When you turn on the news these days, the headlines aren’t just about the latest crime spree or about the hottest celebrity, it’s all about the money woes of the world. Salaries are shrinking and prices are rising. Things are just getting depressing all around.

Who can even think about love at a time like this?

But what some companies have found is that online dating services are booming. Since online dating does help you save money in the long run, this is the one place where people can still look for love, even as their wallets grow thinner.

Online dating…

• Is cheaper than going out to bars or clubs.
• Lets you scout out prospects before you go out with them.
• Lets you talk at length with people before you meet for drinks.

Since you’re not heading to places to (hopefully) find a date, you get to stay at home with your cheap frozen dinners until you find the right person to take you out.

You might also want to make sure that first date is free or just really inexpensive. Go to a coffee shop or to a bookstore to get to know each other before you pull out your wallet.

Tough times call for drastic measures, but just because the economy is in a slump doesn’t mean your love life needs to be too.

Dating Essentials Cheap, Date Ideas, Money

Nerves. They all get us from time to time. And if you haven’t been out on a date in a while for any reason, you might be a little more anxious than you’d like.

Instead of calling to cancel your dinner and movies meetup, you just need to learn how to relax a little and even use your nervousness to your advantage.

First of all, everyone gets nervous on a date – even if it’s their 100th date of the week. For a brief moment, everyone worries if their breath smells, if they just said something stupid, etc. So, realize that you’re human and that your date is going to be just as nervous.

So say something. That’s right, just say that you’re nervous. It’s a great ice breaker, and it helps you both get that elephant in the room under control.

Next, don’t analyze anything that you say or do from that moment on. Okay, you can play back your date when you get home, but when you’re out on the town, do NOT think about what you’re doing and how good/horrible it is. Just relax and be yourself. They’re going to make mistakes too.

When you approach dating in this way – online or in person – you’re not going to come off as a stiff person that doesn’t know how to have a good time. Revel in your human-ness and start dating more.

After a while, those nerves aren’t going to bother you at all.

Dating Essentials, Self Confidence, Tips and Ideas Date Ideas, Nerves, Relaxation

If you’re taking someone out on a date, you want to make the best impression you can, right? And while you’d like to think that your car isn’t going to be the thing that your date judges you on – think again.

The truth is that having a great car will certainly get you noticed but if you find that your date is actually judging you on your car….watch out.

That said, you don’t want to show up in a clunker either.

So, if you don’t have a Porsche (and how many of us actually do?), there are some ways to make sure that your date doesn’t recoil in horror when they see you pull up.

Get the car washed – Really, this takes only a few minutes of your time and it will certainly make it look like you care about your car and about how you look to your date.

Vacuum the inside out – With just a regular vacuum or one of the vacuums that they have at the local gas station, vacuum out the inside of the car. Take your time doing this and make sure that you’re removing all of the pet hair, dust, and dirt that might have built up.

Grab an air freshener – One of the little trees that you can hang in your car can help to make sure your car smells fresh – but don’t hang it from your rearview mirror. Put it in your car for the entire day before your date and remove it right before you leave for the date itself. That way, you’re not overpowering the car with ‘new car’ scent, but it still smells great.

While you’re saving up for a fancy car, you can make your car look as nice as possible. And hopefully your date will be focusing on you and not the price tag of their ride.

Tips and Ideas Clean, Date Ideas, First Impressions