and exciting each year because chances are, your partner will not be pleased with going to the same restaurant or doing the same thing each year. However, if you are single, you have no stress to deal with. You don’t have to worry about planning anything, you can just spend the time doing whatever you want and if you aren’t a romantic, then this is the ideal situation for you. 

5. Save money

One of the biggest problems with Valentine’s Day is that is a huge drain on your personal finances.  Although you want to show your significant other how much you love them, between the flowers, chocolates, dinner and activity, you will end up spending way more than you had originally anticipated or had wanted to. No matter where you go, everything just costs so damn much. For example, a dozen roses will cost you roughly anywhere between $20 and $100, depending where you go, and a box of chocolate can also be very expensive, as you get very little chocolate for your money. I know your partner is worth it, but being single on Valentine’s Day can save you a lot of money. Plus, if you still want chocolate, you can save yourself some money by waiting a few days, once it gets reduced. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!