Cheap dates

This AP story says unemployed men are struggling in the dating world.

Why? Well, there's the obvious stigma that comes with telling somebody you don't have a job.

But there's also the fact that dates require money. It's not necessarily PC to go dutch at the early stages of courtship. Here's a particularly interesting paragraph from the article:

Melissa Braverman, who blogs about dating, said she knows someone who was asked out on a walking date and considered it a turnoff. And in the last six months, she's noticed that men don't suggest meals. When they meet for drinks, they limit it to one hour. She believes it's so she won't order a second drink.

Every first date I've had has involved a restaurant dinner. It's not a rule of mine...it's always just happened that way.

A first date doesn't have to break the bank. I think picnics are especially romantic.

But there are limits.

Low-maintenance first dates can be fun, but they also have tremendous potential to set the course for the rest of the relationship. I know a couple who went to a fast-food restaurant for their first date, and the woman spent the remainder of the relationship complaining how the guy didn't do enough to show her he cared.

Would you go on a first date that cost less than $10?