Dating Without Breaking The Bank

I am sure that you have heard that you should spend at least two months salary on an engagement ring. However, this exorbitant spending is not necessary for dates with women. Most men think, though, that when you start dating a girl that the money will impress her, and therefore they end up spending way over budget in the hopes that can buy the love and affection from the woman. What this will get you however, is a broken heart and an empty wallet. Here comes the challenge: you have to go on a fantastic date so that you can really wow your date, while not breaking the bank, or looking like a cheap skate. Sound impossible? Maybe, but I don't think so.

First, you will find that women, despite how the movies may portray them, are for the most part very easy to please. As long as the romantic atmosphere is there, they won't care if you are taking them to a picnic under the stars rather than Chez-Dollar Sign. That is, unless of course, they are money grubbing gold diggers looking for a sugar daddy and if that is the case, then you do not want to associate with them anyway.

Next time you are looking to take a girl out, think about how much you really should spend. First dates you should not spend terribly much. This is a way for women who are serial daters to get a fantastically expensive meal, without paying you back in return, if you know what I mean. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. A first date at a fairly nice restaurant is great, but if she is an out of towner, what is even better is taking her to a restaurant that really showcases your local cuisine. A lot of times these restaurants, even if they may be "holes in the wall" can still give her authentic food for a very small price. Also, when you show her around your fair city, then you show her that you are interested enough in her to let her see a bit into your life. If the woman in your life is from the same town as you, you can always find out what restaurants she hasn't been to and frequent some of the favorites that she has, also you can ask her to suggest a great place that is out of the way and secluded so that you and her can spend some quality time together without having to wait for a table.

The art of the picnic has died away, but you can revive it and make it into a successful date. A nice day at the park can really turn up the romance, and it shows that you are creative. Yes, a nice picnic does take more planning on your part, than say a night out at a fancy restaurant, but trust me on this one it will be well worth it when she sees the effort you put into making your and her time together special. Make sure that you bring a nice big blanket to lie on and possibly a blanket to lie under if you plan to hang around after the sun goes down and it starts to get a bit chilly. As far as a menu is concerned, you can always cook something, or you can go to those chain restaurants for some delicious Italian food to serve for lunch or dinner. If you do decide to go there, don't just serve food in its Styrofoam container, take the food and put it into a Tupperware type bowl and make sure that you have some decent looking plates or bowls to serve the food in. They make great disposable plates but make sure that you aren't going cheap on the plates, no girl wants grease leak through to ruin her favorite dress. Most parks don't allow you to bring alcohol, but a nice glass of sparkling cider after a good meal while the sun goes down; will bring the element of romance to your date.

Finally, is you cooking for her! Yes, I know it can be a scary thought, but with the recipes that have been included in your kit, you should have no problem whipping up a really good meal even if you are a complete novice in the kitchen. Don't be too upset if a woman doesn't want the first date to be at your home, a woman feels that when she meets a man for the first time it should be in public in order to ensure that she is not going to be thrown in a pit and told "it rubs lotion on it's skin or it gets the hose again." You may have to spend a little bit of money before you can get to the home dates, but this is all apart of the game. Once you have her comfortable coming over to your place for dinner, make sure that your place is suitable to have a woman's presence. The bathroom should be clean and smell nice, with fresh towels, toilet paper, and soap so that she can do her business properly. Clean up your house as well before she ever steps foot in the door. Make sure you have spotless dishes. You still want to make an impression on this woman, even if it isn't the first date, and trust me, a woman is going to notice if you are nasty. Make sure that by the time she arrives, dinner is about to be served. You can let her see that you actually cooked the meal by doing some of the cooking while she is there, make sure you give her a lovely glass of wine while she is waiting though, and then you can serve, but do not keep her waiting too long. Just because the dinner you are serving isn't at a fancy restaurant that does not mean that you can scrimp on atmosphere. Have candles lit, and the lights dimmed. Make sure that you home smells pleasing, and not just like the Clorox you used 5 minutes before she got to the door, and make sure that you have some nice music playing. Nice music meaning dinner music, you both may love heavy metal, but listening to that will give both of you indigestion so wait to break out the hardcore stuff until later.

No matter which date suggestion you chose, make sure you give your date an idea of where she is going and what she is doing. A woman who is in 3 inch stilettos and a lanky silky black dress will not appreciate going to the park for some R & R, so make sure that you let your date know ahead of time a little bit of what you have planned so that they can plan ahead too. Try not to worry too much about how much things cost, rather focus on ensuring that the conversation is lively and pleasant and you will go a lot farther with her than you would if you were simply spending money for the sake of making an impression.