We know that money is hard these days, but we still want to go out on dates and enjoy the finer pleasures in life. On some occasions worth celebrating we like being treated to a nice meal or a special trip even just outside the city. When the issue is about saving money, sometimes the line between frugality and stinginess blurs. What examples can you give that differentiate between frugal date and a stingy date?
My girlfriend took me out once, she took me to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet place for £7.50 per person. I certainly got our money's worth and we only left because my girlfriend (who has a small appetite) got bored of watching me repeatedly going back to fill my plate up. I've had ex-girlfriends who have taken us out to dinner with 2for1 coupons before as well.
Frugal is going to an inexpensive or moderately priced restaurant. Stingy is limiting what the date can order off the menu. The last date is when you order an item because it is the most expensive and someone else is paying and not because you want to enjoy it. When someone is paying for the meal, you need to be considerate of their financial situation and let them choose the venue with no complaints. If you think your date is stingy or cheap, you are dating the wrong person for you. When you are paying, you should expect the same consideration. If you like someone enough to date them, you need to accept them for the wallet they have and not expect them to eat rice all week to take you out to a nicer place on the weekend.
I think a frugal date is when you order the cheapest meal available for the both of you, but a stingy date is when your date just buys 1 food item and you share that particular food item! A true story of this stinginess is when my friend and her now ex-bf shared the same ice cream cone on their date! That's quite stingy!
If you are the sort of person who like saving money then to ensure that you plans of saving [and retiring early, etc] are not derailed you need to find someone who can understand what you're doing. A date doesn't need to be expensive for the two of you to enjoy yourselves. Relaxing on a beach at sunset for example, beats spending $20 or so bucks in a cheap restaurant. However for something special, like Valentines, you'll need to spend money. If you have to save money for that then [for the whole year] do it and spend it all for that occasion.
I was watching a bunch of episodes of Extreme Cheapskates. Now these people make a typical frugal person such as myself seem like a spendthrift. This guy met a girl from a free dating site, figured that since she belonged to such a site that she must understand his cheapness. So he takes her to a cheap restaurant, orders an item from the child's menu for them to share, orders himself one rib, then takes the disposable utensils home afterwards. And that was mild compared to what some of the other folks on there do. But I would say that saving a few bucks here and there is being frugal, but going so far out of your way where others are feeling uncomfortable is downright stinginess. Taking other peoples' leftovers, sharing a small meal, trying to get a extra discount, for example.
The style of dating depends on the frequency of dating. For instance, someone who dates less might want to spend more, while someone who dates more might spend less - simply cause there are limited funds for the month. Anyway, though, a person can get around this mess by looking for discounts and special deals. In that case, the problem isn't as harsh.
