Marriage saves money

Married or cohabiting couples save 2,548 a year by not going out, a new survey claims.

12:02 14 April 2005

Married or cohabiting couples save 2,548 a year by not going out, a new survey claims.

According to a new survey by Morgan Stanley credit cards, settling down really means that married Britons have a night out just once a week.

This compares with three nights out a week for couples that do not live with each other, with singletons heading out twice a week.

But there were warnings for people thinking that breaking up will see them reclaim their social lives, as divorcees were found to be the least sociable group of all.

While married Britons spend 29 on their one night out a week, divorcees shell out an average of just 16 a week on socialising.

But while divorcees are the nation's least sociable people, the most active group is teenagers.

Eighteen and 19-year-olds hit the town three times a week and spend almost 3,000 a year on their social lives.

British men are spending more than twice as much as women while going out, while 30-somethings spend the most on a night out at 32, compared to the over-60s who will spend just 19 on an evening.

Regionally, those in the north-west were found to be the most sociable, spending an average of 2,704 a year. The least sociable place to live is the south-west, where locals spend just 1,092 going out with family and friends.