The world of one!

Although we are told there are more single households in this country than ever, you wouldn't believe this to be the case when you try shopping for one and not a couple or family. I have been single for more than thirty years and this has always been a problem. You never see special offers on single size portions which are rarely seen anyway. In the large supermarkets most of the best deals are on family sized packs, but to buy this way, you need to make sure that you have adequate room to cook and freeze in order to avoid waste. This is not only applicable to food but to everything.
A lot of people are under the impression that if you live alone then you are very well off because you don't have the high household bills that a couple or family have. Wrong! Single people have to eat and usually have to pay the same as a couple because as I've said, it's not always possible to buy single portions. A car will cost the same to run for one as it would for two people or more and utilities such as electricity do not come cheaper either. It costs the same to heat my small two bedroom grotty cottage for one as it would if there were two, three or four people living here. Water rates are the same for me as they are for the family of four that live a few doors along but I do get a discount on council tax as a single occupant. The rent is the same for a single person and insurance cover for contents does not discern between single or multiple occupancy. The other thing to bear in mind is when I was working, I only had one modest salary compared to most couples or family households where there is usually more than one wage. Now I just have a small pension but my bills remain the same!
Even buying household equipment is not easy. For instance, saucepans usually come in a set of three (small, medium and large) with a (large) frying pan. You can buy small ones separately but it is more expensive so when you are cooking for one, unless you've bought all small pans, it is quite easy to lose your potato in a pan that is too large! Cookers normally have two small and two large rings and many do not have a large and small oven. There was very little choice recently when I had to replace my old electric cooker but I was lucky and had the only one in the shop which had the small dimensions required to fit in the space in the kitchen and it did have both a large and small oven.
So, if anyone reading this is thinking they might be better off living on their own.....think again!