Spent $150 on a fancy dinner date from Hinge before she even showed up

Matched with someone who wanted to meet at this upscale steakhouse downtown. She said she'd be there in 20, so I ordered appetizers and drinks while I waited. An hour and $150 later, she unmatched and never came. My big lesson is don't spend real money until you're both physically at the table. Anyone else get burned by paying before the date even starts?

4 comments

4 Comments

calebc402mo agoMost Upvoted

Unmatched after an hour? That's next level cold. @rileygarcia's coffee rule is looking pretty smart right now.

lily_torres311mo ago

it's funny cause i used to be the type who thought being generous up front showed you were serious and interested. like if i spent money on a nice dinner or tickets it proved i was putting in effort. but reading your story and the others here honestly completely flipped my thinking. you dropped a hundred and fifty bucks on someone who didn't even have the decency to show up or say sorry. that's not romantic it's just being taken advantage of. i guess i never really saw it that way until now because everyone says you should treat a date like a princess from the start. but it makes way more sense to just meet for something chill first and see if the person even respects your time before you start planning anything fancy. your rule about waiting until both of you are at the table is honestly the most reasonable thing i've heard in a while.

rileygarcia2mo ago

Oof, that "unmatched and never came" part is brutal. I did almost the same thing, bought concert tickets for a second date before we even met up for coffee. Guess who ghosted? Never spending a dime on a maybe-person again. Your rule about both being at the table is the only way to go.

calebc402mo agoMost Upvoted

My personal low point was buying two museum tickets and a fancy lunch reservation before the first date even happened. She canceled an hour before, and I ate a sad sandwich alone in my apartment. The concert tickets story hits way too close to home. Now my rule is to keep the first meetup cheaper than a cup of coffee I'd buy for myself anyway.