10 money saving tips for singirls
Ah as we reach the end of January most people are broke and can barely afford to partake in the British Airways sale let alone go on copious post-Christmas dates because, let’s face it, dating isn’t cheap.
I remember being young and naïve, spending hours in salons and shopping for dates. Then you’ve got your ubers. Typically I’d get drunk because I was either bored or nervous and we would end up having messy, awkward sex and …I digress. But the end result is that I would be a few hundred quid worse off and had nothing to show for it but another bad date story for my smug couple friends to laugh at .
I realised that something needed to change and I developed some short cuts to dating .Put aside the ‘who pays’ debate for a minute. We are both able, working adults (I beg you stop dating children and/ or the permanently broke) so that is all about values and romance. But for the majority of us there are still costs to dating. So here are some tried and tested money saving tips for singirls.
1. Set a budget
I would love to sit here and tell you that I always stuck to this but, dating should be treated like any hobby and have a set budget. I mean (cough) books and concerts are addictions so go ham on those but dating? That shouldn’t be setting you back more than a couple of hundred quid a month surely? Set a budget and for the excel nerds out there, use a spreadsheet. So much fun working out the investment to quality of the date ratio the next day! Yes, I’m sad like that.
2. It Pays to pay
You may think you are saving money by using free apps but you end up with more time wasted on wastemen and fuckbois. It’s not foolproof but you save a lot of time by paying for sites. Lots of them like e-harmony and match will do offers throughout the year so you may as well grab one of those and see it as an invest to save type thing. The easy jet apps like Tinder and Bumble are also false economies as you may pay less but it still adds up. Nobody needs to add on that much baggage.
3. What to wear
So it’s easiest to have two first date outfits already selected. They must be slimming if that’s your body issue, comfortable and durable as you may be wearing it for a lot of the day. Then choose a 2nd and a 3rd date ensemble. You then know what needs to be prepped for your dating window and you don’t have to go panic shopping for yet another pair of black pants online. This prevents the what to wear dilemma and also reminds you of exactly which date you’re on. Hope you don’t bump into another one of your first dates but for me the waiter at Bill got used to seeing me in the same little black dress with different accessories. Simple
4. Start slowly
OK I find job interviews that last longer than 25 minutes draining and exhausting. Dates are the same. Anything longer than an hour and I’m tired as typically people have lost the art of the conversation and just interview you. So I would suggest something that doesn’t require a lot of time and can be aborted early if required. A dinner is at least 90 minutes. A walk or coffee can be achieved in 40 minutes. Nobody needs to get a sweat on or have that 2nd cup so you’re all wired. Try to short date as you spend less and know if the person is worth the time, energy and budget investment moving forward.
5. Drinks, Lunch, Dinner?
Lots of people get offended if someone suggests drinks as opposed to dinner for a first date but, to me it makes sense to start with drinks especially if you are meeting off the apps. Yes drinks are cheaper but if they’re alcoholic and / or either of you are alcoholics then the risk of you wanting to eat and or ending up sleeping with someone prematurely is high. So, best you go for a daytime lunch or a café meet. It also limits the first date risk of people trying to get a sleep over.
