Infla-dating is the new trend and here's how to join in
We can all agree on one thing: inflation is skyrocketing. I get a shock every time I stand at the supermarket checkout, and I am amazed every month at how quickly the money flies out of my wallet. It seems clear to me that inflation affects the way we lead our daily lives, but it also means that inflation impacts our love lives. Finding love was already difficult, but with the current prices of a dinner and a nice bouquet of flowers, it is almost made impossible for us to continue the search for love. Fortunately, there is a new trend in dating: infla-dating, or inflation dating, a phenomenon where people are increasingly looking for creative ideas for cheap dates to avoid going bankrupt while dating. Curious how you can join this trend? Below you will find a few tips:
1. Picnic in the park
Pack a few homemade sandwiches, throw the cheapest bottle of wine you can find in your bag, and you have all the ingredients for a romantic picnic date in nature.
2. Take a coffee walk:
This one has lingered a bit from the pandemic era, but how nice is it to grab a coffee to go from your favorite spot and then stroll through the city or the park together? This always sparks the best conversations.
3. Game night
Honestly, how long has it been since you played Ludo or a game of Monopoly? Invite your date over and ask them to bring their favorite game, choose your own favorite game as well, and you are guaranteed to have a fun evening. You can also see right away if your date can handle losing, which is very important information.
4. Go to a public event
I only discovered years after moving to the city how many public (and thus free) events exist. Especially in spring and summer, you can visit countless free festivals, concerts, and markets, just pay attention.
5. Cook together
Yes, I would never do this to impress a date, but if you can cook, this is of course the perfect way to show your date what you can do. Make the main course yourself, let your date come up with a dessert, put on some nice music, and the evening is already a success before it has even started.
6. Home cinema
I did this once for my boyfriend when we couldn't go anywhere due to the lockdown. I had foolishly printed a cinema ticket with three options for movies that were available on Netflix or Pathé Thuis and hid it under his placemat. After dinner, he fished out the ticket and got to choose which movie it would be. The couch was transformed into a cozy pillow fort, and of course, there was plenty of popcorn. One of my better ideas, if I may say so.
And so you have countless ways to make a date fun without immediately throwing a fortune at it. As you can see, infla-dating doesn't have to be difficult at all. Think about what you and your date enjoy doing and try to find a creative, cheaper way to execute that plan. A child could do the laundry.
Source: New York Post
Image: Netflix, Emily in Paris
