How many dates should a guy pay for?

For the most part whoever asks pays. However on the first date with my boy I bought our museum tickets and he bought dinner and drinks after. He paid for the next several dates. Now when we go on dates and have lunch he pays but I buy frozenyo for us after. I am a little more attentive to finding fun date ideas so I'll often buy something on living social or groupon and then he'll pay for lunch/dinner.

Who cares? It's going to be different depending on the date and the situation. If anyone feels obligated to pay, that's just...weird, IMHO.

My husband paid for our first date, which was really sweet and thoughtful...but nobody should go into a date without money (barring real money issues, but that's beside the point) because it's pretty damn pretentious to think that the other person should have to pay for you.

Hell, even being married, it just depends on who has the most money in the wallet at the particular time as to who pays. I wouldn't allow him to go broke on me before we got married, but it was a nice gesture when he could and did pay.

But every situation and every person is going to be different. Communication is this really awesome thing that human beings do. You should not be afraid to ask your date what they prefer instead of a forum full of people you will never be in the same room with.

Whether you alternate who is paying or split the bill, I feel it should be equal. As a woman, it's not because I'd feel "like I owed" him something if a guy always paid. It's just that if I want to be treated like an equal in a relationship & in society I should probably act like it and put my money where my mouth is. No double standards here... forget the gentlemanly thing to do, saying a guy should always pay conveys inequality to me.

Not that I never let a guy pay for a date if he asked me
But I didn't let one pay for every single one.

I've never thought about it but for sure the first one, regardless of who asked who.

I was joking in my previous post. Really I havent dated so....I would think it would need to be discussed prior to the date.

I always pay.

Well, I'm an old married fart ... (since 1989) ... and I paid for all the dates from #1 on, and still pay. (We still have 'date-night' once a week.)

... and I feel blessed to be able to do so.

But that's the view of an old married fart, as I said. That being said, if my sons didn't always offer to pay, and I found out about it, I'd smack 'em upside the head. XD

I always expect the guy to pay if he does the asking. If I offer to pay, or make the date then I would expect to pay. I think it also depends on who can afford to pay. If your date is not as financially well off as you, then it would seem appropriate that you split the tab, or let the person more financially stable do the paying.

Curious - OP do you not like paying on a date?

I do. I insist even if they offer.

I get a mans feelings that they should pick up a tab, and that was the expectation 30 years ago, but would be honestly offended if I wanted to pay and expected to pay and was told no. The point being that I'm fully financially able to pay and would expect to do no less. Any other women feel this way?

SMarie10 - I'm the same. Went on a first date the other night and I offered to pay. He replied 'no that's my job' so I slipped off to the bathroom and paid on the way. When he went to pay and was told it was already sorted by the waiter I think he was quite chuffed - I don't think his ex ever paid so it felt nice to do that for him. I think he's always been in the role of provider and had that expectation on him which I don't think is fair.
I let him pay on the second date though ;-)

Who cares? I can afford my own food, I can pay for yours or let you pay. Keeping score on monetary things seems silly. To me, it's so much more about enjoying each others company than it is about who foots the bill.