{"id":175,"date":"2026-05-28T12:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175"},"modified":"2026-05-28T12:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:38:01","slug":"if-dating-is-breaking-the-bank-youre-doing-it-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175","title":{"rendered":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Single individuals in our society face many obstacles to finding a romantic partner. Those pitfalls start with the logistics of meeting potential suitors and the myriad problems associated with dating apps (a topic for another story entirely). As someone who lives in the nation\u2019s capital, I also recognize that many of my fellow Washingtonians (wrongly, in my view) make political compatibility a deal-breaker.<\/p>\n

Read more AI Won\u2019t Destroy Your Life \u2014 Unless You Let It<\/a><\/p>\n

But stories suggesting that some singles have cut back on dating based largely on financial considerations reveal a troubling lack of creativity. Dating need not \u2014 and on some levels, should not \u2014 cost a fortune, and people who cut back on dating due to dollars-and-cents considerations are actually making a financial mistake.<\/p>\n

Cost vs. Risk Considerations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A recent CNBC article summarized the trend:<\/p>\n

\n

Half of single Americans surveyed said they are going on fewer dates or choosing less expensive activities because of rising costs, according to BMO Financial Group\u2019s 2026\u00a0BMO Real Financial Progress Index. \u2026 48% of Gen Z adults and 40% of millennials surveyed said the high price of\u00a0dating\u00a0gets in the way of reaching their financial goals. A single date costs Gen Z adults $205 on average and millennials $252 on average, BMO found. Nearly half of singles, 47%, said dating just isn\u2019t worth the expense, according to the survey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You read that right: A single date costs members of younger generations more than $200 on average<\/em> \u2014 a figure that sounds ridiculous for anyone not holding millions in AI-related stock options.<\/p>\n

The article went on to quote several Gen Z 20-somethings expressing concerns about their dating expenditures. A Columbia University student observed, \u201cThere\u2019s such a higher chance that something doesn\u2019t click. \u2026 And then there goes your $40 dinner bill down the drain on someone that you might never talk to again.\u201d Another 22-year-old New York City resident questioned, \u201cWhy would I spend $100 on someone I might not even vibe with?\u201d<\/p>\n

Low Risk, Low Cost Dates<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Both interviewees raised reasonable enough concerns, but those concerns have an easy answer. If people are (understandably) worried about spending hundreds of dollars to meet someone they might not \u201cvibe with,\u201d then don\u2019t spend hundreds of dollars on a first date.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this regard, I consider myself fortunate in at least one respect. While Washington features a high percentage of \u201cwoke\u201d individuals and other people who take their politics far too seriously, it also has numerous public art galleries and museums that make for pleasant, not to mention free, dates. I have met countless individuals at the National Gallery of Art or various branches of the Smithsonian for art, conversation, and companionship.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Restitution For Biden-Era Lawfare Is Just, But Not A Permanent Solution<\/a><\/p>\n

But this principle works just as well outside the nation\u2019s capital. Whether a walk in the park, a free concert, or a quiet coffee, most areas have plentiful opportunities for couples to meet in low-cost, low-pressure venues. The strategy also has advantages that go beyond costs. If you know early on in a date that the vibes aren\u2019t there \u2014 and let\u2019s face it, we\u2019ve all had those kinds of awkward first dates \u2014 it\u2019s far better to have committed yourself only to a 45-minute coffee than a lengthy dinner.<\/p>\n

Even committed couples don\u2019t need to spend hundreds of dollars on dates. It\u2019s not that I have an objection to doing so, but romantic dates don\u2019t require big bucks, and big bucks don\u2019t necessarily equate to romance. I find nothing more intimate than cooking a meal with and for a partner, and that costs little more than cooking at home for myself.<\/p>\n

Poor Financial Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is an inherent irony for individuals who scale back on dating to save money: Finding a compatible partner can provide significant monetary benefits. Put simply, living in a two-income household can help a couple achieve financial security much quicker than two individuals living alone.<\/p>\n

Of course, people should not get married or combine households solely, or even primarily, for fiscal advantage. But the fact remains that people who avoid dating for financial reasons epitomize the old axiom of \u201cpenny wise, pound foolish.\u201d Far better for them to find more economical ways to meet potential partners than to eschew dating entirely.<\/p>\n

A former girlfriend of mine had a phrase that readily applies to dating: It\u2019s not about the \u201cwhat\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s about the \u201cwho.\u201d<\/em> Compatible individuals can readily enjoy each other\u2019s company regardless of how much or how little they spend on their dates. People who understand that, and don\u2019t unduly restrict their search just to meet preconceived notions about ritzy dates, can spend more time focused on finding their \u201cwho.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Admin Targets Big Immigration\u2019s Legal Industrial Complex<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is an inherent irony for people who scale back on dating to save money: Finding a spouse can provide significant monetary benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[735,736,737,422,738,739,385,740,741,742,743,744,745],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","tag-date","tag-dating","tag-economics","tag-family","tag-gen-z","tag-leisure","tag-marriage","tag-millennials","tag-money","tag-relationships","tag-romance","tag-saving","tag-spending"],"yoast_head":"\nIf Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is an inherent irony for people who scale back on dating to save money: Finding a spouse can provide significant monetary benefits.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"headline\":\"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175\"},\"wordCount\":815,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"date\",\"dating\",\"economics\",\"Family\",\"Gen Z\",\"leisure\",\"marriage\",\"Millennials\",\"money\",\"relationships\",\"romance\",\"Saving\",\"spending\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Economics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175\",\"name\":\"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=175#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Property Transition Media\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media","og_description":"There is an inherent irony for people who scale back on dating to save money: Finding a spouse can provide significant monetary benefits.","og_url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175","og_site_name":"Property Transition Media","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"headline":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong","datePublished":"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175"},"wordCount":815,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg","keywords":["date","dating","economics","Family","Gen Z","leisure","marriage","Millennials","money","relationships","romance","Saving","spending"],"articleSection":["Economics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175","name":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong - Property Transition Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-28T12:38:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ec382ec36db623686bc6a9964f75c6e.jpg","width":1280,"height":853},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=175#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"If Dating Is Breaking The Bank, You\u2019re Doing It Wrong"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/","name":"Property Transition Media","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com"],"url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}