Once you are married, you no longer exist as an independent entity. You might keep your job and your relationship might be excellent, but from your wedding onward you must always think as a husband and wife. The decisions you make affect your future together. The things you buy have an impact on both of your finances. Everything you do must be considered from your husband or wife's point of view. When you are single, you only have to consider your own interests when making decisions, but you are also short the emotional support that makes hard decisions easier to bear.

Getting married can have significant monetary benefits, but it also can be quite costly. Married couples receive a tax break and benefit from the ability to pool their financial resources. Mortgage and rent payments are split. Single individuals receive no tax break and must cover their living costs on their own. On the downside for married couples, single people can spend money when and where they see fit without worrying about an angry spouse.

Being married is a lot like a second job. You have to work at it for it to be successful. Married couples need dedicated time to communicate with one another and help each other with their emotional and physical demands. Because of this, married people usually have less free time to spend hanging out with friends or checking out the latest movie. If you are single, you have more free time but also might find that your free time is not as fun without someone with which to spend it.

One of the core elements of marriage is that in most cases it symbolizes the beginning of a family. Married couples spend more time discussing the future --- how to save money, what sort of career choices to make and when to start thinking about children. Married people are more concerned with their future ability to raise their family than many single individuals who do not have to worry about much beyond their monthly expenses.