What is Affordating?
Hello, ladies, gentlemen, the non-binary, and the damn fabulous. How are you today? I think it’s a good time to talk about a new dating trend for the 21st century, known as “affordating.” Because y’know, there aren’t already enough dating terms on the scene that we’re struggling to keep up with.
Well, I’m struggling to keep up with.
Let’s jump right in.
What is affordating?
Affordating is a shortened version of affordable dating, i.e. dating within your budget. It’s also sometimes referred to as affor-dating. It’s dating within your budget – but also being honest about your finances.
We’re in a cost-of-living crisis (or cozzy livs, if you’re that way inclined,) and let’s be honest about this: it’s chuffing expensive to date. Once upon a time, you could go out and have a movie date for two, with drinks, for less than twenty quid – but that’s definitely not the case now. Twenty quid is just about enough to buy one bag of popcorn.
We can’t afford to date.
And by we, I mean the masses.
Aqua released data that showed almost thirty percent of women were considering quitting dating completely because of the cost, back in 2023. The survey also showed that 4% of all people polled, male/female, had quit dating because they simply couldn’t afford to do it anymore.
What is an affordate?
Research by Velloy has shown has the average British person spends close to £2,000 on dates before finding their special someone, with as much as £400 on dates with their special someone alone.
An affordate – or an affordable date – can be any of number of things, depending on your preferences, the person you’re on a date with, and your budget. Some people also refer to this type of dating as “frugal dating.”
Affordating can mean free or cheap dates.
Cheap/affordable dates include:
- Little picnic in the park
- Thrift shopping
- Coffee and cake in a local cafe
- Free museums or landmarks
- Movie dates at home
- Stargazing/cloud-watching
- Hiking, rock climbing, or other outdoor activities
- Walk-and-talk dates
- Volunteering for charity
- Coupon days for attractions and theme parks
- Dropping pennies in seaside arcades
Reasons why affordating is on the rise
Now that you know what affordating is, let’s look at why everyone is talking about it right now – and why it’s on the increase more than ever before.
1: Cost of living crisis
There’s no denying that shit costs more these days. My weekly food shop costs twice as much, my gas and electricity bills are basically bankrupting me (and half the country,) and the absolute last thing I can be bothered to drop money on is some guy that I probably won’t ever seen again.
Coffee-and-cake just so happens to be one of my absolute favourite first date ideas – budget or otherwise. We can talk, eat cake, drink coffee, talk some more, do something else afterwards, etc.
No one has ever, EVER complained about going on a coffee and cake date – for a first date, second date, or any other date.
2: Lots of dates = lots of costs
Sorry to be all “back in my day,” but if we were to travel back a few decades, the idea of a woman going on fifty dates with different men would shock the shit out of everyone. These days, though, we’re all going around kissing fifty, one hundred, maybe even more frogs before we find our princes, princesses, or they-royalty.
If you spend an average of £50 on one date, ten dates in one year, just as a ballpark, is £500.
Twenty dates? You’ve spent a grand – £1,000 – on wooing.
Chances are, most of that will have been a waste of your time, effort, energy, and patience.
No wonder people want cheaper dates.
3: More creative/interesting dates
Anyone can take me to a fancy restaurant. I won’t enjoy half the food on the menu, I won’t drink any of the boozy beverages you offer me, and I won’t have fun.
If you really know me – and I want my date to really know me – you’ll offer something more interesting, fun, and more catered to my (and hopefully our) tastes. Walk me around a museum. Show me some art. Let’s take a walk around the awesome buskers around town.
There are so, so many options…
Why are we all still going for dinner, drinks, and/or movies?
4: Changing dating trends
As previously mentioned, dating trends have changed. We’re not going on one date with that one person we met in high school, then getting married and living happy-ever-after anymore. These days, we’re dating twenty people, fifty people, more than that – and sometimes, all at the same time. Some folks don’t want monogamy. Other folks do. Everyone’s different, and we’re all dating differently now.
The same Velloy research mentioned earlier also shows that those polled between the ages of 18 and 35 spent less on dates than their older counterparts – and compared to literally every other generation.
All of those dates, all of those costs… it soon mounts up.
Things have changed – and so has the way we date.
Affordating: a summary
Let’s summarise all we’ve learned, shall we?
- Affordating is cheaper than regular dating, obvs.
- People are tired of shelling out on lots of dates.
- People are just damn tired.
- Creativity and fun beats costly restaurants.
- Do you actually go to costly restaurants on a regular basis post-date?
- You should focus on date activities that are actually relevant to you.
- Cost-of-living crisis. Enough said.
- Dating trends have changed.
Affordating: the conclusion
So, yeah, affordating is just cheap dating and/or dating within your budget.
In my opinion, dating should always be within your budget. Why are you basically bankrupting a date who will know you can’t afford it, at some point in the future?
Dating should also always be relevant to you. If you never go to fancy restaurants, why are you trying to impress a date by taking them to one? Isn’t that false advertising? Or are you planning on changing your entire life for that one person?
Thanks so much for reading my blog today! 🖤
If you’ve found this useful today, why not take a peek at some of the other posts on this lil’ dating and sex blog, too:
- I Dare You to Get Naked [spicy]
- The Smart & Safe Guide to Sending Nudes
- What to Do When You’ve Been Ghosted
