Beyond Cheap: The Chef’s Secret to Planning Dates That Actually Create Connection

The $7 Interrogation and the Moment I Gave Up on Dating

The coffee was fine.

It was $3.50.

My share of the bill, which we split with the kind of sterile precision you’d use to divide lab samples, was exactly that.

But the real cost of that Tuesday afternoon was my will to ever go on a first date again.

I sat there, across a tiny, wobbly table, under fluorescent lights that seemed engineered to highlight anxiety.

The date, if you could call it that, had devolved into what I can only describe as a low-stakes, high-pressure job interview.

We traded résumés of our lives: where we grew up, what we did for work, our rehearsed opinions on the latest streaming series.

Every question felt like a prompt, every answer a performance.

The silences—and there were many—were not comfortable pauses but gaping voids of conversational failure that we both scrambled to fill.¹

This was the “standard advice” in action.

The cheap and quick first date.

Coffee.

Drinks.

A low-investment way to “vibe check” someone.³

I had followed this advice to the letter, date after date, and it had led me here, to this soul-crushing cycle of hope and deflation.

I realized, staring into my lukewarm latte, that I was trapped in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

The setting itself, this generic coffee shop, was a pressure cooker designed to expose awkwardness rather than foster connection.¹

I knew within the first ten minutes that we weren’t a match, yet social convention demanded we sit there for another forty-five, performing interest until we could politely escape.⁵

My frustration wasn’t about the money.

I’ve had wonderful times on dates that cost nothing at all.

The problem was the experience.

It felt hollow, transactional, and deeply inefficient.

The common wisdom tells you that a cheap date is smart, but I was beginning to understand a deeper truth.

The real issue isn’t the “cheap date”; it’s the “low-effort date.” The kind of date that signals you’re just going through the motions.

The kind of date where the primary virtue is that it’s over quickly.

Many people, myself included, are perfectly happy with inexpensive activities.

The true turn-off is behavior that signals a lack of thought or generosity of spirit—complaining about a $2 bottle of water, scrutinizing every item on a menu, or choosing a date that requires zero creativity.⁶

The term “cheap date” wrongly conflates financial cost with emotional value.

The true enemy of connection, I realized, was the lazy, default option.

It was a formula for failure, and I was done with it.

The Epiphany: It’s Not About the Ingredients, It’s About the Mise en Place

After my dating burnout, I retreated.

I deleted the apps and resigned myself to a life of comfortable solitude.

Then, one evening, I stumbled upon a documentary about a world-renowned restaurant.

I was mesmerized, not by the exotic food, but by the silent, disciplined ballet of the kitchen staff.

They moved with a calm intensity, a focused grace, even as orders flooded in.

The narrator explained the philosophy that made this possible: mise en place.

Mise en place is a French culinary term that translates to “everything in its place”.⁸

As the late, great Anthony Bourdain wrote, it is “the religion of all good line cooks”.⁹

It’s a system and a philosophy that goes far beyond just being tidy.

It is the rigorous, methodical practice of preparing every single ingredient—chopping the vegetables, measuring the spices, preparing the sauces, arranging the tools—

before a single flame is lit.¹⁰

This preparation allows a chef to execute complex dishes flawlessly amidst the chaos of a busy service.

They are free to be present, to focus on the cooking itself, because all the foundational work is already done.¹¹

That was my epiphany.

It struck me with the force of a physical blow.

I had been approaching dating like a frantic, amateur cook who walks into a kitchen, throws a random assortment of ingredients into a pan, and then wonders why the resulting meal is a chaotic, unpalatable mess.

I was showing up to dates with no plan, no preparation, and no intention, hoping that chemistry would magically emerge from a sterile environment.

The solution wasn’t to buy more expensive ingredients—to go on more expensive dates.

The solution was to adopt the chef’s mindset.

A professional kitchen operates under immense constraints of time, space, and resources.

Mise en place is a system designed to create order, calm, and excellence within those constraints.⁹

It transforms a situation of scarcity into an opportunity for abundance.

This was the shift I needed.

Standard “cheap dating” comes from a scarcity mindset: “Let’s just do coffee, it’s quick and doesn’t cost much.” It prioritizes a fast exit over a real connection.

Applying

mise en place to dating is a radical reframe.

It’s about using thoughtful preparation to create an experience of abundance—abundance of creativity, fun, and genuine connection—even on a limited budget.

A well-planned picnic in the park feels infinitely more generous and special than a hastily arranged, expensive dinner, because the investment is one of thought and effort, not just money.⁵

I decided to stop being a passive participant in my own dating life and start being the chef.

Pillar 1: Arranging Your Ingredients (The ‘What’) — The Art of Intentional Design

The first step in a chef’s mise en place is selecting and preparing the ingredients.

For a date, your “ingredients” are the activities, the environment, and the flow of the experience.

This is about moving beyond generic plans and intentionally designing a date that achieves a specific goal: fostering genuine connection.

To do this, I started thinking in terms of two powerful concepts from other fields: flavor pairing and upcycling.

In cooking, flavor pairing is the art of combining different elements—sweet, sour, salty, umami—to create a balanced and memorable dish.¹³

A great date does the same, balancing activity, conversation, and environment.

Similarly, the philosophy of upcycling is about taking discarded or simple materials and, through creativity, transforming them into something of higher value.¹⁶

A walk in the park is a simple ingredient.

But a walk in the park that’s secretly a geocaching treasure hunt is an “upcycled” experience, transforming something mundane into an adventure.¹⁸

This led me to three core principles for selecting the “ingredients” of a date.

Principle: Design for Interaction, Not Interrogation

The fundamental flaw of the coffee-and-drinks date is its structure: two people sitting face-to-face with the sole purpose of talking.

This creates an intense, interview-like pressure.¹

A well-designed date provides a shared focal point, something you can both interact with

together.

This external focus diffuses the pressure, allowing conversation to flow more naturally from the shared experience.

Instead of a verbal résumé exchange, you get to see how a person acts in the world.

How do they handle a small challenge? How do they collaborate? Do they have a sense of play? This reveals personality organically, through action rather than performance.

• Examples: Instead of drinks, try building a LEGO kit or a small birdhouse together.¹⁹ The shared goal creates instant teamwork. Try an at-home Bob Ross painting tutorial; the shared absurdity and “happy little accidents” are a powerful bonding agent.¹⁹ Or play a cooperative video game where you have to work together to solve puzzles.²⁰ The activity becomes the icebreaker, not a test of your conversational prowess.

Principle: Design for Discovery

Humans are wired for exploration and novelty.

Building a sense of discovery into a date taps into this primal psychology, making the experience more memorable and exciting.

This means choosing activities that involve a degree of unpredictability and shared adventure.

The ethos of Urban Exploration (Urbex), which centers on discovering and documenting forgotten spaces, provides a fantastic model.²¹

While you might not be exploring abandoned buildings, you can apply the same spirit of discovery.

• Examples: The ultimate low-cost discovery date is geocaching. Using a free app, you turn a simple walk into a modern-day treasure hunt, working together to find hidden caches.¹⁸ Another idea is to explore a nearby town you’ve never visited, with the loose goal of finding the best local bakery or quirkiest shop.¹² Even visiting open houses in a neighborhood you can’t afford can be a fun, imaginative game of discovery, allowing you to dream and play together.¹⁹

Principle: Design for Creativity

The act of making something together is a powerful catalyst for connection.

It requires communication, collaboration, and often, a bit of shared vulnerability as you learn a new skill.

The finished product, whether it’s a lopsided pot or a delicious meal, becomes a tangible artifact of your time together.

• Examples: Sign up for a one-off pottery or clay-making class.²⁰ The shared, slightly messy experience is inherently playful. At home, you can create your own mocktail tasting menu, experimenting with juices, herbs, and sparkling water to invent and name your own signature drinks.¹⁹ Or, decorate plain ceramic mugs for each other using paint pens; every time you have your morning coffee, you’ll have a reminder of that shared creative moment.¹⁹

Pillar 2: Preparing Your Station (The ‘Where’) — Engineering an Environment for Connection

In a professional kitchen, a chef’s “station” is their sacred space.

Every tool and ingredient is placed for maximum efficiency and flow.

When planning a date, your “station” is the environment itself, and it must be just as thoughtfully prepared.

The goal is to engineer a space that minimizes pressure and maximizes the potential for connection.

The traditional coffee shop or bar is a fundamentally flawed station for a first date.

It lacks a shared focal point, forcing an intense, face-to-face dynamic that can feel like an interrogation.¹

This environment often amplifies anxiety and sets up a high-stakes pass/fail test based purely on conversational chemistry, which is rare to find under such artificial pressure.²

It is, in essence, a “pressure cooker”.¹

A well-prepared station, by contrast, is built on three key principles.

It Has a Shared Focal Point

A great dating environment provides something for both people to engage with other than just each other.

This “third thing” in the room acts as a conversational buffer and a source of shared experience.

It allows for natural lulls in conversation without them feeling like awkward voids.

You’re not just talking; you’re experiencing something together.

• Examples: A bustling farmer’s market is a perfect station. The sights, sounds, and smells provide endless conversation starters.²⁵ You can comment on the produce, sample local honey, and observe the people around you. Similarly, a free museum day or a local art walk allows you to share opinions and discover each other’s tastes in a low-pressure setting.¹⁹ Even volunteering to walk dogs at an animal shelter creates a powerful shared focus, directing your attention and affection toward the animals and revealing a person’s capacity for care.²⁶

It Allows for Variable Duration

One of the biggest sources of anxiety on a bad date is feeling trapped.

A dinner reservation locks you in for a minimum of 90 minutes, which can feel like an eternity if you realize there’s no spark in the first ten.⁵

A well-designed station has a natural, low-stakes exit point but can also be easily and organically extended if things are going well.

• Examples: A walk on a scenic nature trail is the quintessential variable-duration date.²⁷ It can be a pleasant 30-minute chat, or, if the conversation is flowing, it can morph into a two-hour hike that seamlessly transitions into grabbing a coffee or a bite to eat afterward. This flexibility removes the “all or nothing” pressure of a formal date. A coffee date can be extended, but it often feels forced; a walk naturally evolves.

It Reveals Personality Organically

The most valuable information you can gather on a date isn’t someone’s rehearsed answer to “What are your hobbies?” but seeing who they are in a real-world context.

A great station creates opportunities for authentic behavior to emerge.

How a person interacts with a vendor, handles a small, unexpected challenge, or laughs at themselves reveals volumes more about their character than any interview question ever could.¹

• Examples: A thrifting date with a $10 challenge to find the most ridiculous outfit for the other person is a masterclass in organic personality reveal.¹⁹ It showcases sense of humor, creativity, and a willingness to be silly. Navigating a corn maze or playing a round of mini-golf reveals how someone handles friendly competition and minor frustration. Volunteering together for a cause you both care about shows shared values in action, not just in words.²⁵ These environments don’t ask for a description of personality; they demand a demonstration of it.

Pillar 3: Mastering Your Technique (The ‘How’) — Executing with Presence and Generosity

With your ingredients selected (the ‘What’) and your station prepared (the ‘Where’), your mise en place is complete.

Now, you can finally cook.

This final pillar is about the execution—the mindset and behavior you bring to the date itself.

Because you’ve done the prep work, you are liberated from the anxiety of planning and are free to master the most important technique of all: being present.

The Critical Distinction: Frugal vs. Cheap

Before we talk about presence, we must address the elephant in the room.

There is a world of difference between being frugal and being cheap, and understanding this is crucial to your technique.

Frugality is a value; it’s about being mindful and responsible with your resources to achieve your goals.⁵

It’s choosing a picnic over a pricey restaurant because you value the experience and are saving for a future trip.

It’s a sign of maturity and responsibility.

“Cheapness,” on the other hand, is a vibe.

It’s a behavior rooted in a scarcity mindset that poisons the atmosphere of a date.

It’s complaining about the price of a cocktail your date chose after you asked them to pick the place.⁷

It’s making your date feel uncomfortable for ordering something you deem too expensive.

The most powerful example is that of a man on a date who, needing to use a public restroom, refused to pay the 25-cent fee and instead wasted precious time hunting for a free one.⁶

This isn’t about saving a quarter.

It’s about a fundamental lack of generosity of spirit.

It communicates that his comfort and a trivial amount of money are more important than the shared experience and his date’s time.

That is the essence of being cheap, and it is the ultimate date-killer.

A well-planned, low-cost date is frugal.

A date where you make your partner feel like a financial burden is cheap.

The Ultimate Technique: Presence

The entire purpose of the mise en place philosophy is to free up your cognitive load so you can be fully present in the moment.⁸

When you’re not scrambling to think of the next conversation topic or worrying about the logistics, you can actually relax.

You can listen.

You can be curious.

You can respond authentically instead of performing.

This state of relaxed presence is the polar opposite of the anxious, self-conscious state induced by the high-pressure “interview date”.²

She already agreed to the date; she’s already interested.

Your only job now is to be the person she was interested in in the first place.

The

mise en place framework allows you to do just that.

The Financial Question: Generosity of Spirit

The mise en place approach elegantly sidesteps the fraught and often gendered debate over “who pays”.²⁹

By intentionally designing a date that is inherently low-cost or free, the financial stakes are dramatically lowered for everyone.

The focus shifts from a monetary transaction to a more meaningful currency: the investment of thought, creativity, and effort.

When the date itself is the gift—a thoughtfully planned adventure, a creative project, a unique experience—the question of who pays for the $4 coffee at the farmer’s market becomes trivial.

It’s a simple gesture of kindness, not a weighted transaction that implies debt or obligation.²⁹

The “payment” was the planning.

The generosity was in the effort.

This reframes the entire financial dynamic from one of potential resentment or expectation to one of mutual appreciation for the shared experience.

The Chef’s Pantry: A Toolkit of ‘Mise en Place’ Date Ideas

Now that we’ve established the philosophy, it’s time to stock your pantry.

What follows are not just lists of ideas, but templates—or recipes—for creating experiences.

These are organized not by what you do, but by the type of connection you want to build.

Think of this as your personal cookbook for crafting meaningful, low-cost dates.

You can choose your “recipe” based on the emotional “flavor profile” you want to create.

The ‘Mise en Place’ Date Idea Matrix

Date Idea Category	Example Activities	Core Principle Emphasized	Connection Type Fostered
The Shared Project	Cook a themed dinner together 12; Build a LEGO kit 19; DIY a craft kit 20; Bake and have a friendly competition 19	Intentional Design	Teamwork & Playful Competition
The Exploration	Go geocaching 18; Explore a new town or neighborhood 12; Visit open houses just for fun 19; Go thrifting with a creative challenge 19	Environment for Connection	Discovery & Spontaneity
The Creative Spark	Take a pottery class 20; Do an at-home “Paint and Sip” night 20; Learn a silly TikTok dance 19; Create a mocktail tasting menu 19	Intentional Design	Shared Vulnerability & Creativity
The Cozy Connection	Build an adult pillow fort 12; Have a themed movie night at home 12; Stargaze from your backyard or a nearby park 25; Listen to a podcast or audiobook together 20	Environment for Connection	Intimacy & Deep Conversation
The Community Canvas	Volunteer at an animal shelter 25; Visit a bustling farmer’s market 25; Attend a free concert in the park 12; Join a local trivia night 19	Environment for Connection	Shared Values & Social Interaction

Featured Recipes

Here are a few detailed “recipes” to get you started.

Recipe 1: The Urban Explorer’s Treasure Hunt

• Ingredients (What you need): One smartphone with the free Geocaching® app installed; comfortable walking shoes; a sense of adventure; a few small, inexpensive “treasures” for trading (like a unique keychain or a small toy).
• Method (The Plan):

1. Before the date, download the app and scout a few easy-to-find, highly-rated geocaches in a pleasant, walkable area like a local park or a historic neighborhood.
2. Frame the date as a “modern-day treasure hunt.”
3. Work together to navigate using the phone’s GPS, read the clues, and find the hidden cache.
4. When you find it, sign the logbook, trade one of your treasures for one inside the cache, and carefully return it exactly as you found it.

• Chef’s Note (Why it works): This date is a masterclass in turning a simple walk into a shared mission. It excels at fostering teamwork, problem-solving, and playful discovery. It’s a low-pressure activity that gets you outdoors and creates a memorable story.

Recipe 2: The Secondhand Style Challenge

• Ingredients: A local thrift store or Goodwill; a pre-agreed budget (e.g., $15 each); a good sense of humor.
• Method:

1. Upon arrival, set the challenge: each person has to find a complete, ridiculous outfit for the other person to try on, staying within the budget.
2. Split up for 20-30 minutes to hunt for your sartorial masterpieces.
3. Meet back up for the “big reveal” in the changing rooms. Taking goofy photos is mandatory.
4. Bonus round: Find the single weirdest object in the entire store.

• Chef’s Note: This date is designed for laughter. It reveals sense of humor, creativity, and a willingness not to take oneself too seriously. It’s an active, engaging experience that sidesteps typical date conversations in favor of pure, unadulterated fun.

Recipe 3: The At-Home “Chopped” Challenge

• Ingredients: A few “mystery basket” ingredients you both have in your pantries (e.g., a can of chickpeas, a random vegetable, a specific spice); access to a kitchen.
• Method:

1. Each person chooses 2-3 mystery ingredients for the other.
2. Set a timer (e.g., 45 minutes) to create a dish using those ingredients. You can work together on one dish or have a friendly competition.
3. Put on a great playlist and enjoy the creative chaos of cooking under a fun, low-stakes constraint.
4. Present your dishes to each other and enjoy the meal you co-created.

• Chef’s Note: This date transforms the simple act of cooking a meal into a creative game. It fosters collaboration, communication, and resourcefulness. It’s an intimate and engaging way to spend an evening at home, creating a shared experience far more memorable than ordering takeout.

Conclusion: Stop Interviewing, Start Co-Creating

I often think back to that $7 coffee date.

The awkward silence, the performative chatter, the feeling of two people failing to connect in a space designed for it.

I contrast it with a more recent memory: standing on a hill in a local park, laughing with someone as we finally deciphered a clue and found a hidden geocache tucked into the hollow of an old oak tree.

The financial cost of that date was zero.

The experiential value was immeasurable.

That is the power of the mise en place philosophy.

The solution to the soul-crushing grind of modern dating isn’t more money; it’s more intention.

It’s about a fundamental shift in your role—from a passive applicant at a dating interview to an active, thoughtful “chef” of experiences.

By arranging your ingredients with care, preparing your station for connection, and mastering the technique of presence, you change the entire dynamic.

You stop trying to impress and start trying to build something together.

The goal is no longer to pass a test, but to co-create a shared memory.

This mindset is rooted in the deep, human satisfaction that comes from craftsmanship—the joy of making something wonderful, whether it’s a beautiful meal, a lopsided piece of pottery, or the foundation of a real connection.³⁴

So, put on your apron.

Your next great date isn’t something you find; it’s something you make.

Works cited

1. The Brutal Truth About Why Your First Dates Keep Failing | by Held & Heard – Medium, accessed August 10, 2025, https://medium.com/@809859825/the-brutal-truth-about-why-your-first-dates-keep-failing-892ad502fec8
2. Ask Dr. NerdLove: Why Do I Fail At First Dates?, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.doctornerdlove.com/ask-dr-nerdlove-fail-first-dates/
3. How do you feel about cheap, quick first dates (ice cream, coffee, etc.)? – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/OnlineDating/comments/1axgaqh/how_do_you_feel_about_cheap_quick_first_dates_ice/
4. Are coffee dates too cliche/cheap for a first date, or are they a good/the best option? – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/AskWomenNoCensor/comments/168fyns/are_coffee_dates_too_clichecheap_for_a_first_date/
5. Cheap first dates? : r/Frugal – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/16uivty/cheap_first_dates/
6. Cheap or Frugal man? : r/datingoverfifty – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/datingoverfifty/comments/1koqcap/cheap_or_frugal_man/
7. Is it a bad manners for a guy to comment on how expensive menu items are on a 2nd date? : r/dating_advice – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/dating_advice/comments/15fxpu2/is_it_a_bad_manners_for_a_guy_to_comment_on_how/
8. How to Incorporate Mise-en-place Practices Into Your Home and Life, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.yammagazine.com/mise-en-place-practices-for-the-home/
9. Change Your Kitchen Routine, Change Your Life: Practice Mise En …, accessed August 10, 2025, https://eurokera.com/blog/change-your-kitchen-routine-change-your-life-practice-mise-en-place/
10. Mise en Place: How to Be More Efficient in the Kitchen and in Life – Effectiviology, accessed August 10, 2025, https://effectiviology.com/mise-en-place-efficiency-kitchen-life/
11. mise en place – a Way of Life in the Kitchen – Chefs Resources, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.chefs-resources.com/kitchen-management-tools/kitchen-management-alley/mise-en-place-a-way-of-life-in-the-kitchen/
12. 31 Fun and Affordable Date Night Ideas for Newlyweds (Budget …, accessed August 10, 2025, https://extension.usu.edu/hru/blog/31-fun-and-affordable-date-night-ideas-for-newlyweds-budget-friendly-and-romantic
13. krghospitality.com, accessed August 10, 2025, https://krghospitality.com/2023/10/06/the-science-of-flavour-pairing/#:~:text=The%20flavour%20wheel%20serves%20as,for%20a%20delightful%20taste%20experience.
14. The Science of Flavour Pairing – KRG Hospitality, accessed August 10, 2025, https://krghospitality.com/2023/10/06/the-science-of-flavour-pairing/
15. The Art of Flavor Pairing: How to Create Perfectly Balanced Dishes – MipaEssence, accessed August 10, 2025, https://mipaessence.com/blogs/news/the-art-of-flavor-pairing-how-to-create-perfectly-balanced-dishes
16. How Does Upcycling Impact Consumer Mindsets? – Lifestyle → Sustainability Directory, accessed August 10, 2025, https://lifestyle.sustainability-directory.com/question/how-does-upcycling-impact-consumer-mindsets/
17. The Upcycling Revolution Teaches Us to Revive Trash into Treasure – One Planet Life, accessed August 10, 2025, https://oneplanetlife.com/people-and-planet-first/joyful-changes/the-upcycling-revolution-teaches-us-to-revive-trash-into-treasure/
18. Geocaching – Creativity in Gifted Education – Weebly, accessed August 10, 2025, https://creativegiftededucation.weebly.com/geocaching.html
19. 55 cheap date ideas that are fun, sweet, and budget-friendly | Greenlight, accessed August 10, 2025, https://greenlight.com/learning-center/budgeting/cheap-date-ideas
20. 120 Creative Date Night Ideas to Make Sparks Fly – Good Housekeeping, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a31405192/cute-romantic-date-ideas/
21. The Ethics of Urban Exploration: Respecting Abandoned Spaces – Carte Urbex, accessed August 10, 2025, https://carte-urbex.com/blogs/infos/the-ethics-of-urban-exploration-respecting-abandoned-spaces
22. Unveiling Urban Exploration: A Beginner’s Guide to Urbex Adventures – newsmy power, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.newsmypower.com/unveiling-urban-exploration-a-beginner-s-guide-to-urbex-adventures.html
23. What Is Urban Exploration and How Do I Start? – EcoFlow, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.ecoflow.com/us/blog/what-is-urban-exploration-and-how-do-i-start
24. Women, what are your thoughts on inexpensive and quick first dates? – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/dating_advice/comments/9vmmmy/women_what_are_your_thoughts_on_inexpensive_and/
25. 12 Creative and Inexpensive Date Ideas for Unforgettable Moments – Marriage.com, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/inexpensive-date-ideas/
26. 55 Cheap Date Ideas That Are Fun And Create Connection – The Adventure Challenge, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.theadventurechallenge.com/blogs/news/cheap-date-ideas
27. 6 Inexpensive Date Ideas: Ignite Romance Without Breaking The Bank, accessed August 10, 2025, https://sunny943.com/listicle/6-inexpensive-date-ideas-budget-friendly/
28. What do spend or allocate a month on dating ? : r/datingoverforty – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/datingoverforty/comments/17rmxz9/what_do_spend_or_allocate_a_month_on_dating/
29. Dating during a cost of living crisis: My Dates Aren’t Worth What They Cost – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/MoneyDiariesACTIVE/comments/1be046a/dating_during_a_cost_of_living_crisis_my_dates/
30. He’s frustrated about paying for all our dates : r/dating – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/dating/comments/1bxkus8/hes_frustrated_about_paying_for_all_our_dates/
31. Do women think “coffee dates” mean a man is cheap? – Quora, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.quora.com/Do-women-think-coffee-dates-mean-a-man-is-cheap
32. 45 Cheap Date Ideas You’ll Actually Want to Go On – Ramsey, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/cheap-date-night-ideas
33. Date Ideas? Preferably Nerdy. : r/houston – Reddit, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/comments/4bpyjg/date_ideas_preferably_nerdy/
34. Philosophy of Craft, accessed August 10, 2025, https://www.craftcourses.com/philosophy-of-craft