As Americans weather inflation, tariffs, and a rising cost of living, it feels as if there’s little room in their budgets for discretionary spending. And that means modern dating is taking a hit.
In fact, dating has gotten so expensive that a growing share of Gen Z and millennials are deciding that the cheapest (and calmest) option is to have no partner at all. They call this practice “solo maxxing,” which reframes single life less as a sad holding pattern between relationships and more of a deliberate lifestyle. (Maxxing comes from social media and internet slang for maximizing an action). They argue it’s cheaper, more predictable, and emotionally lower-risk.
