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It’s free to walk up to someone, to slide in a person’s direct messages, or to slide your number in their hand (or their phone) at a social event, but to actually make a real effort to date them? Now that’s expensive.
In the early stages of dating, the impression you make is important, so you have to choose date venues, activities, and ideas wisely. There’s the pressure of keeping the other party interested, excited, and happy because you don’t want to bore them to death in the process of getting to know them. In the age of $200 date debates, are you ready for this new age of dating standards and expectations? More importantly, can you afford them?
According to Cosmopolitan, the average person will spend between $80-$100 on a single date night. Doing simple math, if you plan about two dates a week, you could find yourself spending upwards of $800 a month. A recent study by Match.com showed that American singles spend about $60 a month on dating, and if you live in a large city, that number basically doubles. It’s not uncommon to splurge in the beginning of the relationship, especially on the first date when you want to make a good impression and show the other party how serious you are about getting to know them, but as time goes on in the relationship, you’re quick to realize that your pockets can’t handle it anymore. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with staying in some nights, ordering food, and watching a movie together, but when that becomes your go-to “date,” things can get a bit boring pretty fast.
After surveying a few social media followers on whether finances determined their dating patterns, most admitted to being single because they couldn’t afford to pay their own expenses while also attempting to “wine and dine” someone “every other night.” There were a few followers who said they try to be creative with date ideas in order to save money. Some still resided with their parents and expressed that while they could afford to date someone, it usually didn’t go far because of their living situation. But the consensus was that yes, dating is expensive. It’s something you have to budget for as an entertainment expense. And with prices going up rapidly for many date night activities (remember when movie tickets used to be around $7?), sometimes it feels like you can’t get to know someone without spending a pretty penny.
If you find yourself in the position where you have to say a prayer every time you hand the waiter or cashier your credit card hoping that your payment is processed, chances are, dating is a financial burden for you. If you find yourself constantly bringing up splitting expenses on a sneak tip because you don’t want to just come out and say you don’t have enough and would like for your date to help, you can’t afford to date. When you find yourself constantly swiping when you’re already near the red and hoping you have enough funds in your savings to cover overdraft fees, dating shouldn’t be a priority for you right now. And when the reason you can’t go out on dates is because you’re struggling to pay bills, get groceries, and barely function, you have to ask yourself, are you financially in a place to build with someone towards a relationship or do you need to focus on getting your life together?
