Last Updated on Monday, May 5, 2025 by Lavania Oluban
One of the most liberating things about becoming a single parent is realising you don’t have to keep paying for someone else’s life. You get to choose what stays and what goes. You start to see what you were spending money, time and energy on — and how little of it was actually for you.
Here’s what I cancelled after becoming a single parent, and not one part of me misses any of it.
Sky Sports and unnecessary extras
First thing to go? Sky Sports. It was a huge expense and served no purpose for me. I don’t need to watch match after match every weekend, so it felt ridiculous keeping it. I also downgraded our broadband package. I wasn’t gaming or streaming in HD across five devices. I just needed something reliable — not high-speed enough to launch a space shuttle.
Branded shopping habits that weren’t mine
I used to find myself standing in the supermarket, adding branded ketchup to the trolley like I had no choice. It was like shopping for a fussy teenager who refused to eat anything unless it was exactly what he wanted.
Heinz ketchup. Kellogg’s cereal. Snacks that weren’t on the list. That all stopped.
Now, I meal plan for me and my child. We use what we have. There are no “I don’t fancy that” moments that lead to takeaway orders. My leftovers actually stay in the fridge for lunch the next day. My food shop is smaller, smarter, and never goes to waste.
My own products stopped disappearing
One of the weirdest but most satisfying discoveries was how much longer things started lasting. Shampoo. Shower gel. Washing powder. It turns out the person I lived with was using my expensive conditioner on his one inch of thinning hair. Somehow working through half a tub of laundry powder in a week. Now it all lasts so much longer.
No more phantom product-user. Just me. Bliss.
Beige compromises and wasted time
The things I’ve saved aren’t just financial. I’ve saved time — hours of it. Hours wasted trying to agree on what to watch on Netflix. Hours sitting on the sofa reading out Chinese takeaway menus, only to end up ordering the same old thing anyway. Gone.
I make quick decisions now. I know what I want and I don’t waste time waiting around for someone to make their mind up.
The same goes for bigger decisions too. Decorating used to be a long, painful back-and-forth. I’d get excited about a colour scheme, only to end up having to justify every cushion, every paint sample, every bold idea to someone who didn’t care — but didn’t want it to look “too much.”
Now? My living room is bright pink and bloody fabulous. If I see something I love in a charity shop, I buy it. I don’t need approval. I don’t have to explain my choices. It’s mine, and I love it.
Letting go is freeing
When you stop spending your money and energy on things that weren’t for you in the first place, everything feels lighter. You get to set the tone in your home. You get to decide what gets space — physically and emotionally.
And the best part? You don’t even notice the things you cancelled when becoming a single parent. Because they were never really yours to begin with.
