The title of today's blog message is Dating On A Budget. The scenario is self-explanatory: Guy takes a woman to a nice restaurant on a date and agrees to pay for dinner, but he tells her she can only order up to $25. Should she feel slighted? Ok, what nice restaurant do you know that you'll only spend $25? Very few, if any. At most high-end restaurants, the appetizer will cost you $25, so there goes the date right there. The only restaurants you can get by with spending $25 are Applebee's, Chili's, Red Lobster and Pizza Hut. For $25, you can get 2 Large 2-topping pizzas for $7.99, and still have money left over. Not even Red Lobster has entrees that cost $25 unless you order something really expensive. My first thought is he took her to this nice restaurant with the intention of paying for her meal. Putting her on a budget screams he can't afford to pay for her meal, so he could've taken her to Applebee's for a 2 for $20 special, and still had money for the tip. That's what you call being smart.
It's established if the man asks a woman out, he pays for meal, as he should. Before confirming the date, he should check his money, and if he can afford to wine & dine her, take her someplace nice. If not, Applebee's and/or Chili's has a 2 for $20 special. If she's grounded with good values, being in your presence is enough to satisfy her. This discussion was posted in a Facebook group, and some women actually got upset. I'll present both sides, the man and woman's side. From a man's standpoint: A man who has himself together is looking for a likeminded woman. No man wants to feel used by any woman he's seeing. A man sees potential in a woman he agrees to take out on a date. He's wining & dining her and he's not getting anything in return except her time, which works for some men. This could be a test to examine her motives. If she orders within the $25 budget, she gets points in his eyes, and proceeds further. If she orders the most expensive thing on the menu, that tells him she's after his wallet, not him as a person.
From a woman's point of view, he doesn't trust her. I don't know of one woman who doesn't want to be treated special on a date, NOT ONE. To put her on a $25 budget tells me he doesn't trust her character, which I can see why because there are some women who take advantage of men with money. They see a man with $$$ as a meal ticket. I can see this from both sides, so I really can't take sides on this topic, but I will say this: Date within your means. The greatest dates cost little to no money. What about meeting at a coffee shop for conversation, going to free events in your city, things like that? Doing fun outings that don't break your wallet; daters have to learn how to get creative in dating. For me, dinner & a movie is played out. The first few dates are introductory in nature; I'm getting to know her. If she makes the cut, then maybe I'll treat her to dinner & a movie.
It's hard for me to take sides because I see this from both the man's and woman's point of view. As stated in the previous paragraph, people should date someone of similar background. If you're financially independent, seek someone of that same background. So many issues in relationships can be resolved if people sought a mate of similar background. For example, a saver and spender have two different mindsets about money, so one cannot expect them to have a successful relationship.
