Yahoo Finance Date-flation: 4 in 5 Aussies actually want budget dates
Aussies may be spending $150 on the average first date but most singles actually prefer a budget date.
As many as 82 per cent of Aussies preferred low-key date locations, according to a survey of over 1,000 people by Bumble, with the rising cost-of-living a serious concern for many searching for love.
For one Sydney woman, a low-key first date was the perfect way to get to know her now-husband.
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She told Yahoo Finance Australia their first date involved Hungry Jacks and sharing a bottle of wine under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
“Not with glasses or anything - just straight out the bottle,” she said.
Low-key dating - a growing trend
The Bumble data showed many people preferred lower-cost dating activities.
Around 54 per cent said they would be happy to do free dating activities, such as going for a walk in the park or along the beach.
Eating out is another dating cost that adds up, so it's not surprising almost half would consider offering to cook at home.
Women (63 per cent) were keener on low-cost date activities than men (47 per cent).
Cost of living a handbrake on our love lives
Food, housing, petrol and energy costs have been soaring, making it harder for Aussies to afford expensive dates.
A quarter of Australians surveyed by Bumble said financial stress had already taken a toll on their dating life.
Around one in five were dating less due to their financial troubles, or had turned down or delayed a date due to money (20 per cent).
“Right now, the economy, particularly rising interest rates and inflation, is a stress hanging over all our heads,” Bumble’s Lucille McCart said.
“Our research says it's impacting our dating and romantic lives in lots of ways - from our sex life to our enthusiasm for going on dates, and our available budgets for those dates.”
McCart’s top tip for low key dating was communicating your money concerns.
“Remember that the quality of your connection or how much fun you have on a date isn't influenced by how much money you spend,” she said.
“We are conditioned not to talk about finances, but I think that is outdated and unrealistic in this climate.”
She said there was no harm in telling your date you were on a budget, or suggesting low cost activities like a coffee in the park or a picnic at the beach.
“Every conversation I have been in recently has covered the price of lettuce, and it is probably the same for your date,” she said.
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