From Zero Hedge:
Every year Deutsche Bank releases its fascinating index of real-time prices around the world which looks at the cost of various goods and services from a purchase-price parity basis. And as we did last year, we focus on one specific subindex: that looking at the price of “cheap dates” around the world.
The index consists of i) a standard bouquet of roses, ii) cab rides, iii) pizza, iv) a soft drink, v) two movies tickets and vi) a couple of beers.
Here is the index in all its glory, taken from the ZH site.
Now, I live in New Zealand… number 2 on the cheap date index (111.0) and number 10 (93.7). And I don’t do dates. I take people out for coffee — that is around ten dollars or a meal. The “cheap date” would work out for me at… (the NZ dollar is approaching 90 US cents, so I won’t convert)
Flowers $30
Pizza (good one) $30
2 Movie tickets @ 16 ea $32
2 Movie soft drinks $ 8
2 beers @ 8 ea $16
Taxi (Dunedin) $20
That is around $136. It’s cheaper to go to the orchestra, which I genuinely like (and like going to other people with). Or go walking somewhere spectacular — which is very easy to do where I live.
And Ladies, this is why your first dates are generally in coffee shops. I’ve got two teenage boys. I cannot afford to go on cheap dates.
Now, your mileage may vary, but Ladies, if you are not getting roses with your dates and getting sick of coffee shops, consider the math and work out how to do things cheaper.
Flowers should be a separate gift, IMO. Not a “gift with date”. Small-special-occasion. Like, her birthday is a good time to bring flowers. That said, they’re too expensive if you don’t have a cheap source. (Most of the ladies I know prefer backyard flowers or roadside daisies to long-stemmed not-scented roses – yes, we like flowers, but no, we don’t want you to spend $30 on something that will die in a week).
Dating would be better if everyone got a 70yo book on etiquette and opened it up. There were lots of rules so that ladies didn’t get themselves too far into a gentleman’s debt. Like – the second or third date should be at a park, catered by the lady, or at her home, likewise. (And this should be a regular thing). Ladies didn’t accept presents much over the token level from gentlemen to whom they were not engaged/married. (The old list was: books, gloves, flowers, candy – never ever jewelry or any other item of apparel).
Coffee is a good, fine, safe normal first date. I thought that’s what everyone did now that we don’t know anyone?
Yeah, agree. And most of the time I meet people it is at a coffee shop: NZ has a very developed coffee culture, and a less developed flowers and movie culture. Which may be why flowers and movies are so expensive