| Searching for true love can become expensive by Nikki Watkins Every girl knows you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince. Studies confirm the path to true love is indeed long. It takes an average of 75 hours and £500 to find love, recent research from Humboldt University in Germany shows. But according to Natalie Moran, 25, even that would be a blessing. Sales account manager Natalie, from south London in Britain, kept a dating diary for a year - and found her costs topped £700 as she spent more than 100 HOURS on her dates. And instead of Mr. Right, she met a load of 'losers' - including a fella more interested in admiring his moped, a guy fresh out of rehab and another who babbled on about his floor, then confessed to an S&M fetish. Here are some of her diary entries... JUNE 18, 2009: Stuart and I had texted and emailed through a dating website. Since I was nervous about meeting a stranger, I chose my local pub. To settle my nerves for my first date in two years, I had a glass of wine at home. He was running late so by the time we met I'd drunk the whole bottle. He was shorter than he said. But the date went well - being a little tipsy may have helped. COST: £30.98 - new lippy £8.99, bottle of wine £5.99 and drinks in bar £6. DATE TIME: 8hrs 10mins - shopping 4hrs, getting ready 1hr, pub 3hrs and travel 10 mins. JUNE 19: Met Stuart for a second date at my local. He turned up in a coat with his name on the back - not an outfit screaming seduction. Wished I'd not bought a new jacket. He offered to walk me home and to carry my bag. I warned him it was heavy, but he took it from me. Then he handed it straight back red faced from the exertion. Hmmm... not so macho. And instead of walking me to my door, he left me when he reached the 24hr McDonald's. COST: £44 - food & drink £14, new jacket £30. DATE TIME: 6hrs 40mins - shopping 2hrs, getting ready 1hr, pub 3hrs 30mins and travel 10 mins. JULY 20: Stopped contact but Stuart didn't take the hint so I told him there was no chemistry. LESSON: Size isn't everything... never trust the height on an internet profile. SEPT 10: My first-ever speed date. I felt like I was interviewing as all 13 men spent their allotted time maniacally listing their good points. The night ended in a scrum as the 17 girls fought to talk to the three half-decent guys - not very dignified. I was flattered a man asked for my number but if you like someone you write it on the form and pay for the speed date. But, because he had no matches, his date was free - tight wad. COST: £17 - drinks £15, bus £2. DATE TIME: 6hrs - speed date 3hrs, discussing it with pals 2hrs, getting ready 1hr. OCT 25: Through internet dating, I meet Brett. He's not my type lookswise and quite a bit shorter than me but I could have eaten him alive. He gave me chocolates and a CD, which was sweet, but I decided it wouldn't be right to continue. COST: £10 - drinks £8, travel £2. DATE TIME: 6hrs 20mins - shopping 2hrs, getting ready 1hr, travel 20 mins, pub 3hr. LESSON: It's OK to look a gift horse in the mouth. OCT 30: I break my own rule and go for a younger guy, since Ray, 21, who I met through a dating site, is so good-looking. On our date I'd come straight from the gym so was starving. Ordered the smallest salad and after a second glass of wine started to feel tipsy. COST: £49 - dinner and drinks £22, travel £2, new lip gloss and powder £25. DATE TIME: 7hrs - shopping 2hrs, getting ready 2hrs, pub 3hrs. NOV 5: Met Ray for dinner. Conversation was a little lacking - who cares, he looked great. COST: £77 - new dress £50, food & drinks £25 and travel £2. DATE TIME: 4hrs 40mins - shopping 1hr 40mins, getting ready 1hr, date 2hrs. NOV 7: Buy a new pair of killer heels to wow Ray on third date. COST: £57 - new shoes £35, food & drinks £20, travel £2. DATE TIME: 6hrs - getting ready 2hrs, date 4hrs. DEC 8: Ray cooked dinner... well, a Sainsbury's ready meal. Wasn't sure what was on the menu for dessert. I left after a goodnight kiss... a gent. But then I got a 4am text inviting me back for fun with some of his friends. I ended it there and then. COST: £20.99 - Taxi home £14, bottle of wine £6.99. DATE TIME: 6hrs 30mins - shopping 2hrs, getting ready 1hr, date at Ray's 3hrs 30mins. LESSON: Some men are into internet dating for one thing - and it's not a kiss goodnight! JAN 7: I go to my local pub for a date with Callum who I met through a dating site, and he seems a lovely guy. COST: £45 - new nail varnish and perfume. DATE TIME: 3hrs 30mins - getting ready 1hr, pub 2hrs 30mins. JAN 14: Callum makes a major confession on our second date - he's been to rehab, which is a surprise. But he seems a genuine bloke so I give him a chance. COST: £48 - drinks £8, new dress £40. DATE TIME: 6hrs - getting ready 2hrs, pub 4hrs. FEB 17: Callum's moody on our fifth date as I cook dinner. Turns out he's been reading my phone messages from Ray. I was too surprised to argue and he left, never to return. COST: £35 - food & drink. DATE TIME: 4hrs 30mins - cooking and shopping 2hrs, date 2hrs 30mins. LESSON: Honesty's not always the best policy especially if he is rifling through your text messages! MARCH 3: I have high hopes for Shaun, 32, an accountant. Thought seeing an older man might work. Remember Sex And The City's Mr Big? Arranged the perfect date at Borough Market, a food market in London. We strolled romantically around the stalls drinking warm cider. He had lovely hazel eyes but was obsessed with the new flooring he was fitting. He couldn't handle his booze and proceeded to tell me about his S&M fetish - I nearly choked on my drink! The dating rules state talking about exes is taboo, so rubber fetishes are a closed subject! Desperately, I tried to turn the talk back to flooring. COST: £111 - new winter coat £90, drinks £15, fares £6. DATE TIME: 4hrs - getting ready 1hr, date 3hrs. LESSON: Booze on a first date isn't always the best option, especially for the man. APRIL 20: Goodness knows what they think at my local as I turn up with another man - who I met through a dating site. I'm slightly hungover and the conversation with Simon doesn't flow. He insisted on driving me home and as we pulled up he went in for the kill. Really not what I needed when I wasn't feeling well. All that slobber - he was lucky I didn't throw up. Surprisingly, I didn't hear from him again. COST: £95 - new jeans and top £80, drinks £15. DATE TIME: 6hrs - shopping 2hrs, getting ready 1hr, pub 3hrs. LESSON: First kisses are not always memorable for the right reason. MAY 24: Went for a nice meal with Jack, who I'd met on the internet. My heart raced as he reached across the table, thinking he was going for a romantic hand-hold. But no, he was moving a vase so he could check on his moped. Don't think he is my knight in shining armour. COST: £75 - new top £40, food & drink £35. DATE TIME: 7hrs - shopping 2hrs 30 mins, getting ready 2hrs, date 2hrs 30mins. LESSON: The art of romance is well and truly dead. SINCE THEN: I've been on two dates with a man I was introduced to through friends. He seems very nice, so who knows? Maybe my hours of dating are coming to an end. I've decided after dating 20 people - 13 on the speed date - that it's not for me. From now on I'm only taking the old-fashioned route of bumping into my possible Mr Right. Names and dates have been changed to protect identities. Where there is no travel time, Natalie had a date locally. Read more? Internet site reference: LINK Promote your website - Search Engine Marketing services Free Live Cams (Adults only) Submit your blog comment: LINK
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