The gold-digging starts here!

[miss_squiddy]

According to a recent survey, the average cost of a first date is £200.

"Love doesn't come cheap in Britain where the typical date costs £200, according to a survey of some of the nation's 8.6 million 'singletons'. On average, the single British man or woman goes out on a date five times a year, with the Welsh the keenest date hunters, spending more on looking for that someone special in bars and clubs."^*

Two hundred pounds? What??? Where are these people? A typical date for me is normally:

Ticket to the cinema/bowling alley (using out-of-date student card) - £3.50

Couple of pints in nearby pub - £5

Disgusting fried animal from dodgy takeaway - £3.95

Video hire - £2.50

That's £25 for two - and you'd have to fight me to get away with paying for everything by yourself. Admittedly, I'd be much happier to be taken go-karting or paintballing or monster-trucking or somewhere else loud, mucky and painful, but I still reckon that's got to be £80 to £100 tops. I'm interested now: what's your typical first date like? How much do you spend/is spent on you?

I have to stop going out with students and recently graduated call-centre operatives.

Actually, you know what? YouGov, the company who ran the survey do a lot of interesting stuff. Their website should be pretty good reading for politics and sociology students (and bored people who like filling out polls).

^*You can see the full article here. It's the only place I could find it.

Comments

[darkapotheosis.livejournal.com]

sod that they could have a packet of crisps and their busfare home as long as they didn't want the Salt n vinegar crisps that is!

[nibber.livejournal.com]

depends on who's supplying the rohitnol...
but seriously, 200 quid,
50 tops for a cheapish, but good meal and a few drinks.
does that imply then that only the fiscally secure go on dates while us paupers hang around in gutters for drunken slappers outside ritzy's????
hmmm

[recursived.livejournal.com]

MySociety are a handy bunch of people. They don't have much about dates though.

[fuzzygoth.livejournal.com]

Usually for me its like film/meal/some generic activity like that followed
but a few drinks/coffee etc but then i preffer something where i get to
talk to the person i am on the date with so i'd say tops at the absolute
max for a really expensive meal say and drinks etc maybe £60-70 quid
and thats if i was paying for everything.

[evilpixielady.livejournal.com]

I've done both ends of the spectrum. Though my usual style (can you call it that) tends to bypass first dates ;>...ooppps!
too be honest i think i prefer a few quite drinks and some sort of silly activity, something that doesn't cost that much....people spending too much money on me makes me uncomfortable.....

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

Maybe they meant a date with a prostitute?

[poggs.livejournal.com]

I took stephmog out for the fanciest dinner I could lay my hands on in Whitby (Greens - it's near The Dolphin and apart from the 'estate agent ceiling' as my other half so delicately put it, is lush) and it came to £80. And that was *really* pushing the boat out.

Maybe the 'average' date involves spewing in a taxi, bumping up the cost by £100. Oh, and alcopops in some overly trendy bar.

[cdpurplelady.livejournal.com]

I read an article about this while on the train coming to work this morning.

It does seem an extortionate amount of money to pay and i can't see anyone wanting to pay that amount, but as some commentees have said i guess new outfit/travel etc soon adds up - but surely not to £200!!!!

I think some people have got more money than sense if they are going to spend that kind of money. Surely it doesn't matter how much is spent on the date as long as you are having fun.

I have always liked to go somewhere where we can talk and get to know one another.

[faggy-no-oats.livejournal.com]

Pub! That's all you need for a first date, just somewhere to talk (if you don't just want their hot bod).

[mrscruff.livejournal.com]

I've been on ONE first date in this ballpark, & technically that weekend cost me close to £300. I really don't think meeting @ Reading Festival counts though.

Has to be said, it must've worked cause it took a year for us to get bored of each other!

I'm pretty damn sure i've been on 1st dates that we're completely free..

[felishumanus.livejournal.com]

msut admit that was preety much my reaction...

[-lexx.livejournal.com]

SqueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeDeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!