Is It Okay to Be Frugal on a Date?

My husband and I have been trying to save money when we eat out, so the other week, I purchased a groupon (a coupon for a restaurant purchased by a large number of people). Before I buy groupons, I generally read the comments. One struck me as funny. A man was writing about this particular restaurant and using the groupon on a date. He added, “and yes, I have dated her long enough to be able to use a groupon.”

The innuendo here is that trying to save money while on a date is a bad thing, and one can only do it after there is a certain level of intimacy and general knowledge of the other person. True, if I think back to my dating years, I would probably think it was a little strange if a man pulled out a coupon on one of the first dates, but, think about it, is that all bad? Here the man would be trying to treat the woman to a nice meal without skimping on quality.

I had a guy friend in grad school who was ridiculously cheap. He would only eat at Applebee’s, and only then when he could get the half price appetizers. He would instruct his dates to only eat from the appetizer menu. If he took a date to the dance club and ladies got in free, he would make the woman split his cover charge with him since she didn’t have to pay anything. Yes, that kind of behavior would be off putting.

However, if a guy wants to take a girl out for a nice meal and save money buy using a groupon, why do most people in society find that problematic? Potentially anyone you date could turn out to be your future spouse. Isn’t it better to date a guy who still wants to treat the lady to a nice meal without wasting a lot of money? He is not skimping on quality (unlike my friend), just on the price he has to pay. It seems that would be an attribute. I would like to know early on that a date is responsible with money.

A Frugal Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. My husband and I don't have extra money this year for elaborate gifts, but while browsing through my copy of The Tightwad Gazette, I saw this cute idea.

Make one square cake and one round cake. When they have cooled, cut the round cake and half and place each half at the side of the square cake to make the top of the rounded part of the heart. I made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting. (This would be really cute if the frosting was colored red or pink, but food coloring and my son don't seem to get along.)

My family loved the cake. It is a cute, frugal way to show someone you care on Valentine's Day.

I shared this post at Life as Mom , Simply Sweet Home and The Grocery Cart Challenge.

A Quick, Cheap Date Night Meal

In the area where we live, a baby sitter for one child can run upwards of $10. Now that we have two, I am guessing it is higher. What is the point of date night if you have to pay $50 or 60 for a sitter plus the cost of the date?

My husband and my date nights are reserved for times when grandma is in town or we are visiting grandma. However, we still make it a point to spend time together, even if it has to be an in-house date night after the kids are asleep.

One of our favorite meals is bacon wrapped scallops. I buy the scallops at Aldi when they are on sale for $6.99 a bag. We can get three meal servings out of the bag. Then, I simply take some pieces of bacon and cut the strips in thirds. I wrap one piece of bacon around a scallop, secure with a toothpick and saute in a non-stick pan until the bacon is cooked to our liking.

In the above picture, we had bacon wrapped scallops, sugar snap peas in a soy mustard sauce and zucchini muffins. It is quick to fix, reasonably inexpensive, and a little fancier than our standard fare.

I shared this post at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday & Friday Feasts.