By Patrick Ananda, from Wingman/THE CENTERED MAN PROJECT
In the interest of dispelling a HUGE dating myth, I’ve decided to whip up a quick guide to dating women while being completely broke.
See, for me, dating used to be a big deal.
It would require massive investments of time, and money, and nerves, and conversation and… Oh God!!
But let’s make this super simple so that you can start having quality dates, even if you’re completely broke.
Dating Myth Busted!
Contrary to popular belief, dating does not require you to spend ridiculous sums of money on flowers, gifts, expensive restaurants and more…
Mostly because a woman doesn’t really care about that stuff.
Now I know you’re thinking “well I took Jenny out last month and did all those things above and she said she had a great time!”
But there’s something you aren’t understanding: Women will meet you wherever you are.
I’m not talking about physically. I mean on a metaphysical level.
If the stage you’re at is ‘I’m not good enough, so I need to buy her nice things and impress her’, she will meet you there and say ‘okay then… Impress me’.
However, when you understand your own self-worth, and know that your presence is enough to provide an unforgettable experience, she will also meet you there.
Is there a minority of women that are superficial? Sure. But they’re a small percentage and frankly, why would you want to impress that kind of person anyway?
Look, when a woman agrees to go on a date with you, it’s because she wants to play around in the social context that is you! She wants to experience YOU.
But what do most guys do? “What would SHE like. How do I impress HER?”
You can see why that doesn’t make for a very sexy date.
How to date while Being Completely Broke
So how do you do it?
Simple! Go on adventures!
Even though I can afford it, my first dates usually cost me less than 5$ (and I’ve had multiple women pay to take me out. Take that 16 year old me who never thought that could happen!).
One thing you need to understand is that it’s all about how she feels around you. Now how much emotional stimulus do you think she gets when you’re sitting across from each other in a stiff upscale restaurant? Yeah didn’t think so.
And how much emotional stimulus do you think she gets when you’re showing her this super cool hole in the wall tea place, then lead her to this small staircase that opens onto a stunning view of the city no one else knows about, and finally lean into her for a slow kiss with city lights in the background? Mhm.
By the way – if you don’t know any cool spots in your city, a date is the perfect opportunity to discover them!
Everytime I move to a new city, I always invite the first girl I meet to explore the city with me. I grab a bottle of wine and we set off on an adventure.
You don’t need money to be unforgettable… You need to be unforgettable—so don’t be afraid to be mischievous. Invite her on an adventure. Invite her to sneak away with you. Invite her to hold your hand. Invite her to share an experience… A kiss… A night… An eternity!
Invite, invite and invite some more!
To your success
Give. Love. Serve.
Patrick Ananda
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patrick Ananda
Patrick is a scoundrel, rogue, vagabond, and founder of THE CENTERED MAN PROJECT. He teaches men how to overcome their social anxiety and fear of rejection, by unleashing their unshakable self-confidence.
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Photo: Unsplash
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This piece originally appeared on Get-a-Wingman.
One of my best cheap dates is to take a girl shopping for food with you, that way you can see who she is in her daily life a bit more after that take her home to cook with you, it shows how well you are working together as a team.
Yes, yes a thousand times yes!!! My partner has been upfront from the beginning of our relationship that he is in the process of paying off major debt–which means very little money left over for extravagant outings, dinners etc. This is fine by me because it has forced us to BOTH tap into our inner creativity and find fun, adventurous, romantic things to do for free or next to nothing! New years was spent indulging in a full-on cheese fondue spread (made from scratch from a recipe he found online:)) and a bubble bath “vacation” with mojitos, music and me… Read more »