what are the best value dating sites?

Thrifty85

Had third date with a guy I really like this afternoon....still going well!! I've got a really good feeling about this chap and love being in his company but trying not to get my hopes up too much.

System

Exchanged a few messages with a guy on okcupid...waiting for a reply currently

Scotty1.7

well still looking - made a couple of good pen pals though lol

lou--b

Well the dates all set for Saturday. Im already nervous...I'll take any dating advice I can get!
I know to meet somewhere busy, tell friends/family where Im going etc. Been single 2years now though, not had a date in like forever, not got a clue!! HELP lol
Lou

the_pink_panther_2

I've been on match.com for about a year now. I have met a few people (a handful) but nothing came to anything really. I don't understand exactly what I'm doing wrong really. I'm wondering to what extent location is the issue; in honesty I seem to be interested mainly in guys from london, that's two hours away. Occasionally I get really into the email exchanges but things sort of seem to just halt. I'm not sure if that's when it gets to the point where things start feeling more real and the location becomes an issue. I don't know to what extent it's that I'm rubbish at the email exchanges. How do others find those? I always struggle with what to write and perhaps that's part of it but I don't know how to change. The few more local guys I'd be interested in don't seem to be interested in me. Reading other posts here it's looking like most people are having a number of dates and meeting lovely guys. I think I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what.

sapphireeye

Lou--b, congrats on organising your first date! I think I'd agree with runningwoman on everything she's said though on her point 3 I'd say to organise something that can be lengthened if you're having a good time or shortened if it's not going so well. That's why most people would recommend going for a drink because you can quite easily leave after one if needed but you can stay on all night if it's going well! I have to say though, on my first date with the current man we had a drink for about an hour and then we walked down the road to the outdoor iceskating rink, skated for an hour and then went back to the pub for another few hours!

Don't go with any expectations about your date, ie. don't work yourself up about it being awful but on the otherhand don't get carried away with visions of him sweeping you off your feet! I remember at the end of my date I thought to myself, 'Well he was nice and even if he's not interested in me then at least I know that there are nice people using internet dating sites'!

Wear something that you feel comfortable in and think you look good in, don't wear something new and spend the whole evening feeling uncomfortable.

Others might not agree with this but I'd say read over your messages so that if you get to any quiet points on your date you can bring up something in one of the messages that you can talk about without panicking and saying something stupid ;-) Hopefully this won't be an issue but it's always good to be prepared!

Be yourself and try not to be nervous. This is rich coming from me because I was SO nervous before my first (and only) internet date but I'm quite good at hiding it and when I told my blokey how nervous I was before our first date he was really surprised!

Be honest. One of the things I like about my guy and he likes about me is that we were both honest with each other from the start. He asked me to text him when I got home to let him know I'd arrived safely (good plan on his part because it meant there was no if/when should one of us get in contact dilemmas) and within a couple of texts after the date we'd both established that we liked each other and would like to go out again. I'm sure the same would have applied if we hadn't! It's so much easier than being messed about not knowing where you stand!

It will be fine, good luck, as I said, just be yourself and don't expect too much from it, just one person meeting another, nothing more, nothing less

sapphireeye

runningwoman wrote: »

Excellent news sapphire and co -girl! Can we have some more details of the lovely men you've landed, I like going "ooh" and "aah" :j Any valentines day plans yet?

I don't know what sort of details to give?! He's about 8-9 years older than me but I don't notice it at all, I always get told that I come across as older than I am and he looks young for his age so we've met in the middle somewhere He treats me like a princess and to be honest, I've been in a lot of relationships where I haven't felt like I came anywhere near the top of the priority list but with this guy I feel like I'm way up there! We're very much on the same wavelength in terms of humour, silly things like we're both hungry all the bloody time and just life in general really. And he talks possibly more than I do, which means that we never seem to run out of things to talk about and this was pretty obvious before we'd even met!

I suppose the long and short of it is that I'm definitely not the sort of girl who wears her heart on her sleeve or falls hard for someone, I'm not sure I'd call myself fussy (my friends probably would!) but I'm not prepared to settle for someone if it doesn't feel right or if I'm not sure about them just for the sake of having a boyfriend, I'd rather be single! It usually means that the minute they get too affectionate I realise that they're more into me than I am into them and I feel suffocated and end up running a mile. However with this guy there aren't any of the niggles that I've had with the last few guys I've dated and I'm completely smitten to the point that I've even surprised myself! I don't think I've met anyone in a long time that I like this much but because everything has been so honest from day 1, I don't feel worried about liking him as much as I do because I know he feels the same, if that makes any sense at all!

So yes, this post has been unbelievably soppy and I'm not usually the soppy type which I suppose says it all, so I'll be quiet now!

sapphireeye

runningwoman wrote: »

Like yourself only a bit more groomed is the way to go I think...

(or what about getting dolled up to the nines in your sexy "hot date dress" then finding you're out with someone fifteen years older than his pictures? :eek:)

The bit in bold is another good point... don't go wearing a dress if you NEVER wear dresses. Likewise, if you hardly ever wear jeans don't feel like you have to follow your best friend's advice of wearing jeans and a nice top. I'm a dress girl, I live in dresses and occasionally jeans, I'd even said on my profile that I wear dresses a lot so I think it was pretty expected that I'd wear a dress on my first date ;-) Obviously I had a bit of a dilemma because I wanted to wear a dress but I was also going ice skating which could lead to far too much on display on the first date but I just wore leggings instead of tights and didn't fall over

My overall point is you want to arrive on your first date portraying yourself as the person you are rather than the person you think he wants you to be.

Runningwoman - We're good, I think we should start up a dating advice website! :rotfl:

prudent_princess

Scotty1.7 wrote: »

well still looking - made a couple of good pen pals though lol

I am still looking too...

deedee71

I had a first date last night with a guy I had met last year after meeting through POF. We had one drink last time (about 9 months ago) and it was all so awkward!

This time round I went to his for a meal, his 3 year old daughter was there which breaks even more dating rules! But it was lovely, and I fancied him like mad which I wasn't expecting.

After the whole Facebook cheater experience I'm still a bit raw but think I have found one of the good guys. He finished with a girl he had been seeing for 2 months as "his feelings for her weren't getting any stronger" so at least I know he isn't going to move on and announce it on Facebook instead of finishing with me!

He keeps asking what I want to do for a second date, but I'm stumped. He has suggested ice skating but I'm hopeless and he's an expert so I need to come up with something else, novel and fun. Any suggestions??