First things first: No one should be entering the dating arena unless they have their sh-t together.

In other words, you shouldn’t even be trying to date if you don’t have a job with a steady income, a reliable mode of transportation, and a solid place to live.

As a single person, you don’t have to live in a mansion, drive a sports car, or work a six-figure job to start dating women.

But you do need to have the basics squared away. It’s unfair to put yourself out there before you’ve gotten your sh-t together because you’ll end up being a burden to your future partner.

That being said men who are asking women on dates should be capable of paying for occasional date nights and gifts whenever holidays roll around.

If a man tells you that it’s too difficult to take you on a date or too expensive to offer you a gift every once in a while, realize that you can do better and jump ship immediately.

Free and cheap dates

While the person you’re dating might not want to spend hundreds of dollars on one singular date night, there are still plenty of cost-effective dates they can plan that will allow the two of you to have a great time getting to know each other.

One idea would be to check out Discotech. This website offers free nightclub entry for couples in major cities like Las Vegas, Hollywood, Miami, and New York.

In Las Vegas specifically, couples that consist of an even ratio (one guy and one girl) typically enter the nightclub of their choice for free.

Another idea would be checking out Eventbrite. Once you plug in the city where you live, you can press the “free” tab to find out about any free events going on in your area.

Sometimes, there are free concerts in the park, festivals, poetry slams, and other social events to experience.

A third idea would be checking out Groupon. Once you add your city to the search, look up date ideas in your area.

Discounted rates for live performances, museums, breweries, comedy shows, and more are available there.

Another idea would be to check out Hopper. It’s easy to book affordable hotel rooms in your local area so you and the person you’re dating can enjoy a staycation without having to actually travel anywhere.

Whoever made the claim that hotel sex is the best sex wasn’t wrong! Hopper allows you to feel like you’re going away on a ritzy vacay together, even though you’re keeping it local.

A man can set up a picnic. He can take you sightseeing. He can guide you through a gorgeous hiking trail. He can arrange a game night. He can get creative.

Affordable gifts that are still thoughtful

In terms of affordable gifts, a man who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money can easily check out a website like Fashion Nova to buy women’s clothing and accessories at a very low price point.

The entire “sale” tab on Fashion Nova‘s website is full of items that are less than five dollars. In fact, many of the items are less than two dollars!

Five Below is another great place to consider if the guy you’re seeing is willing to buy you home decor, beauty products, art supplies, household essentials, sporting goods, and more.

Amazon is obviously one of the easiest places for a man to find affordable items for the woman in his life.

All he has to do is type “gifts for women” in the search bar and sort the items to show off the lowest-priced ones at the top.

Jewelry, books, clothing, and other accessories are readily available there.

Let’s also not forget that a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store costs $12. A bottle of dessert wine costs less than $10. A basic candle costs $6. A sentimental love story in the form of a romance novel costs $9. A simple card costs $2.

There’s absolutely no excuse for a man to say that it’s too expensive or difficult to take you on a date or surprise you with a gift.

There are plenty of cost-effective ways for him to stretch his money while making sure you feel special.

All women deserve princess treatment. If you’re not getting that with the dude you’ve been seeing, move on with someone better.