Too often I’m hearing people complain about how expensive it is to have a significant other. My own fiancé refuses to buy me flowers because he thinks it’s a waste of money. Sure, when you’re no longer playing the field you have to worry about dates, jewelry, flowers, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and other gifts.
Actually, you don’t. You’re making excuses to be a crappy partner. So many people won’t hesitate to complain about the cost of a significant other, but they’re also the first ones to complain about how lonely they are when they’re single.
Let’s be real. There are ways to have a successful relationship without breaking your bank. If that’s not possible in your relationship, then you’re probably dating a gold digger.
I can’t speak for all women, but I can say with confidence that most of us don’t really care how much you spend on us, if anything at all. We want the cheesy, sentimental memories. We want to have fun with you.
Don’t want to buy an expensive rose bouquet? Pick her some flowers straight from the ground. Kick it old school. How often have you seen a woman receive flowers and nitpick the quality or even the quantity for that matter? Never, because just the gesture of receiving flowers is enough to turn us to mush.
Don’t want to spend $40 on a dinner date at a nice restaurant? Invite her over, light some candles, play some music, and cook her dinner. Hell, cook it together. She will get the memories (and the nutrients) that she wants out of the situation. All she wants is to spend time with you.
As far as jewelry goes, there’s only one piece of jewelry she really wants out of the situation, and if you aren’t willing to coin up a little for that when the time comes, then you might as well let her be with someone that will.
The key thing here isn’t the price tag, gentleman, it’s the thoughtfulness. It costs zero dollars to text her every morning on the phone that you already have. It costs zero dollars to tell her she looks beautiful today. It costs zero dollars to write her a love note entailing a few of the things you love about her.
It costs zero dollars to make your significant other feel loved and appreciated so long as you choose to go that route. If you want to spend money on dates and gifts, more power to you, but you can no longer use that as an excuse because nobody is forcing you to.
There are cost-efficient alternatives to every situation a relationship might call for. It all depends on the choices you make. If you’re honestly worried about whether or not your relationship will survive on a tight budget, then you might want to find someone that is a little lower maintenance.
The things that make a relationship worth having are the things we can’t put a price on at all.