The Great 'Where to meet people on the cheap' Hunt

nanokitten

Our local BTCV (british conservation volunteers trust) ran a speed dating event a while back.
The idea was you planted trees in pairs and every ten minutes you'd swap partners. I thought this was a brilliant idea.

Even when there's no special events I think that these groups must be a good way of meeting like minded people and there are similar groups all over the country.

http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/btcv_home

Purple_Sparkles

Plentyoffish.com is a totally free site

Money_saving_Martyn

Maybe we should start a money-savers' dating site - it's a good thing to have in common with someone!

kisto

Sites I have used (with no success as I am still single)

http://www.plentyoffish.com/
http://www.lookitsme.co.uk/
http://www.faceparty.com/
And the zoosk application on facebook.

and not forgetting the 'online dating' thread in the arms on here which has generated three couples! :T

I reckon meeting someone via a club/group/hobby/association would be a good start, as you'd have an immediate shared interest.

Davenjon

Langar wrote: »

Spice is an activity club, but has had more than it's fair share of success in matching up partners in love. More so than most dating agencies. Probably because the emphasis is on engaging in fun activities rather than meeting someone. Members are generally between 30 and 60 and there are regional groups dotted about the UK. Full details at http://www.spiceuk.com.

Not free to join but they often have 3 months free trial memberships on offer. You do have to pay for individual events which range from evenings, weekends to full holidays. Choose from the extensive range in the monthly newsletter or see the website.

Where else could you do a Fire Eating & Fire Breathing workshop, drive a single seater racing car, or a rally car or a tank, or a bus, or a fire engine or even a combine harvester! Ever wanted to fly a plane or a helicopter or do aerobatics in a military jet? How about white water rafting (either in Britain or down the Grand Canyon), scuba diving, water skiing? Or abseiling, caving, climbing, walking or biking?

Don’t worry if the adrenaline events are not your cup of tea, we have workshops on just about everything, from Flirting to positive thinking, Self Hypnosis to Homeopathy and even repairing your PC. How about a regular sports schedule, or just a great social timetable for meals out, cinema and theatre visits, parties and get-togethers. We have something for everyone! And not forgetting weekend breaks and holidays to exotic locations like New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Borneo, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Kenya, China, Cuba, Egypt and a full skiing program to France, Italy, Andorra, Canada and the USA.

Just a note of support to say Spice ( www.spiceuk.com) is an amazing national community of like minded adults who enjoy getting together for activities and socials. They have been going 27 years and are about to recruit their 100,000 member this year, so must be doing somthing right! Its not about dating, but with an activity as a focal point - you can't help just making friends and meeting people. The holidays they do are also fantastic.

Diamond78

kisto wrote: »

Sites I have used (with no success as I am still single)

http://www.plentyoffish.com/
http://www.lookitsme.co.uk/
http://www.faceparty.com/
And the zoosk application on facebook.

and not forgetting the 'online dating' thread in the arms on here which has generated three couples! :T

I reckon meeting someone via a club/group/hobby/association would be a good start, as you'd have an immediate shared interest.

What is lookitsme like? Ive been on plentyoffish, huh still single lol. Faceparty no longer has chat i think and zoosk, well thats just slow lol.

Stephen_Webber

Not necessarily as a means of meeting a partner (although I know plenty who have), but the Ramblers association is another (healthy) way of meeting people. Most areas have groups for people in their 20's and 30's, as well as other groups which cover a full range of ages. Typically they allow people to do 2 "free" walks before becoming a member of the Ramblers, so you get a chance to see whether you like the people in the group before committing. Not only do you get to make new friends, but you also get to see a lot of the countryside around you that you probably never even knew existed!

Cheers,
Stephen

kisto

Diamond78 wrote: »

What is lookitsme like? Ive been on plentyoffish, huh still single lol. Faceparty no longer has chat i think and zoosk, well thats just slow lol.

Hiya,

Lookitsme is very much like faceparty, although there is no chat facility. I did pay for the premium tools for a year (I don't think they're very expensive) - but the site has adequate functions without having to pay.

johnedwards64

I agree with the poster earlier who said you get what you pay for with dating sites. There are a lot of free(ish) ones, but this is one area where I think we all agree quality is what matters! I recommend the Guardian's Soulmates site as it's a bit more upmarket than Match or DatingDirect. Not everyone is a typical Guardian reader, but I suppose most people are reasonably liberal - a good thing in my book.

It's expensive at about £20 a month, but you can get a 3-day trial for £6 and if you get organised in advance you can contact lots of people on day one and if they don't reply within the 3 days they probably weren't going to anyway. Make a list of Favourites a few days in advance and see if they Favourite you in return. Choose people who've updated their profile recently and logged in within the last few days. These are obviously active users most likely to have a current membership.

At the end of the 3 days, if you've exchanged a few messages with some people, offer them your email address and continue the conversation away from the site. I had a 3-day Soulmates membership last autumn and wound up meeting about 10 women from it.

Li0nhead

There is no one path to love. Most find their own way. Some do not. Its not a matter of money but of finding the right person at the right time.....Dam why am i single?