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This post is all about the DINK lifestyle.
First of all, what is a “DINK”? I had no idea up until recently I started seeing YouTubers reacting to “DINK” videos, and that’s when I realized… I’m a DINK!
DINK means Dual Income no kids.
Personally, I don’t think we needed a whole name and acronym for this, but here we are.
Regardless, this is a viral trend going around so it got me thinking. Do I like being a DINK? Is it a good thing to be a DINK? What are the pros and cons and is it worth all the rage people are going on and on about on the internet.
Well first, let me introduce myself.
Hello, I’m Rebeca and apparently I’m a DINK😅. Dual income, no kids. I’m a college graduate with a full time job married to a man from Turkey who runs his own business here in Tennessee. Also, we have a cat and a house that we bought just a little over one year ago.
We make pretty decent money between the two of us, and with no kids, that means we have more to spend on ourselves, our house, and literally whatever we want.
The Pros of a DINK Lifestyle:
Yes, being a DINK is great. We have a lot of freedom. We can go to bed when we want, wake up when we want. Eat whenever and wherever we want. Travel whenever we want. Life I imagine is much easier not having kids and there’s a lot more money we can spend on ourselves.
DINKs have more money, time and resources available to them that a lot of parents with kids don’t necessarily have. It definitely feels good to go shopping and only need to buy for myself and my husband. I buy myself new clothes, accessories, stuff for the house…all the time. We eat out all the time and don’t think twice about it.
Do I Like Being a DINK?
All that being said, do I think it’s the best thing ever and more fulfilling than not having kids?
If you thought I was gonna say no….. you’re right.
While having dual income and no kids certainly has its pros, I don’t feel at all fulfilled by it. Deep down, I do want to start a family. After all, it’s literally written in our DNA to continue civilization and procreate.😅
The Cons of a DINK Lifestyle:
A lot of times as a married adult, I start to wonder what’s the point of doing anything if I’m not raising the next generation? Eventually I’ll just die off and what was it for? It feels a bit narcissistic to only care about spending more money on ME. And I’m not trying to dig in on people who don’t want to have kids or can’t. I don’t have kids. But I do see the value in living a life that is a bit bigger than myself, even if that means I have less money to buy new clothes or eat out all the time.
I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel like an adult until I have kids. Sometimes I feel like a weird adult child at 27 years old, and I’ll be honest…I don’t like that. 😂
It would be nice to experience childhood again but not as a childless adult. As an adult, that magic happens when you relive those experiences through your kids and you can see the joy in their faces as they experience it for the first time.
All that being said, there are definitely some pros to being a DINK, especially if you approach it in the right way.
The BETTER Pros of a DINK Lifestyle:
I understand there are some people who are not called to have children, don’t want to have children or simply can’t for whatever reason. That’s all fine and there are other ways to find fulfillment and purpose in life.
I believe that women who can’t have kids or don’t feel like that is right for them can still leave a legacy by using their motherly and nurturing instincts by investing in others’ lives. That can be a real benefit to being a DINK that a lot of couples with kids just don’t have the time and resources to do.
What I don’t agree with is calling the DINK lifestyle the end all be all and the epitome of happiness and fulfillment, because I just don’t think that’s true. I don’t see the benefit for the individuals, and certainly not for society.
In Conclusion…
In the end, everyone has a calling and a purpose to something greater than themselves, and even to all us DINKs out there, let’s think about how we can use our resources, extra time and money to invest in others whether that means starting a family of our own and leaving our “DINK” status behind us, or using your resources as a DINK to help people and make a kind of difference in the world that couples with kids just can’t do. Taking the lens off of ourselves and how being a DINK benefits ourselves and using our lives to help others. That’s where true fulfillment and happiness comes from.
This post was all about the DINK lifestyle.