Media Contact:
Jennifer Klein
President
Dateable.com
Phone: (215) 540-5831
E-Mail: jennifer@dateable.com
$125.00 FOR DINNER
AND A MOVIE?
RESULTS FROM DATEABLE.COM’S
14 CITY COST OF DATING INDEX
When eighty-year old Doris
Drum began dating young men in the neighborhood, in 1932, a movie cost
about 25 cents – and that included a candy bar and a comic book. Grandma
Drum reminisces: "My brother, Leck, was given a $1.00 bill from our Dad
to take a girl out on a date. Oh my …How things have changed."
-- Doris Drum
Dateable.com Visitor from
Nebraska
"I usually spend about
$100.00 on a date. Can’t really get around it. Soda and popcorn at a movie,
alone, runs like $10.00. I guess you could save money with a picnic or
something, but nobody does that stuff anymore."
-- Andrew Kochan
30-year-old from Los Angeles
June 6, 2000 – What do you
want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do? Well, let’s get a bite
to eat and hit a movie. Not so fast ...If you’re in a major American city,
you better have at least $100.00 in your wallet.
Dateable.com, one of the
longest running Internet romance communities, just completed the initial
phase of their cost of dating index designed to give rough comparative
estimates of the cost of dating in the following 14 American cities: Chicago,
Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New Orleans, New
York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tuscon.
While many dating costs have
remained the same for the past few years, some have skyrocketed. The following
figures were estimated from an index of flowers (single stem red rose),
average dinner and tip (estimated from a group of "favorite picks" from
a variety of restaurant guides), movie tickets (randomly selected movie
theatres), two drinks, and transportation (either cab fare or .31 cents
per mile @ 15 miles).
The biggest variable, of
course, is food costs. All other costs being nearly equal, here are the
results. Not surprisingly, cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco
top the list. But, what’s at the bottom?
Later, we’ll take a look
at sporting events in some of these cities.
Dinner & Movie: A
Look at 14 Cities
New York $135.00
Chicago $128.60
San Francisco $124.00
New Jersey $117.00
Honolulu $114.00
New Orleans $110.00
Los Angeles $109.00
Philadelphia $110.20
Tuscon $98.80
Seattle $90.60
Dallas $86.00
San Diego $85.40
Portland $82.00
Las Vegas $74.60
The cost of food by thieves
behind movie concession counters was not included in our initial survey.
We also compared the average cost for a pair of average basketball tickets
(in those cities with teams).
Dinner & Basketball
Game: A Look at 6 Cities
New York $338.00
Los Angeles $231.00
Dallas $220.00
Seattle $204.00
New Jersey $165.00
Portland $145.00
How to Save Money On
Your Next Date
In a conversation with Dateable.com,
dating expert Connie Merritt argued against such unecessary expenses: "It
doesn't have to be expensive. Dinner at a restaurant? Expensive and unimaginative.
Barbeque or picnic at the beach or a park? Now you're talking - thoughtful
and not that expensive."
Another expert on the subject
of dating and romance told Dateable.com that both parties need to be open:
"Make sure the place you are going to eat is within your budget, whoever
does the asking. If the suggested place is too expensive for you to pay
half or treat, then say something like, 'That's a great place but it's
not within my budget."
According to Jennifer Klein,
President and Founder of Dateable.com, the cost of dating requires a great
deal of creativity for the financially challenged:
Some ideas? Check out a
poetry reading or other events at a bookstore; attend a student art show;
and more. For a complete list of 10 Tips for Frugal Daters, go to www.dateable.com.
Please contact Dateable.com
at (215) 540-5831 to set up an interview with Jennifer Klein at your earliest
convenience. Jennifer is a regular contributor to top media programs and
has appeared on ABC television, eyada.com, and salon.com.
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