Financial Faux Pas in Dating
Summertime is here again, and that typically that means a lot of people are back in the dating game, looking for some Summer Lovin’. In fact, dating services experienced an increase of 92% since summer began.
Being cautious and aware of your potential partner’s financial habits will pay off in the long run, when you consider that the average cost of divorce can be as high as $30,000 – most of that being spent on legal fees.
Here are some things to watch out for while Cupid aims his arrow:
Credit cards
It may seem like it should go without saying, but if you’re on a really tight budget, don’t go out to fancy dinners. An afternoon stroll in the park with an ice cream is just as romantic and a lot less expensive! Courtship can be costly sometimes, and a terrible mistake would be to allow yourself to give in to the temptation of trying to impress someone by overspending on credit cards. In the long run, you’ll pay a lot more in interest, and being burdened by credit card debt really isn’t worth that fancy gift or that expensive bottle of wine.
Keep track of your expenses
You don’t want to be in an awkward position of having to explain why your card was declined. It can be embarrassing and sends a terrible signal to your date – that you’re irresponsible with your money (whether it was a bank error or not).
Nowadays there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to track your income and expenses with online tools being abundantly available.
Instead of getting an unpleasant surprise at the end of an overly expensive dinner, plan ahead, knowing that you can definitely afford whatever might be thrown your way. Research the places that you’re going, look them up on Yelp, or choose a more affordable option.
Pay attention
If he “accidentally” left his wallet at home on the first date, or if he wants to “share the bill” at dinner all the time but doesn’t offer to “share the bill” of all the money you spent getting ready for your dates, or doesn’t tip the waiter, or, or, or… there’s a thousand things that could send signals of bad financial habits. Watch out for these, and pay attention to them.
Remember that when people start dating, they’re usually on their best behavior, showing off the best version of themselves in an effort to impress their dating partner. If you’re seeing bad habits now, they’ll only get worse over time.
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