I wouldn’t consider myself to be super picky when it comes to the women I meet online whomI end up asking out on dates. However, the more active of a dater you are the more time and money you need to commit to the process. During our season my time is at a premium and as a result I have become a bit more selective about whom I ask out on dates. In addition, I have realized that during the winter the amount of money I spent dating is another factor I need to consider.

Now, I am certainly not someone who believes that you need to spend a ton of money on dates to impress women, and instead my approach is to do things that I think we will both enjoy and put us in a situation where we are comfortable and can be ourselves. During the summer, dating was much easier, and less expensive, since simply walking around a neighborhood or by the lake made great dates; however, during the winter my options have become limited.

As a result of my shrinking list of things to do and places to go on first dates I have resorted to mostly asking women to meet for dinner or drinks. Additionally, since I am old-fashioned, I believe that if I ask a woman out on a date that I should pay, which, over time, has led me to realize that dating during the winter can become quite an expense. Since I don’t make a lot of money, and going out in the city is often expensive even when you aren’t going to posh places, I have once again had to become more discerning about whom I ask out.

Aside from this reality forcing me to be pickier about whom I ask out, I have also noticed that it has made my desire for the date to go well, and lead to a second date, much stronger. Where in the past I went out on dates more casually now, since I don’t go out on as many and select whom I go out with more carefully, my expectations have gone up, which is a side-effect that I’m not entirely comfortable with.  I guess I’ll have to wait for the weather to get warmer in order for it to change.