How Date Budget

Men's Dating

How to Date on a Budget

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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While dating is great way to meet new people and get to know someone on a deeper level, all the nice dinners, late-night movies, fancy clothes and new haircuts can put a hurting on your wallet.

These are tough times, and most people don’t have a job that supports a dating life, let alone one that covers the monthly bills. However, there are ways to date on a budget without sacrificing the fun.

Take advantage of free events.

In every city and every town in the country, there are numerous of free activities just waiting for you to take advantage of them. Check your local bulletin boards or your city’s website for a listing of the free concerts, art shows and festivals. Be sure to look for the fine print about entrance fees.

Make the most of your area by inviting a woman on a day date that utilizes the local outdoor activities. Go rollerblading through the park, or take a leisurely hike on the nature trails.

Spend the evening stargazing at the popular lookout spot. If you live near the water, spend the afternoon at the beach and watch the sunset from the dock at the end of the day.

If you aren’t the outdoorsy type, invite your date over to play board games. If you are musical, give her a private guitar lesson. If you have a TV show you watch every Thursday, have her come over with the popcorn and catch her up on the latest plot.

Visit the local farmers market, which is normally cheaper than large supermarkets, and pick out some fresh ingredients to cook later. And speaking of cooking…

 

“If you are creative, you will

impress your date in no time.”

Cook at home.

Cooking at home

is more romantic and personal than going to a snooty restaurant. Re-enact your first date by cooking your first meal together at your place. Set up an idyllic spot in the backyard with blankets and a bottle of wine. You could also plan a group date at home and have everyone bring one dish.

If you decide to go out, share an appetizer and split the entree. This will save you a large amount of money, and most restaurants give you an ungodly amount of food you could never eat in one sitting anyway.

Plan, plan, plan.

Planning is key if you want to have an exciting dating life and save money. Pay attention to which restaurants are having lunch or dinner specials that day.

Sign up for LivingSocial or Groupon, which send you daily deals for activities and eateries, to help you determine what this week’s date night will entail.

Dating doesn’t have to be expensive. If you are creative, keep your eyes open for deals, and take advantage of your area’s goings-on, you will impress your date in no time while also keeping your wallet full.

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