I had a date with Tex Friday. We had both had busy weeks, so decided to do something low key. I met him at his house, then we drove to a bar to have a drink. The plan was to stay there for a little while, then grab some take-out and head back to his house to watch some movies. While walking into the bar I noticed a Chinese restaurant a few doors down, called "Two Guys from Hong Kong." I know, cool name! I ran down to grab a menu. When I showed it to Tex, I kid you not, this is what he said: "Oh, I think I have a coupon for that place." He goes out to his truck and grabs a giant coupon book, and starts flipping through it.Okay, I am all about coupons. I love them, they're great. I mean it's like having free money. BUT, are they really something you want to whip out on a 3rd date? We already had the menu and the place was really cheap, like $8 per person for a complete dinner. And don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a guy being thrifty. Thrifty is good, it shows financial responsibility. But there is a fine line/slippery slope between thrifty and cheap....and I can't stand cheap. Had we been dating for some decent amount of time or something, it would have been different. But the 3rd date? Looking at our other two dates I'm sort of seeing a pattern. Evidence: Date #1- picnic; Date #2- he cooked; Date #3- tries to use coupons. Now, the picnic was great, and hanging out at his place was fun too. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the dates, it's just I don't think I've ever gone out with someone three times without eating at an actual restaurant. So, to my loyal readers, what do you think? I mean obviously I'm not going to stop seeing him because of this, but I would still like your opinion...do you see it as some sort of red flag?
To show that I'm okay with being thrifty, I would like to share my shopping experience from yesterday. If any of you have a Dillard's nearby, go. Immediately. They have permanent 40% and 75% off racks, and they just rotate clothes through. I managed to get a $187 pair of super cute jeans for $44. I hit some sales at other stores, and bought five shirts for $35...the sales were great. Okay, maybe thrifty isn't the right word, more like smart shopping...but the point is I'm all about finding a good deal. Just not on the 3rd date.
9 comments:
Wow- I really do not know what to say. I think someone should feel free to be who they are on ALL dates- from the first to the last, and if coupons are him- then hey- whats wrong with that? Honestly- I know that this is a feel free blog space for your expression and it seems to be working out nicely for you. I do want to propose one thought- do you think that you are being too critical and/or picky? Just food for thought-
Oh, I know I'm picky. And like I said, I have no problem with coupons, sales, saving a buck, etc. I just think it's sort of awkward to do that so early on. And like I said, I'm not going to stop dating him because of this. So there.
Date #1 and #2 sound romantic (picnic with fireworks, cooking for you), so maybe you should change your perspective on those a little bit. Using coupons for an $8 Chinese place sounds a bit cheap for a third date (albeit you did sort of choose the place). I don't think there's enough evidence at this point for a red flag. Maybe he's waiting to take you to nice places until he knows if there is some chemistry, which I can totally understand. Think about how many dates he's probably going on, he doesn't want to take every first, second and third date out to a nice place...that would get expensive fast. Get a makeout session in there and I'm sure you'll get at least applebees next time. :)
In conclusion, if you start really dating and he still doesn't fork anything over for a nice date then that's probably a red flag.
Just to clarify, I do think the picnic and fireworks thing was really cool, I'm not complaining about that at all. I was simply using it to point out a pattern in our dates. And I know I picked the place, I am fine with the place, take-out was the plan, it's the coupon that gets me.
Well, I will admit that I've never actually kept a coupon book. It's seems like more trouble then it's worth to save $1.00. If he invites you to a matinee this weekend then he's definitely cheap.
I'm with hopeful. Dating is pretty expensive for guys. I mean, he's shelling out $40 a month for the website, then all these dates he might be going on. That being said, if it becomes a pattern (early bird specials and matinees and all that), then you need to spot it early and decide if that's a deal-breaker. Maybe he should have just not mentioned the coupon, and slipped it to the cashier. :-)
Ok...I finally had to say something....GET OVER IT! It's a good thing for crying out loud! Think about it...he might be frugle but how could this EVER hurt in the long run. More money = plenty more possibilities. I'd sure as hell date him. Oh wait, I'm married and knocked up! Scratch that!
Thank you all for your comments...now I know the kind of stuff I need to post to get a response :)
And for the record, while it is a SMALL concern, once again, I wouldn't stop dating him because of it.
Good! Glad to hear it! :)
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