Couples choosing the DINKs way of life is becoming more and more common. There are quite a few reasons why those may choose the path or the path may choose them, but before diving in too deep, let’s take a look at what the DINKs path really is and then dive into the most common reasons why couples choose the DINKs path.
What Is The DINKs Path?
DINK means Dual Income No Kids. Therefore, a couple where both partners are bringing in some sort of income but have no offspring to be draining that income. DINKs come in many shapes in sizes and my personal opinion, someone can have children but become DINKs once they’re children are on their own and paying for their own expenses. Anywho, let’s dive more into some of the other variations of DINKs.
Common Reasons Why Couples Choose the DINKs Path
#1. Do not want children
Let’s face it, having children really takes away a lot of your freedoms for quite some time. You are no longer taking care of just yourself, you are raising a human. Hopefully providing for them to the best of your abilities. This is a lot of work. Not just physical work, but mental and emotional too.
Many people actually are fully satisfied not raising children of their own. I’ve heard of many who would rather help pay for their nieces or nephews college and have their freedom still to travel and live as they please than have their own children.
There is an overpopulation argument as well. Many of my own personal friends state this often that the world is already overpopulated, it is selfish to choose to bring that number higher for your own validation.
#2. Cannot afford children
According to Investopedia, raising a child costs over $233k not even including college. This figure only includes food, shelter, and other necessities. This is an incredible amount of money. Many people don’t have much extra money to begin with, let alone adding a kid or kids into the mix. This would add a huge financial burden onto their family that could put them underwater.
In some cases, there can be government or state funding that does help families that need it however it would be wise to seriously consider your fiscal responsibility to the child prior to bringing them into the world.
#3. Cannot have children
Unfortunately, some couples who do want kids and have the money to provide, are physically unable to have children. In these cases, many would offer up the idea of adopting a child however people can sometimes only want a child if it is “their own blood”. In other cases, maybe the couple has met later in life and doesn’t have the physical energy to keep up with a child. Regardless, in this case scenario, the couple would have liked to have a child but circumstances did not allow it.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are on the DINKs by or not, there are many pros and cons to each way of life and in the end, the only one that can make the final decision is you and your spouse. While not having children can definitely save you money in the long term as well as offer you much more freedom, it is something as a couple you both need to agree on.
Are you on the DINKs path?
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Gina DiMasi
Gina DiMasi is an organizational finance whiz. Gina is an avid investor, educator and aficionado of bitcoin and other modern investments. In addition to being an all around nice person, Gina has a degree in personal finance studies from Framingham State University. When she's not running numbers or blogging up a storm, Gina actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.
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