Let’s face it – we’re all cutting costs wherever we can. We’re cutting back our cellular phone plans, our dinners out, and even our online dating memberships.

But is this any way to find love in the digital age? No.

The good news is that there are plenty of online dating sites which don’t make you pay – and yes, they’re good sites too. With these sites, you can stay in the single mix, meeting fun and exciting people who want to learn more about you too.

And since everyone’s in the financial mess together, you already have something to talk about.

Try going to sites like:

PlentyofFish.com
Metrodate.com
OKCupid.com

And these are just the tip of the dating iceberg – there are plenty of others for different sexualities, fetishes, and more.

You don’t have to pay to date, after all. In this time of cutting back and making sure that you’re spending as little as possible, you don’t have to cut out love or dating.

All you need to do is to cut out the high priced dating sites that don’t really offer you anything more than the free sites. Free sites might have more advertisements, but they also allow you to mingle on the cheap – and sometimes, that’s really all you want and all you can afford.

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Right now, you might be feeing the pinch of the economy’s woes. Whether your 401K is shaky or your job is looking unsure, we’ve all been affected in some way by the economy.

Well, everyone but the online dating market.

It seems that even when the money situation is tough, the search for love is something our budgets will still allow. And this makes sense. We want to forget our woes and find someone with whom we can commiserate.

We want to have good times and make good memories – and online dating allows us to do so. True, the cost of online dating is quite low, so it does make it easier to leave this added expense in our monthly costs, but the satisfaction that comes along with a good date is priceless.

So, does this mean if you’re not already online that you should add this cost to your budget? Perhaps. Or you can look for free online dating services like Facebook, MySpace or Mingle2. Better still, there are others out there which have recently become free, such as Metrodate.

Love doesn’t have to cost a thing, after all.

The continued importance of online dating in the plunging economy proves one thing about the human condition – we still know that love is what really matters. No matter what might be happening in the world around us.

News & Views Cost, Economy, Facebook, Free, Love, Mingle2.com, Money, MySpace

It’s official – everyone is dating online. When I saw the news that Brad Garrett was trying out online dating (albeit for a reality show), I realized that online dating had finally found legitimacy.

Sure, we’ve all known about it for a while now, but once a celebrity decides to go for it, then you know it’s something you should try it too.

True, Garrett isn’t the first one to give online dating a whirl, but it seems like everyone who is anyone is hopping online. What does this mean for you? It means that more people are going to try this effective form of dating, which will up your chances of finding someone of substance.

At the same time, many people might wonder if online dating is just being mocked by those who could get a date with anyone – that’s a viable thought too.

But honestly, online dating is not a joke.

• It lets you screen potential dates before you spend money on a movie and dinner.
• It lets you scope out the competition.
• It lets you be picky.
• Online dating is cheap.
• It lets you be creative with your profile.
• You can meet anyone who is into anything.
• It’s growing everyday.

Online dating used to be a way for people to stalk each other and to flirt with people they had no intention of meeting, but now, matches are made, marriages are planned, and families are the result.

Get on the bandwagon – and maybe you can date Brad in the process. Too bad it’s not Brad Pitt.

News & Views Celebrities, Marriage, Money, Stalking, TV