Dating a finance guy blog

So, here’s the deal, guys: you’ve hit a financial rough patch and can’t afford to date like you normally would. Also, you’re not the kind of man that’s okay with continuously going dutch or having her pay. So what do you do? I surveyed a few of my smartest male friends and have come up with the perfect solutions:

1) Nothing. If you know this is a temporary dry spell, sit out of the dating game until it subsides. Use that time to make more money and further reduce expenses.

2) Get creative. Hit up any and every free event in town, including museums. I live in Washington, DC, where free or inexpensive cultural events happen daily. Check out your local events paper (for us, it’s Washington City Paper, Express, or Rolling Out). In full disclosure, every female is not going to appreciate this so choose your audience wisely.

3) Coupons. Okay, so this is admittedly tricky. As much as we all appreciate a deal, no one wants to look cheap and miserly, and using Groupons or other online deals could lead to that (although people like me get excited about a cost conscious guy). Choose an activity, then be straight up and say that you found a deal for it online, and do they want to take part? It looks like you got the idea from the deal, not that you couldn’t afford to do it otherwise. See where I’m going with this??

4) Find a homebody. This is my favorite - and it also makes a ton of sense! Use a free dating site and seek out people who are homebodies. Offer to cook dinner and put on a good movie. If you’re a drinker, stores like Costco and Total Wine have fantastic deals on wine and beer, and no one has to know the brand or that it cost less than $10 (hint: open wine hours before the date and let it breathe. Tastes far better).

5) Be choosy. Here’s the truth: you’re going to have to spend a little money if you want to date during a down period. Just be deliberate about where, how, and on whom. Some people are worth the time and effort, while others simply aren’t.

And so it is.