Dating Gets Frich

Beyoncé may have said that girls run the world, but (unfortunately) we all know that what really makes the world go ‘round is money 💸🤑. However, it can be a bit of a touchy topic to bring up when dating, so to save you the awkwardness of wondering what everyone else thinks, we partnered up with social finance app Frich to conduct a deep dive into dating-related financial topics.

Gen-Z, Meet Frich

Ever wondered how much other people spend on groceries? Or how they budget to pay for all the adult stuff nobody really wants to pay for (rent, loans, etc. 🤢)? Wonder no more with Frich (which, ICYMI, stands for f’ing rich)! Frich collects anonymized information to provide members with real data about what and where people are spending and how they’re keeping it together given the wild and absurd thing we call “the economy”. 

We wanted to learn more about how people approach different financial-related topics when dating, so Blink & Frich surveyed daters on questions ranging from who should pay for drinks to if people are open to dating someone who makes less money than them (the results may shock you!) Keep reading to see how singles answered!

The Results Are In…

Has your card ever been declined on a date because of insufficient funds?

Look, my credit card limit is embarrassingly low and I’m too lazy to request an increase. The “card declined” message is a common presence in my life and I’m personally past the point of caring too much when it comes up. With that said, it seems most people are doing better in this department than I am, as 64% of respondents said “no” to this question. The other 36% and I will get there eventually 🥴.

If you approach someone at a bar, should you buy them a drink?

I feel like this falls along the same lines as the question of who should pay for a date, and I stand by the opinion that the ask-er should at least offer to pay (and the ask-ee should probably offer to split to be nice). 

Daters provided a mix of answers to this question: 64% said they would buy someone a drink “only if [they’re] really interested” (question for these folks: why would you approach someone you’re not interested in?) Another 18% of respondents said they would buy someone a drink only if they were on a date, and a solid 14% said they would always buy someone they approach at a bar a drink (my kind of people).  The remaining 5% said they prefer to “go Dutch” – aka, pay for themselves.

If you’re dating someone and you go out with friends, should the person you’re dating pay for all the drinks for the both of you and/or your friends?

A good chunk of respondents (41%) agreed that someone should pay for their drinks only if it’s a one-on-one date. The other 59% of respondents answered along the lines of “no, but it would be nice” and “I don’t ever need someone to buy me a drink”.

I have to say that I agree with everyone here. If I invite all my friends to go out and my partner wants to treat me and all my friends, by all means. I wouldn’t expect it though, and if you’re inviting all your friends to go out, I feel like you should, at the very least, pay for yourself.

Should you get a present (for a birthday or other celebratory occasion) for someone you’re seeing if you’re not exclusive?

First of all, you should never feel inclined to get someone a gift, but you also shouldn’t feel a certain kind of way about wanting to give someone a present. For some people, giving and receiving gifts is their way of expressing love and affection, so even if the act isn’t reciprocated, it could still be a great way to show someone that you care. 

Daters were fairly split on this question. Just under a quarter of respondents (24%) said that you should definitely get them a gift, but an equal amount of people said it was not necessary at all. The majority of respondents (33%) said you should just get them something small, and the final 19% said that a gift was only necessary for the person’s birthday. In other words, you really can’t go wrong in the eyes of society (look at me giving advice backed up by data!)

Would you date someone who makes less money than you?

To me, it seems like how someone manages their money should be more important than how much they make – someone who makes less money but manages their finances well is more attractive in my opinion than someone who makes a ton of money but doesn’t pay their bills or manage their money very well. 

The data shows that a good chunk of people agree with me: 40% of respondents said that how much someone makes does not matter. However, a shocking 44% of people said that it depends on how much less they make, and the final 16% said their partner had to make more than them. Very interesting y’all…

Final Thoughts

Money can be a sensitive topic, especially when you’re first getting to know someone. However, determining your red and green flags (if you will) when it comes to finances and dating can be a great way to understand boundaries and establish healthy communication about something that could eventually make or break your relationship.

Feel free to let us know if there are more finance x dating questions you’re wondering about, and don’t forget to download Frich for all of your social finance questions and Blink for your dating needs!