While that might be fun for a while, most couples know that continuing those sort of dates weekly makes for an expensive courtship. Besides, it’s just not very practical.

Baby boomer men still often want to pay the bill on the dates. While the senior lady might feel this is lovely and chivalrous of him, she doesn’t want him to think that she thinks he’s just a meal ticket.

Without insulting anyone’s wallet or purse strings, what are some fun, creative and frugal date tips for cost-conscious seniors?

1. Go to a matinee movie.

By selecting to go to a matinee screening, you still get to enjoy a new movie but at a budget price.

Choose a movie that will draw an adult crowd and you’ll avoid the social challenges of the matinee screenings attended by lots of noisy kids. Feel free to smooch with your date in the back row and giggle to yourselves.

“When the weather is warm , why not head to

your local park, beach or outdoor concert?”

2. Attend a second-run movie house.

Alternatively, look for a second-run movie house that features cheap-ticket prices and screenings of movies that have been out for a while. Maybe you were too busy when the movie first opened and you still want to catch it on a large screen.

Opt for the second-run theater and save on the price tag of admission at the same time!

3. Make life a picnic.

When the weather is warm and temperate, why not pack a fun picnic lunch and head to your local park, beach or outdoor concert?

Your price tag might entail having to pay for parking but that’s it. Most places only charge a few dollars.

You can select exactly the foods you two enjoy. Each of you can contribute a dish or two to share and showcase some of your culinary skills.

Bring a bottle of sparkling water to make the meal special and stay within the public drinking guidelines of your locale.

Which senior date idea appeals to you the most to use? What are some inexpensive and romantic date ideas you have?

Photo source: hellobeautiful.com.

Midlife singles seeking mature romance often emphasize conversation more on their first date or two.

However, by the third date, you two don’t just want to slip into the lazy habit of “hanging out” and talking.

Conversation alone does not foster the relationship you desire.

What creates a healthy, mature relationship?

Sharing activities together builds your relationship. When you share activities together, it gives you material for additional conversations.

It also places both of you into more scenarios to audition your relationship skills and behavior.

Just because your date says they are kind to others, that doesn’t mean you really know this in your heart of hearts. You won’t know this for sure until you see this demonstrated consistently in their behavior.

Light social interaction with others proves it to you in their actions as well as their words.

1. Go dancing.

Attend the dancing class at the local country and Western bar. These classes are open and accept newcomers at each session. No need to worry that you are barging in on week five of a six-week class.

You’ll get some exercise and have some fun together. Then go grab a bite to eat together and share about which steps were your favorites.

“You want to select a scenic trail

to connect you two to each other.”

2. Take a hike.

Be sure to look for a hiking trail with leisurely switchbacks and a slow incline. An early date is not the time to do a cardiovascular test.

You want to select a scenic trail to connect you two to nature and each other. Let the vistas be majestic, peaceful and beautiful.

Feel free to hold hands and smooch a little whenever you encounter a cluster of trees to duck behind. Impress the teenage hikers with how romantic seniors can be.

Ladies and gents, what are some of your favorites date ideas to build out the relationship?

Photo source: ond4me.com.

Or the guys you attract could be very nice guys…just not a match for you: The hardcore sports fan when you can’t stand sports. The sweet but insecure one you can hardly stand to be around. The macho man who’s constantly trying to prove how much he can bench press.

It’s wonderful there are so many unique people in the world. You’d just like to meet and create a relationship with someone who is interesting, attractive and shares some of your interests and values.

After the dates you’ve been on and the relationships you’ve had in the past, this is starting to seem impossible!

Want to know how to quickly and easily attract the kind of guy you REALLY want to date?

First, stop telling yourself it’s impossible, and then try these shortcuts:

1. Know what you’re looking for.

If you’ve had enough disappointing dating experiences to last a lifetime, that’s a good thing. It’s valuable to know what you do not want.

Sift through your past dating disasters and pay attention to the patterns. Use this research to get clearer about what you DO want.

It’s important to stay open and not reject a potential date just because he doesn’t look like your ideal guy, but do spend some time thinking about what you appreciate, admire and find attractive.

“The more you enjoy the process, the

more success you’ll have with love.”

2. Know you deserve what you want.

You may tell yourself you are attractive and a “great catch,” but do you really believe it?

Low self-esteem or insecurity can come through in some strange ways, but it does come through.

The way you talk, walk, hold your body and how you let others treat you indicates how much (or little) you believe you deserve to have a great date and relationship.

Develop healthy self-esteem and value who you are — let your awesomeness shine!

3. Make feeling great your top priority.

The ultimate shortcut when attracting a match is to ask yourself this: “Am I having fun?”

Don’t overthink it. When you’re interacting with someone, check in with yourself to see if you feel good and are enjoying yourself.

If you are, then keep talking, dancing or whatever you two are doing together and see where it leads.

The more you can enjoy the process, the more success you’ll have with attracting love.

Readers, which shortcut do you find most helpful? What shortcuts would you take to have more great dates?

Photo source: 83toinfinity.com.

“He/she talks about their parents and siblings all the time.” “He/she has no interest in knowing anything about me.”

What are we really waiting for?

What makes any of us feel the “wow factor”?

We live in a time where it takes a lot more for us to feel chemistry because we are so overstimulated.

Waiting for the wow factor to happen for us on a date is a bit like waiting for Godot – it isn’t really going to come unless we do something to make it happen.

This may sound trite, but what if we all started to consider how our date would look if we were responsible for the wow factor?

What if we made it our job to create some sort of wow effect? What would we do? What could we say? How would the date feel differently?

“The more excited we feel about life, the

more we find we attract better men.”

Take this example:

Regina (not her real name) decided  the wow effect really had to start with her.

She realized after many years of unsuccessful dating and waiting for someone else to bring the excitement, that when she feels better balanced and feels more excited about life, she requires less of the wow factor to come from someone else.

The more excited she feels about life, the more she finds she attracts better men and has things to give, which sets off a really great dynamic on the date.

It creates an infectious vibe that makes others feel happy to be around her.

Also, when we give ourselves permission to be less judgmental and critical of ourselves and our dates, we increase the possibilities of positivity about the dates we are with.

This positive attitude enables us to search for the good things in our dates while no longer emphasizing the negative stuff.

Everyone has negative stuff, but to start a relationship searching for the negative means the relationship probably won’t get too far.

So before you go on another date, consider doing things to make yourself feel more alive.

Predate exercises to get the sparks flying:

1. Do 50 jumping jacks.
2. Read 10 pages of a relaxing book.
3. Have a friend give you a mini massage and give one back to them.
4. Do five minutes of mind-clearing and deep breathing exercises.
5. Make a brief list of the five things you like about yourself.
6. Take a relaxing bath and light an aroma candle nearby.

What steps do you take to add a spark to a flat date? Ladies, I’d love to read your comments.

Photo source: bp.blogspot.com.

I’m 22 and I met a 33-year-old woman. She looks like she is in her mid-20s. I told the girl I had very much enjoyed her company and hoped to see her again. She suggested I look her up on Facebook and we keep in touch. I live in Philly and she lives in Wilmington, Del.

I am very attracted to her and would like to have a real date, yet I am stumped as to what to do now. I am not sure if she enjoyed my company as just friends or if she would be interested in a date. It will have to be an online interaction initially.

What can I do?

-Sean (Philadelphia)

Dr. Wendy Walsh’s Answer:

Dear Sean,

What are you looking for? Is it time for you to settle down (average age of first-time marriage for men is 27) or to have a fun long-distance girlfriend?

If it is the latter, it might be unfair to eat up the last remaining years of a woman’s fertility window.

By the way, the height of female fertility is age 20. At 30, there is a dive. At 35, there is a huge dive.

If she wants to be a mother, either plan to get serious or back off. And if you plan to get serious, don’t fall into an online fantasy relationship.

Call her. Go visit. The answer will be clear much sooner if you do.

No counseling or psychotherapy advice: The Site does not provide psychotherapy advice. The Site is intended only for use by consumers in search of general information of interest pertaining to problems people may face as individuals and in relationships and related topics. Content is not intended to replace or serve as substitute for professional consultation or service. Contained observations and opinions should not be misconstrued as specific counseling advice.

Does it ever work? Well, there was the hobbit who had a smile vaguely reminiscent of the cute but chubby friend on “Happy Endings” (when you squint in the dark) you got lucky with a couple of months ago. And there have been a few other unmemorable close encounters of the “eh” kind.

News flash: Women exist 24/7/365. Every other person on the street and on the planet is a woman, and a reasonably high percentage of them have the ability to make all your dreams come true.

But you have your radar shut off or you just don’t consider a Tuesday bus commute to be an approachable situation.

Get with it, guys. Every day there are possibilities in the air — enough possibilities to change your life. It’s time to start living like every day is Friday.

Is Friday even the best time to meet women?

Actually, Friday is one of the most challenging days to meet someone special. It’s hard to stand out in a crowd. Every guy has his game on, which makes it downright hard to compete or even get noticed.

Not only that, but every girl you really want has her defenses up because she believes all the guys are crawling out of the woodwork just to sully her virtue.

The girls come out with the best intentions too, but they are predisposed to shoot guys down first and then wonder if they were good guys later.

That’s why you always seem to end up with the desperate, sexually frustrated girls who have decided they’ll just take the first guy who comes along.

But it never works out because they hate themselves later for being too easy, and then they blame you. And you don’t see any point in pursuing a girl who offers no challenge anyway.

Friday night meat markets stack the deck against you and put the whole dating process into an artificial bubble that has nothing to do with real life. It makes it impossible for men and women to judge each other realistically.

“You already know the possibilities Friday and

Saturday nights hold, so just carry that mood over.”

Thank God It’s Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday.

Once you realize that real everyday life presents the best and most realistic opportunities to meet women, the more relaxed, confident and successful you are likely to become.

Dating and relationships are part of the natural order of things, and the bar scene pickup routine is the furthest thing from natural.

Commuting to work or school, working or taking classes, eating lunch, pumping gas and shopping are some of the real aspects of your life that give you a chance to meet great women.

And the good news is they will see you as a normal, regular guy rather than a potentially dangerous sex-crazed stranger.

You can use real charm and small talk to engage a woman rather than tired lines and insulting come-ons. You don’t need that fascinating eyebrow curl you practiced in the mirror. You only need to be yourself.

Set your alarm clock one minute earlier.

Still, the thing that Friday has going for it is that we are concentrating on the task at hand and making an effort to spot a potential girlfriend and act on that impulse.

So what’s to stop you from doing that on other days? And how can you be ready to approach every day like it has Friday’s potential for meeting a special lady?

Here’s an idea: Set your alarm to buzz one minute earlier. That’s right. This will help in several ways.

When you open one eyeball and see 6:44 a.m. displayed on your digital readout, you will instantly know what that means.

It’s a reminder to look for that special girl today, and it will be the first thing on your mind when you get out of bed.

It also gives you one extra minute to make yourself presentable. You don’t need an extra half-hour like you need on Friday night. You’re heading for the shower anyway.

You just need one minute for an extra-close shave, a quick trim of the nails or wild hairs and a few moments to give yourself a pep talk in the mirror.

Now you are just as ready and just as presentable as you are on Friday night. It doesn’t matter that you’ll be in classes all day or receiving shipments on a loading dock at a warehouse.

The girl from UPS will be there, and HR will be bringing through the new girl in accounting or sales. And this time you will actually see them, smile and maybe even speak.

You already know the possibilities Friday and Saturday nights hold, so just carry that mood over to the rest of your life.

Sundays also have great potential at church or brunch or the sports bar for nachos and football.

Whether you’re going to the club, school, work or the grocery store, you can only tap into the possibilities of life if you remember that it’s always game on.

1. The sexy type.

Why not think outside the box and take her to a pole dancing class? It’s a quirky way to get to know someone and get in your cardio. You don’t have to dress too sexy, just wear cute sweats and be yourself.

2. The sporty type.

Take her to a ballgame. Whether it’s basketball, baseball, football or cricket, treat her to a once-in-a-lifetime experience complete with stadium dogs and keg beer. What could be more romantic?

3. The fashionista.

Is there a local fashion week or string of high-fashion boutiques on the main strip in your town? Go store to store and try on the most fun fashion finds before having a fun outdoor lunch complete with wine and tapas.

“If you’re looking for great first date

ideas, think about the type of girl.”

4. The artist.

Bring her to an exhibit, contemporary art museum or the studio of your friend who’s a fabulous artist. Take it a step further and go to one of those “paint your own pottery” places and act like kids.

5. The athlete.

If you know she’s super into sports and breaking a sweat, then take her to a fun obstacle or ropes course. Just make sure to let her know what the day will entail.

6. The conservative.

If you know she prefers button-down shirts and khakis, then take her to a polo match, country club or out for a proper tea with crumpets and Devonshire cream.

7. The party girl.

If you know she likes to have a good time, then take her to a club for bottle service or an awesome live music jam. Again, let her know what the night will entail — i.e. party clothes!

If you’re looking for great first date ideas, first think about the type of girl you’ll be going out with. Then, and only then, can you have a first date that hits it out of the park.

Going to a local park to feed the ducks, meeting for a cup of coffee or taking a walk on the beach are all great ways to impress a girl without breaking the bank. If you consider these cheap dates, you need to rethink your dating philosophy.

You want a woman who likes you for you, not for how much money you’ll spend to get to know her.

Dates shouldn’t be about proving how much money you have or how extravagant you can be. They should only be about two people getting to know one another and having a good time together.

Having fun is free.Keep that in mind when you get to planning dates and telling yourself you’re cheap.

Flying a kite, having a picnic, going for a walk along a riverbank, even visiting a local historical site…..these are great activities that make for a cost effective, but memorable, experience.

But what happens when you’d like to plan a Skype date with that new gal in your life?

There are a few things to think about before getting into the nitty-gritty. Have you met this lady in person, or is she a potential mate you met through an online dating site?

If you answer “yes” to question number two, then you need to treat a Skype date like a real date. Ambiance is key, as is setting the mood and making her feel at ease.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a Skype date with a woman you just met online:

1. Make sure the day and time are clear.

Take into account different time zones, and confirm and then confirm again that she knows the date is, say, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

2. Set specifications.

If you’re planning dinner and a movie, then tell her to order Chinese takeout and rent a specific cheesy kung-fu film. That way the two of you will be doing the same thing at the same time and it will create conversation.

3. Take it a step further.

If you happen to know your new gal’s home address (don’t ask for it if she hasn’t offered), then take the Skype date a step further and have the food and movie delivered directly to her home.

Go completely above and beyond and include candles and a nice bottle of wine.

If you’re planning a Skype date, then treat it like a real, in-person date. Don’t think you can get away with sweatpants and a frozen pizza just because she can’t see your filthy bachelor pad.

Make the evening special just as if you brought her to a nice restaurant or to see a play.

I have never lost a spouse and will never pretend to know what it feels like, but I am an optimistic person. I’d like to think that if my husband passed, I’d spend the time I needed to mourn, and then I would realize that life and love are beautiful things. I’d never “move on,” but I’d certainly be open to love again.

For senior women — who very well could have been with their husband for decades — how long should you mourn? And if you meet a man after the death of your spouse, when should you bring up your widow status and open up about the experience?

How long should the mourning period be?

There is no right or wrong answer to this. People will tell you that you should either get out there and start dating or that you’re moving too fast. I know it’s hard, but try to not listen to any of them.

You are the only person who knows how long you will mourn. One day you will wake up and no longer feel like the weight of the world is on your chest.

The conversation depends on a lot of factors.

When it comes to bringing up your widow status, that conversation depends on a lot of factors.

If you meet a man who is a widower, then you’re going to get a whole lot more empathy and understanding. If you start dating a man who has never lost a spouse, then it will take longer to ease him into comprehending the pain you’ve experienced by losing a partner.

Like I said, I’ve never lost a spouse. I have no idea what it feels like. But I am a lover of life and a lover of love. I’d like to think it’s possible to have more than one true love in your life. I’d like to think it’s possible to always behold the memory of your husband and realize that you deserve the chance to be happy again.