Make Plans

If you have no definite plan in mind when you ask for a date, you both can discuss what you would like to do. Offer several different suggestions (within your budget) for her to choose from. But don’t ask a girl to tell you what she wants to do without giving her some idea of the amount of money you have to spend. You’ll be putting her on the spot—and possibly yourself too. You don’t want to embarrass either yourself or your date by having her select a place that is beyond your financial means. Being honest about the amount of money you can spend avoids misunderstandings later.

In general, it’s better not to wait until you get to a girl’s house to decide what you’re going to do. Advance planning will avoid the embarrassment of inappropriate clothing or budget problems.

If She Says “No”

Sometimes, even if a girl would like to go out with you, she must refuse your invitation. But usually you can tell by her attitude whether it’s just this date she cannot accept, or whether you would be wasting your time calling her again. If she says she’s terribly sorry—she would like to go to the game with you but she has promised to baby-sit that night— you probably ought to ask her again sometime. If she implies that she’d rather not date you, calling again might be useless and only make you unhappy.