Dating Romance on Limited Finance

Nobody has to tell you about how severe things are when it comes to the economy. You felt it big time before the experts with money officially started using the "R" word.

Sure you got a raise but it wasn’t anything to write home about. After taxes came out you were not even sure whether you got a pay increase or just imagined it. Not much you can say about it since at this point you are just thankful to have a job. A few of your co workers were not so lucky. They got the pink slip some time back and at times the office seems like a ghost town.

Whether you were good manager of your money before the current state of affairs or not is beside the point. What many of us are facing now is causing us to rethink some of our spending habits.

Going out on a date is one of those spending habits. You may still be able to go to some of the old haunts and spend like you used to but there’s no getting around the fact that if you do it will cause a major strain of your finances.

That’s why it’s essential to substitute a few of the previous "money is not a problem" dating habits with some creative, equally fun and at the same time money saving adventures.

1. Festivals

Usually during the spring and summer months there is a plethora of festivals indoors and outdoors; which means that there is probably going to be some live music, art and other cultural happenings. While the warm weather months may be the most prominent, many places have festivals all year round. It’s easy to get a hold of an event guide at the local libraries or just go online. You are your date can have fun just deciding which festivals you want to go to.

Do some serious investigation when you get there. A couple of vendors are going to be pricing their goods on the expensive side but others may be more reasonable. If you want to buy something for your date see if the merchant is willing to do a little haggling. Sure some will say no but others may enjoy the back and forth. This may work in your favor when it comes to what time you show up. If the festival is only going to stay open for a little while longer the vendor maybe a lot more receptive to negotiating certain prices.

2. Movie Night

No not the one where you and your date go to the local mall plunk down ten bucks a piece or more buy something from the concession stand which is another fifteen to twenty dollars and then go see a film that you may or may not like.

This movie night means going over each other’s houses and planning your own motion picture marathon. Like the festival, the two of you have fun deciding what night, which movies and how many you want to view. You also create your own concession stand by making snacks and appetizers that provide more variety are a lot tastier and way more inexpensive than the ones at your local theater.

Yes you and your date like checking out the new releases but if you are not working as a movie critic for some major newspaper than it’s okay to let some of them pass. If you are used to going to the movies once a week than having your own movie night can turn into big savings within a very short period of time.

You are not a cheapskate by any stretch of the imagination and by now your date should have no doubts about your generosity. But recessions have away of putting the squeeze on people even those are pretty well off financially. Therefore it is essential to save money whenever and wherever you can. Accept that the lack of funds is going to force you to be more creative and adventuresome when it comes to the dating relationship. Since that is the case by all means you might as well enjoy the ride.

Article written by Daryl Campbell. Get more at cheap date ideas The Relationship Tip.