Single Women Make More Money

Dear World:

WE TOLD YOU that being single has its benefits, and this USA Today article just proved it.

According to a  study released this week by New York based research firm Reach Advisors, unmarried women between the ages of 22 and 30, who do not have children, earn a median $27,000 a year, 8% more than comparable men in the top 366 metropolitan areas.

In 39 of the 50 cities studied, childless singlelistas out earned their male counterparts and matched the mens' salaries in another 8 cities.

To what can our breadwinner statuses be attributed? 

We're smarter!

Yep! According to the survey, "Nearly three-quarters of girls who graduate from high school head to college, vs. two-thirds of the boys." It continues, "Women are now 1.5 times more likely than men to graduate from college or earn advanced degrees."

"Armed with degrees, young women command higher salaries."

Period.

So the next time you're on a date and your suitor asks whether or not you can cook, flip the question  and ask whether or not he can cook.  Statistically speaking, there's a good chance you'll be too busy earning the bacon to fry it!

This I'm a Woman! anthem is dedicated to all you bread-winning, singlelistas out there!



Love life...every SINGLE moment of it!
-xoxo

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Movin' On Mondays: The Greatest Love of All

Hey singlelistas! How was your weekend? Absolutely DIVINE I hope!

Well, it's Monday (sad face!) but more than that it's the first day of our new feature Movin' On Mondays (excited face!). 

As we've shared with you, our mission at the Salon is to empower and uplift single women everywhere, and part of that is helping some of our newly single ladies transition into full singlelista status. 

We know it's hard to celebrate being single when you're still mourning over the loss of your other half.  Break-ups hurt (Don't I know it!?! Remind me to tell you of the time I locked myself in the basement of my parents' house in the dead of winter with no heat on, while playing Etta James "I'd Rather Go Blind" on repeat. On second thought, let's just say it wasn't pretty and move on. Ahem...) so we're dedicating Mondays to helping would-be-singlelistas push past the pain and enter into full out fabulousness!

Today we're helping one reader check  out of Heartbreak Hotel and into The Singles' Salon.  An excerpt of what she wrote us is below:

"I just don't know what to do."

"...I've been in this relationship for 11 years now and for the past five I've watched it deteriorate to almost nothing. 

We don't really talk anymore and we fight more than we get along because I believe he's doing things that my boyfriend shouldn't be doing. I've never really CAUGHT him cheating, but I know enough to know that things aren't on the straight and narrow with him.

We used to do almost everything together, but now it's as though we lead two completely separate lives.  In my head I know I'm holding on to what we used to have, because I would have never signed up for this B.S. that we have now. My heart isn't quite ready to let go though because I really and truly do love him. 

I can't believe I'm even writing this letter, but I can't talk to my friends about it anymore because they don't like him and I already know what they're going to say.  I just don't know what to do.  Should I stay or should I go? I just want to be happy.  I used to be happy with him.  Now I just don't know anymore."
-----

Oh, doll! My heart is breaking just reading your letter because it's a feeling I know all too well.  The question of when to call it quits is so personal that I unfortunately can't give you a static timeline that tells you exactly what point you need to wave the white flag, as much as I wish I could. 

I can tell you this with complete confidence though, you should not be alone in your relationship. One of the biggest complaints women who are not in relationships have is that we get tired of being alone.  What many of us forget though is that we have the freedom of choice in that matter.  No, we may not be able to speed dial the man of our dreams on command, but there usually is somebody we can call if we really just want company for the moment.  (Don't judge me. Even Broadway has stand-ins for its leading men!) 

The problem with being in a two-some where the other person has seemingly gone awol is that even in your loneliest hour, you no longer have the freedom of calling up your stand-in. 

I'm not going to tell you to whether or not to leave your relationship, because that's a call that only you can make. I do however want to address  the last line of your letter.  My strong advice is Don't chase a relationship, chase happiness.

When we place our relationships as the most important priority in our lives, if we don't choose well we usually wind up sacrificing our own happiness.  When we put our happiness first, we often  sacrifice bad relationships.  Once you learn to love you first, it will be much easier to gauge your partner's love (or lack there-of) for you.

Finally, with absolutely no judgement attached, I want to point out that the fact that he is still your boyfriend after 11 years may be very telling.  It's also worth noting that many times when our friends, those who truly love us, don't approve of our partners there's usually a really good reason for that. 

It is true that love is blind, but let the pursuit of  your own happiness be your eyes.  You have the power to mend your own broken heart, and it sounds like you've got a strong circle of friends to help support you through it.

We at the Salon are sending you a Singlelista Survival Kit, filled with goodies to help you reconnect with your fabulousness.  We are also sentencing you to a fab Singlelistas Night Out so that you and your friends can celebrate everything that is wonderful and worthy about you!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us, and please keep us posted as you make your decision. Just remember that "learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all!"


Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All
Uploaded by jpdc11. - See the latest featured music videos.

Love life...every SINGLE moment of it!
-xoxo 

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Do you or someone you know need help checking out of Heartbreak Hotel?  Email us at singlelistas@gmail.com and tell us about it.  Enter the subject line Movin' On Mondays so that we make your letter a priority. 

If you've got additional advice, thoughts, or feedback for our distressed diva, please offer your comments below.

Remember, we're in this single life together!

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SNO: Life's a Picnic

It's the weekennnnnnnnd, baby! And you know what that means! It's time for another fab suggestion for a Singlelistas Night Out! 

Or...I guess in this case, a Singlelistas DAY Out!

How many times have you fantasized about spending a beautiful afternoon with that special someone, laying in the park, having a nice romantic picnic? Well singlelistas, this is the post for you! 

If you're a regular here at the Salon, then by now you've gotten the memo that Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves! (BTW, Don't Aretha and Annie look AMAZING in that video?! ) If today is your first visit, then you picked a great day to stop by because we've planned a haute day for you and your girls!

Ladies and Singlelistas, The Singles' Salon is pleased to present to you today (*drum roll please*)

The Chic-nic!

 The chic-nic is a fun, fashionable way to catch up with the girls (Yep, we know that between working the job, mommy-ing your pup, juggling your dates, volunteering at the shelter, and keeping your work-outs on track, it's easy to let your friendships fall through the cracks! We've got you covered!) and finally have that picnic you've been wanting to go on forever- but now with way more style!

Sounds delish right? It is! So call up your girlfriends and let's get this chic-nic started!

What you'll need:

- A stylish throw (or blanket if you must!)
- An uber-cute chic-nic basket
- Your fave delectable treats
- A bottle (or five!) of wine
- Wine glasses
- Plates, cutlery, and utensils
- A digital camera
- An i-Pod loaded with singlelista anthems*
- Games, Games, Games & Games
-An accurate, detailed account of all the juicy gossip that you've neglected to share with your friends since you all spoke last

OK, once you've collected all your essentials invite a couple of your girls to meet you at your place so that you can drive together to the cutest (please note that I didn't necessarily say the closest) park in your city.

It's important that you all ride together because when spending time with Mother Nature, you must show respect for her by carpooling to minimize your carbon footprint. If there is a question over whose car you all should take, I highly recommend that you opt to ride with whoever drives the convertible.  Remember that this is a chic-nic which means style is everything, so keep that in mind when planning all facets of this day.

Now in order to help you execute this flawlessly, I've pulled together a few suggestions for the types of items you should get for your chic-nic.

For your throw, I recommend you choose something that tells all of your park peers a little something about the kind of singlelista you are.  For example, Macy's has this beautiful ruffled throw for the stylish yet understated singlelista, and this cute Lacoste throw for the sporty spices among us. (P.S. You won't believe the price on the Lacoste throw. It's on clearance at at must buy markdown. Don't say I didn't tell you so!)  If you're feeling more daring, Target has this zebra striped throw, that will instantly turn the park into your very own lipstick jungle!

Martha Stewart Collection Ruffle Throw via Macys.com

Lacoste Cable Knit Throw via Macys.com

 

Xhilaration Zebra Throw via Target.com

Once you're ready to throw down (LOL!!! THROW DOWN!! GET IT? *blank stare?* OK, fine!) it's time to grab your chic-nic basket.

Bed, Bath & Beyond has some trendy toting options, like these colorful, insulated carriers from Metro Picnic Baskets. If you'd prefer to go the more classic route, then this Barrel Picnic Basket will offer the traditional rattan you love with just a hint of modern style that you'll absolutely die for. 

If you're really feeling fab, try eighty-sixing the basket all together and make a bold, sassy statement with an over-sized hat box.  That'll definitely have the park patrons singing "Who's that Lady?!" You can typically find hat boxes at just about any upscale apparel or gift boutique, but I usually grab mine from the gift section at Marshall's (Remember, we're still trying to save every SINGLE penny where we can!). 

Metro Picnic Baskets via Bed Bath & Beyond

Barrel Picnic Basket via Bed Bath & Beyond

Pack your snacks in an over-sized hat box for extra flair!

By now you should see where I'm going with this, so I won't go through the entire list of must-haves with you, but just remember that style is everything when it comes to chic-nics. 

Instead of choosing everyday, run of the mill, picnic items, use your creativity to incorporate elements that showcase and celebrate everything that is show-stopping about your girls and you!

Alright ladies, go get your chic-nic on, and as always be sure to send us pics! We'd love to post your Singlelistas Night Out photos on our site. Why? Because Sharing is Caring, of course!

Love life...every SINGLE moment of it!
-xoxo

*Hey singlelistas! We've given you our suggestions, now we'd like to hear some of yours. On Twitter today, we're looking for singlelista anthems, you know those songs that remind you of just how fierce you really are! Whether it's the song you blast in the bathroom when getting ready for a night on the town, or the song you play in the car to help get you mentally prepared to face the day, we want to add it to our play list. Tweet your favorite get 'em girl song with the hashtag #singlelistaanthems.

And if you're not following us on Twitter already, please join us now @ImaSinglelista. See you there Tweeties!

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The Rules of Lyfe

Oooh Singlelistas!

Last night I was riding home from a fab night out with one of my girlfriends- a fellow singlelista of course!- and I heard a song on the radio that caught my ear.  Now candidly speaking, I don't pay much attention to most of the new songs that get air play these days because...well... I don't like them. But this one had me dying to get back to you all!

Picture it:  It's about 11:30 PM and I'm driving down the highway. The sun roof is open. The summer breeze is tousling through my hair, and a sexy R&B melody begins streaming through my speakers.  I hear a man talking. His voice is raspy and I think "I know that is not..." 

He continues, " I'm your teacher LYFE JENNINGS in the flesh baby." 

"Oh, yes it is!"

Now for any of my Singlelistas who aren't die hard R&B fans, Lyfe Jennings is a pretty popular singer who I believe has one of the absolute sexiest voices I've ever heard. It's got that "I just woke up" quality to it- ALL THE TIME, which means that I could literally listen to it all day. 

*SWOON* 

I digress...

So the melody continues and after he quickly explains that we have now been transported to statistics class, our lesson begins with this first verse:

25% of all men are unstable

25% of all men can't be faithful

30% of them don't mean what they say

and 10% of them in maybe 20 is gay

That leaves you a 10% chance of ever finding your man

That means you never paid attention to these words that I said

I'm gonna teach you how expose the 90%

and show you what to do to keep the other 10.

Whoa!!!! Right?!?

Now, I don't know where exactly he is getting these "statistics," and I'm almost certain that they wouldn't hold up under scientific quantitative analysis, but I'm curious as to where he is headed with this.

I turn the radio up.

He goes on to give single women the four rules that will help us beat the odds.

Rule 1: Wait, actually... listen to the rules for yourself...



Singlelistas, I am DYING to get your feedback on this.  Does Lyfe's math add up?  Will you be following his rules any time soon? Don't you think he's REALLY cute? (OK, maybe you don't have to answer that last one.)

Email me your thoughts at Singlelistas@gmail.com.   I've got my calculator standing by!

I guess my algebra teacher was right, math really is everywhere. Sigh...

Love life...every SINGLE moment of it!
-xoxo

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