“I want to meet girls and have a love life, but I need to focus on saving money and getting ahead.”
I’ve heard this from almost every single buddy.
What else could guys in their 20s possibly talk about? Getting laid and getting paid.
The biggest obstacle to financial freedom is often the search for love or a meaningful one night stand in your 20s. I’ve met many characters over the years. I have friends who will fall in love and blow their life savings on the chase. I also have friends that have lost partners because they were far too tight with money.
Since I started driving for Uber, my eyes have been opened to a real behind-the-scenes look at the dating world. I’ve always closely tied money with love and the chase for love. Now I believe it more than ever. Your love life determines the size of your bank account.
How do you get laid, fall in love, and survive the dating world in your 20s without going broke in the process?
Tip#1: Figure out what you want out of the dating scene.
Are you looking for hookups? Do you need love in your life? Do you want to settle down?
You need to figure out exactly what you want because if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re never going to get there.
Why?
There’s no sense in taking a one night stand out to dinner at the most expensive joint in town. There’s also no sense in leading anyone on or in spending your nights at bars when you have work to do.
You have to be realistic with your expectations.
What do you want? I only say this because most folks in their 20s are confused. If you don’t know what you want, you’re going to spend a fortune looking for nothing.
Tip #2: Get a life and become interesting.
“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.” — Les Brown
When I go through my Facebook feed, I notice that most guys are pretty boring. You’re never going to stick out if you do what everyone else is doing. It’s not cool to dress like your buddies and to post the same crap.
Most guys do the following:
- Go on online dating sites.
- Get super drunk with their friends on the weekends and hit the same bars.
- Complain about girls for being “stuck up”
- Go back online to repeat the same process again.
- Continue getting drunk and complaining about girls.
- Never set real goals.
- Waste precious time.
Zzzz. What do you expect to happen?
Get a life. Become interesting. When you lead an interesting life, amazing things will happen. Job opportunities will come your way, you’ll excel as a person, you’re going to make some really cool friends, and you’re never going to have to worry about meeting someone again.
How can you become more interesting?
- Pick up a unique hobby where you’re going to have to step outside of your comfort zone.
- Learn a language to challenge yourself.
- Travel once in a while.
- Start freelancing to make more money and meet new friends.
- Do random stuff (when’s the last time you changed up your routine?).
I want you to focus on yourself. You can’t be stressing about not getting enough matches on Tinder.
Put it this way: would you want to date someone like you? Make yourself the most attractive that possibly can by investing in yourself. Improve your worth and value to the world. You’ll become worth more and you won’t have to stress about going broke on dates.
[Must read: The cure for boredom.]
Tip #3: Always stay true to your financial goals.
My friend (won’t say his name) always argues with his girlfriend. She complains that he works too much. By applying the tactics from Studenomics, he has saved $30k by 25. The girlfriend is proud of this. However, she nags and makes him feel guilty when he picks up a late shift or gets called into work.
You don’t want to hear this, but you can always find a new girlfriend/boyfriend. Some opportunities will only come once in your lifetime and you won’t be able to look back. I remind my friend that he came from humble beginnings. Now that he has the chance to make some money, he needs to seize it. He can’t worry about his girlfriend who wants to catch up on Netflix.
I want to be financially free. To me, this means: no debt, lots of savings, control over how much I work, and the ability to travel when I want to.
What are your financial goals? Do you want to:
- Pay off $10k worth of student loans?
- Save $2k for a trip?
- Cut back on your expenses?
- Be able to eat out whenever you want?
You need to stick true to your goals! It’s your journey and your journey only.
Do you want to miss out on huge opportunities because you were love sick over your Instagram crush? Do you want to lose a freelancing client because you were busy chasing someone who wouldn’t even respond to your texts?
The answers are obvious. If you don’t want to go broke, then don’t go after potential mates that don’t respect your financial goals.
Tip #4: Stop listening to your loser friends.
“My friend told me that girls don’t like that.”
A buddy had the nerve to question me on a dating tip that I shared with him. I was happy for him that he did his own due diligence, but he asked the worst person possible
Stop listening to your loser friends!
I only take advice from those I would switch places with.
Chances are that you’re killing your savings account on your love life because you take advice from your friends who happen to be in the same boat. You can’t go out to the same bar every weekend expecting things to change.
Bonus tip: Stop getting so hammered when you go out!
I had to throw this in here. 99% of guys out there are guilty of this. I’ve experienced this more times than I care to admit. Please try not to get so wasted. Try going out sober or limiting your drinks. I honestly have a better time when I go out sober.
You need to stop hiding behind the liquid courage. You read Studenomics because you’re different. I don’t want you going broke because you got so hammered every single time you went out looking to meet someone.
Also, please stop buying drinks for anyone that even looks at you. At least try to save your money to go on a trip.
What’s next? Looking for more advice on love and money and all that fun stuff?
I have written the three best possible articles on this topic.
When’s the last time you had sex? The title is uncomfortable, but it says it all.
How being in the friend zone will ruin your finances. We look at the dreaded friend zone and how it’s costing you money right now. I don’t want you to ruin your finances because you were a coward.
The economics of your love life. We discuss every financial aspect of your love life.
I’ve been going out for over a decade now. I’ve had to learn everything the hard way and I still have many more experiences to go through. Save yourself the headaches. Focus on your financial goals. Your vibe attracts your tribe.
“There are only three things women need in life: food, water, and compliments.” — Chris Rock