Forget the expensive Italian restaurant or impressing your date with center row theater tickets. Doing something unusual can make it easier to socialize, and also take financial pressure out of the equation. According to Diane Mapes, the author of How to Date in a Post-Dating World, it's especially important to keep first-date expenses down. "Money can be such a huge sticking point," Mapes says, and there's no reason to start things off awkwardly. "A cheap first date is an important way to sidestep that."
Besides, free can actually be fun. Fly a kite. Feed the ducks. Take a ferry ride. All it takes is a little ingenuity, like when Limor Farber of Kauai, HI, met a blind date at her local swimming pool. "It took a while before I got in the water," Farber admits, but once she got her feet wet, the date went, well, swimmingly.
Seek out places with props
OK, so you've made it through the first date inexpensively enough to afford a second. Now what? A café is always a safe choice for early dates. But too many coffee dates in a row — with both of you staring into your lattes — can get dull.
That's why Mapes suggests meeting in places with props, like at a bookstore. "You already have something immediate to talk about, such as, ‘Have you read this book?'" says Mapes. Plus, she adds, bookstores often have interesting events going on, like book signings, lectures, or cooking demos—all of which are both fun and free.
Flea markets are another prop-laden alternative to a humdrum café. "It doesn't cost you a penny if you don't want to buy anything," says Mapes. "And there are lots of props that might spark a discussion. He might tell you about his mother's collection of buttons, which would be a natural impetus to get to know each other better."
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