Mooching and Dating

Good meals are something I really look forward to.  I'm also feeling emotionally wounded this week and want to take comfort in food.  Not truly sustainable on my new money diet.

Options include mooching and dating.  Both going to a friend's house for dinner and making dinner dates can result in me eating well without spending a dime  ;)  If I'm lucky, restaurant portions will be big enough to provide lunch the next day.

So I had a lovely meal Monday night at my sister's house.  But they whine and complain about money a lot too, so I know that I really can't make that a Monday night tradition without pitching in and buying some of the ingredients.  Which puts me back at the starting line.  Except, I'd have to buy food for 3 people because my sister is married.  And her husband eats a lot.  Clearly, I need to find better mooching opportunities.

So I'm single - hence the living on my own and having to cover all of my expenses.  It would be super nice to bring another earner into my life.  But marrying for money is not possible for this lady - I've tried dating without passion and I don't like it.

However, dating for a good meal out doesn't seem like it is very wrong.  Of course, I'm not going to accept a date with someone I'm not at all interested in (looking at you T, c'mon, you really think "I like to cuddle and I'm good at hugs" is a good pick-up line?  I need more content to figure out if you're worth my time).  I looooooove eating at restaurants, and thought I had a date all lined up for Saturday night.  But he is also having budget issues and I flubbed the invite to eat at his house instead.  He's a smoker and I couldn't imagine trying to eat in his apartment while he is smoking.  Because the secondhand smoke seriously suppresses my appetite.   I mean, I'm not hungry the next morning after spending an evening with him and I'm someone who typically needs to eat within an hour of waking up.  However, when I made a joke about that - he took great offense and we will not be seeing each other ever again.

There goes my free meal - and I'm also very upset that I don't get to see this man again.  He was intelligent, complimentary, attentive, HOT, etc.  Had so many good characteristics - except for the smoking, un-sugar daddy status, and clearly a paranoia about me not thinking he was good enough.  He had made a few comments about how I would never end up with someone in his social class.  And clearly he was right, because HE let it get in the way.  So, emotional disappointment of getting dumped (is it dumped if it was supposed to be our 4th date?) combined with no meals to look forward to has me looking up menus during my lunch hour.  Half of me says "10 dollars for dinner isn't that bad" and the other half responds with a sharp "there is no 10 dollars to spend!  you spent it all already!"  buuuut other people making me food tastes so much better. . .

Guess I'll keep looking for someone ready to be a partner and someone who understands my communication style, jokes and all.  Money had always been a side concern of mine (probably why I didn't notice all the debt I was racking up), but let's be honest.  I have enough worries of my own that I don't want to think about if you have the gas money to drive over and see me.