How Much Should a Good Date Cost? – Part 2

In Part 1 of How Much Should a Good Date Cost? we looked at how to approach a first date and what to expect to pay. In Part 2, we’ll look at gift giving and vacations.

Something to Remember This By

A good first gift is a keepsake moreso than a functional present. The old cliché was winning a stuffed animal at a county fair for your sweetheart or a few pictures taken in a booth at a mall (and if you can manage to get to either of those during your first date, they are still terrific gifts). The idea here is to give your date a physical manifestation of the time that you two have spent together – not a good belt that they could really use at work. Keep that in mind when discerning what is in the right price range for you.

They Should Not Feel Awful if They Lose It

No one wants to lose anything and whenever anything does go vanished, no one feels good about it. But there’s a difference between losing the goofy hat that neither of you could believe existed they bought for you and a $200 pendant they picked up for you. The first gift is an icebreaker, it should never cost more than $20 and it should not be something that was planned for. The first gift should emerge from organic conversation almost as a passing thought made material.

Vacations

Getting away together is one of the best times that a couple can share (and if they cannot share it well then perhaps they are not a great couple). Of course, a vacation can also be a monumental undertaking where one or both parties get seriously stretched outside of their comfort zone.

From a monetary standpoint, here’s how to approach a vacation:

  • 4 Major Birds: The four major costs in any vacation are food, lodging, entertainment and travel. Go into any vacation planning approximate values for each.
  • No Minimum, No Maximum: Unlike a date or gift, a vacation does not have an appropriate pricing range, nor should you go into it expecting to foot the entire bill (unless you’re loaded and you’re into that sort of thing). You and your getaway partner should work out a basic budget prior to departure in which you both feel comfortable operating. And remember to include non-monetary asset too – for example if you two are going camping then the person driving and providing the camping equipment should be able to include that as a contribution to the vacation. Frequent Flyer miles that save you both money should count towards one person’s fiscal contributions. Staying with family for free should count – everything that goes a distance towards solving the costs surrounding travel, entertainment, food and/or lodging should count. If this gives you a headache just thinking about, then you’re probably not ready to go on vacation.

Read Part 3 of How Much Should a Good Date Cost? for a look at what your expectations of budget breakdown in dating situations says about who you are.

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