How much money should you spend on dinner for a first date?

[Fountain79]

Mind you I am in my 20's and mind you I live in the midwest which means lower menu prices. What do you think?

[Chan790]

1. for 2? $50.

including drinks.

[S n o w b a l l]

2. $50-75

Entree $15-20, drinks, 2 each at about $5 and tip. I think that's about normal & reasonable.

[Richard Steele]

3. Depends. Might this person be "the one", or are you just hoping to get lucky?

[Fountain79]

5. She definitely has potential, hard to say if she is the "one"

but she is definitely more than a sex conquest.

[Richard Steele]

12. Then don't cheapen it by trying to impress her with an expensive meal.

Take her to your FAVORITE place, regardless of how pricey it is (or isn't).

Be up front about who you are and where you eat; save the "special"
dinner for a "special" occasion.

Just my two cents. Bear in mind that I'm slightly insane; what works
for me may not be appropriate for you.

[ThomCat]

4. Figure out what you can reasonably afford.

And spend that much.

You definitely don't want to be cheap, but there is no need to be extravagant. If you have good conversations and have a good time then that's going to eclipse the dinner anyway. It's nice to impress her with a great dinner at an upscale place, but be realistic about what you can afford to do.
:)

[S n o w b a l l]

6. I think being creative is more important than the money you spend

sometimes going out to the the perfect little dive bar with great food and atmosphere and shooting a game of pool can be a whole lot more fun than going out to an upscale restaurant.

Like ThomCat said, do what you can afford...just put a little thought into it and it will be just as much appreciated.

[JVS]

7. $12-15 total

Get the grande taco-bell meal and bottle of popov or some malt liquor

[Nicole]

8. Check online

See if the restaurants you are considering have websites. If so they probably have menus you can look at. That should give you an idea of how much money you will probably spend.

[Ptah]

9. Twelve dollars!

Edit to spell a number.

:blush:

[Nicole]

11. That would be the last date if

you fed me that on the first date. :rofl:

[Ptah]

16. It's alright.

:hi: :by:

[Nicole]

26. Oh I like salmon

loaf & salmon patties. :9

I just meant I would not like a man cooking for me on a first date. I'm old fashioned so I would never go to his place on a first date.

The $12 dollar dinner wouldn't bother me either. You could feed me a fast food burger on the first date, as long as you didn't serve it to me at your place. :rofl:

[Chan790]

13. Salmon casserole?

:puke:

[Ptah]

18. Oh well, I guess you won't stay to hear the story about that time that

:by by:

[Richard Steele]

15. Dude, ignore these foolish naysayers! You had me at "hand diced".

To me, that sort of personal effort means much more than
a big number on a menu.

(FYI- I'm not gay, so we're gonna need a lot more Negra Modelo!)

[Ptah]

19. Before the massacre:

[S n o w b a l l]

20. I thought it looked pretty good too

:) But make em salmon patties instead of salmon loaf.

[Ptah]

22. That's a wonderful suggestion, Engi

:hi:

[Chan790]

21. Hand-diced is nice...

salmon is gross.

I think y'all would better off with some mescal though...

[Ptah]

25. Ohh kay

[XemaSab]

10. It depends on how old you are and the totality of the date

If you're out of college with a real job and it's just dinner (as opposed to a day at Disneyland, followed by dinner), I would expect to spend $50 including alcohol.

I'm not saying you WILL spend that much, just don't be shocked if it happens.

[jpgray]

14. If you spend too much on a first date it's a bit creepy in my opinion

Many girls don't want to be showered with riches on what's essentially about getting to know one another rather than laying out the $$. Others are fine with it. :D

[Connonym]

35. I agree that it's sort of creepy

for what it's worth I also prefer to pay for my own dinner on a first date. Obviously every woman is different. I think what you need to ask yourself is what kind of woman you are looking for and treat your date thusly. If she's the right one it will click, if not, she's not what you're looking for.

Being yourself is always the best thing.

[philosophie_en_rose]

17. $3.96 plus tax

:P

[hfojvt]

23. $600

:evilgrin:

[RoyGBiv]

24. A dollar amount is irrelevant ...

The place you go should have a comfortable atmosphere, which basically means a place where you feel comfortable *talking*.

First dates aren't about the food or the price. They're about communication. If you think of it in terms of price, you're going to fail. If the other person thinks of it in terms of price, it's destined to fail anyway unless you are similarly centered on material acquisition as a measure of worth.

[Nicole]

27. Well said.

I agree completely.

[Blue_Tires]

32. +1

[petronius]

28. It doesn't matter how much you spend, just be sure to leave a good tip (nt)

[Kixel]

42. Totally agree!!!

I would not go out with a guy again if he was cheap on the tip.

[Alexander]

29. Zero, unless your date agrees to sex later.

It's the Richard Feynman rule of dating.

[JVS]

30. brilliant

[pitohui]

31. around $100 if you really like this person

first impressions are lasting impressions and there is nothing quite so unattractive as selfish and penny-pinching, it pretty much makes it clear that you think your wallet is more important than making a good impression

even in the midwest i don't see how you get a decent meal with a drink before dinner and some wine for less than $100 unless you're cooking it yourself!

[Road Scholar]

33. How good lookin' is she? Just kidding. I've been out of that

game longer than uh ah well a long time, but when I was dating I found out that the best dates weren't concerned about how much I spent as long as I showed some respect and paid them some attention.

[Dr Fate]

34. Drinks, dinner, movie and a cab is what--$100 bucks? n/t

n/t

[LeftyFingerPop]

36. How much are "Happy Meals" these days? n/t

[GalleryGod]

37. C-Note.

[aljones]

38. $50 or just alittle more

My Fiance and I had our first date at his favorite bar. We ended up splitting an appetizer and both drank draft beer. It was a very casual, no stress, date. We had a wonderful time, we drank, ate, and flirted at the bar all night. Just be yourself, be casual, and be relaxed; I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

aly

[Orrex]

39. Mortgage your home and sell at least one semi-vital organ

That's the only way to be sure.

[AngryAmish]

40. None - no dinner for first date

Each of you will be feeling self conscious. I have met many women who dreaded first date meals because of food issues - do not want to be seen as a pig or no fun for just ordering salad, paying issues, etc. (And I am being hetero-normative here so don't kill me if I'm wrong).

Anyway, the best first dates should be drinks. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and will be cheaper than a fancy dinner. Skip the wine bars because that runs up the cost and lower alcohol to price ratio.

[JVS]

41. I've heard women are often leery of guys who drink with them early...

in dating

[Kixel]

44. Don't get plowed!

But I would agree that a low key meeting can be better-drinks and good conversation is better. If it isn't clicking, it's easier to bail...

[av8rdave]

43. Depends on what you think your odds are

(just kidding, of course)

[guitar man]

45. depends

it depends on what you already have invested in the booze and the motel room :evilgrin: