Dating: An Investment For Your Future

Earlier tonight, Mike called in saying that he is sick of spending all this money on women for dates and that women have a more enjoyable time dating because they are not the ones paying.

We spent an hour talking about this, but here's the bottom line:  Guys, if you don't want to spend so much money on dates that may not go anywhere, especially now with internet dating, go for coffee or a drink for the first meeting, so you don't end up with a woman who orders the most expensive thing off the menu and downs one drink after another because she knows she's never going to go out with you again ( which by the way, I would NEVER do and I think if a guy is taking you out and taking a chance by spending his money on you, you should be respectful in return).

A friend of mine once told me that he had read that guys should put aside 10-15% of their yearly income for dating.  Guys may not like to hear that, but look at this way: it is an investment for your future.  If you ultimately don't want to end up alone, then that should be just as important to you as investing in your 401K.  You may even get a higher return on the woman with the way things are going nowadays!

One caller said it perfectly tonight - I believe it was Jose from Manhattan.  When you have guys who are complaining about the money they have to spend on dating, it really separates the boys from the men. No woman, even if she is not high maintenance and doesn't expect a lot, wants to hear a man complaining about having to spend money for a date.

It all comes down to character and if you are going to make a big fuss over it, you're not exactly winning brownie points with your potential new partner.