As exhilarating as it is stressful, the first date is an important step that can mark the beginning of a nice adventure, a real romantic relationship or remain as a simple failed attempt with a person who does not correspond to us.
But you still have to find a pleasant setting conducive to a moment of complicity for two. However, if the options are not lacking, they can be expensive and constitute a brake for the less well-off singles…
Little budget available
Could the royal triptych of dinner at the restaurant, followed by a bar and, if all goes well, a last drink at home be a downer? Yes, according to the polls.
In August, the dating app The Inner Circle estimated that due to soaring prices, 41% of singles were becoming more picky about the choice of places for their first dates, 29% admitting outright favor dates cheaper.
Worse, 61% of lonely souls interviewed in September by the dating app Happn claim to have already invented an excuse not to go on a date for lack of financial means!
Same story for the study conducted by Meetic in November: 1 in 3 singles say they allocate less budget to their romantic dates compared to six months ago.
And for good reason, single people take the brunt of the rise in the cost of living since they have to assume all the financial burdens of daily life, where couples distribute them. Enough to leave little budget to allocate to uncertain dates…
Limiter l’addition
To control the costs of dating without giving up your love life, all means are good! According to the Meetic survey, 22% of singles, for example, plan their dates according to their payday, while 40% give up traveling too far to limit the cost of the trip.
Similarly, in order to avoid paying a fee for nothing, 29% of participants converse more online with their potential partners before setting a date to meet.
As for the course of the meeting, it is revised downwards. While 70% of respondents continue to prefer going to a restaurant, they only grant an average budget of €39.
Better, many people prefer to have a drink in a bar (46%), which is also a good way to shorten the appointment when the conversation is sluggish…
Advantageous alternatives
Rather than cutting back on your romantic life for lack of financial means, why not adopt an approach that is both economical and original? Cinemas, restaurants and bars are not the only places conducive to a date!
You can very well offer a walk in a museum if you are an art lover. Some 24% of singles surveyed by Happn favor this option.
Do you both like board games? Get acquainted in a game bar, these booming establishments that allow you to chain games while having a drink!
A flea market or a sports activity are just as nice to discover. And if you are more of a fan of greenery, a visit to a botanical garden or a picnic in a park or in the forest will provide an idyllic setting for a first meeting (acclaimed by 62% according to Happn and 56% according to Meetic).
More than their low cost, these places are much more personalized since they require you to sound out the tastes and desires of your potential partner beforehand. What could be more romantic to demonstrate your involvement?