Hi, I'm Morgan, and this is my boyfriend, Bradley! We've been together for seven years, and we're DINKs.
In case you haven't heard the term, DINK stands for Double Income, No Kids. We're child-free by choice, and we love it! So, I thought I'd share 14 reasons why being DINKs works for us:
1. As the term DINK states, we have double the income.
During this time of increasing cost of living and high inflation, it's easier to weather the storm with a partner. Though we're not married and have separate finances, we both work and can split expenses. Similar to people who have roommates or live with family, we can afford a better standard of living together than we could separately. For example, our combined income gets us an apartment that neither of us could pay for alone.
2. We don't have to pay for all the costs of having a child.
According to new statistics from the Brookings Institution, it costs an average of $310,605 to raise a child up to the age of 17. That's just ABSURD to me. One estimate shows the average cost of childcare in California is now $16,945 per year — more than a year of tuition at UCLA! Everything is sadly getting more expensive and harder for parents, and we're happy to avoid all these costs altogether.
3. We can go on big vacations.
This year, we'll be traveling to Europe to celebrate my 30th birthday! It's especially exciting because we had a previous European trip planned that was canceled due to the pandemic. Traveling is something we believe is worth budgeting for since some of our favorite memories were made on vacations. International travel has gotten so expensive that it's just not something we could realistically do if we had kids.
4. We can focus on our puppy-son.
Our 5-year-old Chow mix, Dandelion, is the light of our lives. I love taking him to pick out a new treat at the store and finding good deals on dog toys. We regularly go on hikes and adventures since he loves to go exploring, and we chose our apartment complex because it's directly beside a big park we visit every day. He's our favorite person in the world, and we love spoiling him!
5. We're stressed enough as it is.
We all know that young people are inheriting a worse world than previous generations. We've already got so much to worry about! How will we ever afford a home near our friends and family when the average listing price of an Orange County house is $1.2 million? Can we realistically expect a comfortable retirement when Social Security is expected to run out by 2033, and benefits may be reduced? Will society make enough profound changes to combat climate change before it's too late? I've got enough anxiety, thank you!
6. We have the freedom to come and go as we please.
Having the ability to do what we want, when we want, is so valuable to us. Soon after we started dating, we went to EDC Las Vegas, where we got "rave married" (not a legal marriage). Since then, we've continued going to music festivals together as it reminds us of when we first fell in love! And there's something special about dancing in a crowd of people, all feeling the same energy, and just enjoying life together. We've been to festivals across California and can't wait for ACL and Freaky Deaky in Austin this year.
Of course, parents can go to music festivals, too, but we definitely wouldn't have gone to as many over the years if we had kids. It's much easier and cheaper for us to go away for the weekend and just get a dog sitter!
7. In our home, the only noise we hear is pretty much what we make ourselves.
As much as we love visiting our family members with children, one thing that always strikes me is the noise. Whether it's crying, yelling, or just kids running around being kids, there's usually a lot going on. Aside from the occasional bark from Dandelion, I love the peace and quiet of our home. Of course, we throw on music, TV, and movies all the time, but there's something special about being able to relax in silence when you've had a long day and need to recharge.
8. Not having kids is one of the best things we can do for the environment.
The greatest impact an individual can have in the fight against climate change is to have fewer kids. According to a study published in Environmental Letters, having one fewer child will save 58.6 tonnes of CO2 per year. This alone is significantly more than the next 10 best ways to fight climate change combined. In comparison, living car-free only saves 2.4 tonnes of CO2 per year. We love knowing that our child-free lifestyle is the greatest gift we can give to Mother Earth.
9. We can take more risks.
Last year, we moved from OC to Austin because we wanted a new adventure. I was able to keep my job since I work from home, but Bradley had to quit his since he's in the restaurant industry. We booked an Airbnb for two months — the time we allotted for him to find a new job — and hoped for the best, LOL. Luckily, he found a job quickly, we got an apartment we love, and it all worked out! But that would've been too big of a gamble if we had to worry about feeding kids.
10. We have more time for our hobbies.
Bradley's pretty outdoorsy and goes kayaking, one-wheeling, and swimming. He also plays the piano, the guitar, and video games. As for me, I love reading — I read 59 books last year and hope to beat that this year! And I enjoy working on my own writing projects. Between work, household chores, and obligations, I already wish we had even more time for hobbies, and I can't imagine how frustrated I'd feel if our time wasn't our own.
11. We enjoy being the fun aunt/uncle.
We're lucky to have kids in both of our families. There's nothing better than having fun with the little ones and spoiling them with gifts, then giving them back when they get grumpy or we get tired. Then, we get to return to our peaceful home and take a nap. It's like the best of both worlds!
12. We can sleep as much as we want.
Everyone knows how sleep-deprived parents are when they've got newborns to take care of, but it can last well beyond the baby stage. Kids have to be at school by a certain (very early) time, and even on weekends, there are soccer games, dance practices, etc. that will prevent you from sleeping in. I'm a night owl who wakes up after noon on the weekends, so that's a hard pass from me!
13. We don't have to censor ourselves.
We love that we can be our authentic selves all the time without worrying about the way we're phrasing things, if we're cursing, or if we're being good role models. I think constantly monitoring myself would be exhausting. Plus, we can play whatever TV or music we want without worrying if it's appropriate for kids.
14. And finally, we can focus on our relationship.
Bradley and I can devote a lot of time and attention to our relationship. We have regular check-ins to make sure that our goals are aligned and that we're happy with how things are going. We're fun and playful — silly dance parties in the living room, constant teasing, and he still carries me over puddles when I'm wearing flip-flops, LOL. I'm so happy with our childfree relationship, and I wouldn't change it for the world!