I will use myself as an example. Being a 35 year old bachelor, much of my social interaction is at lunch time and evenings out with friends. I will stick to lunch for this example. If I go to a non-fast food restaurant, on average I will spend roughly 12 dollars including tip. If I do this 3 times a week, that is 36 dollars. Multiply that times four weeks and  is just under $150.00. This is really a conservative number too.

You can see from the previous example how eating can really blow a whole in your bottom line. Discipline is key, but if I cut eating out to lunch to just one day a week I am saving an extra $100. a month. That could go towards savings, or paying down debt. This is just another example of how you can save money.

What about meeting a girl? Is this a setup at dinner? Are you out at a club? some of these situation can make some guys feel obligated to pay. My simple answer, don’t. Before I get into why, let me lay out two possible scenarios:

• You are going out to dinner with a group of friends. They are inviting a girl they want you to ‘meet’ to come along. You sit next to her and talk a lot throughout the meal. The ticket comes and some people are paired up and some aren’t. Do you grab her tab? No, this is not a date. You did not ask her out, at least not yet. Avoid the temptation to impress by paying for her dinner.
• You are out at a club or a bar with your friends. After mingling around you cross eyes with a beauty and go up and start talking. She finishes her drink and looks at you. Do you buy her a drink? Please don’t. Again, you are not out on a date. this is not being cheap, this is being smart.

Lets assume for a minute that it is the guys responsibility to pay on a date. Neither of these situations is a date. These are meetings. First off, you can’t afford to pay for a drink for every girl that winks at you at a bar. It is not your responsibility. And if you are afraid that you will come off as too cheap for her, you probably are. Donald Trump probably is.

The point is, if a girl is actually in to you. She does not care whether you buy her a drink or not. Or even pays for her dinner during a meet up. The ones that do, are probably not the girls you want to mess with. Ask some of you female friends. I will bet most of them have taken drinks from guys they have no intention of ever seeing again.

The girl who is expecting diamonds will never be satisfied. The ones who don’t will be forever grateful.

-Kevin