Bambi Meets Waiterzilla

I just started dating a sweet guy who loves taking me to nice restaurants. (He knows I can't afford restaurants, because I'm in grad school.) Well, he's not rich, either, but when the waiter pushes sparkling water, he always says yes, and the same goes for cappuccinos, desserts, side dishes -- all the extras. It's lovely enough that he treats me to dinner; I don't want him to go broke doing it.

--Frugal

A guy on a date is in a tough position when the waiter comes over and essentially asks, "Can I offer you some sparkling water this evening, or will you be drinking out of the faucet like a dog?" Sometimes a guy will say yes to all the extras because he is a foodie and likes to have the deluxe experience. But the average guy is just afraid of coming off cheap, making him easy prey for every waiter upsell in the book. The woman he's with can counter this by being the one to lead with the frugalities, like "Tap water works fine for me!" and "I actually don't eat that much...I'll just have the entree," when the waiter pushes the caviar-dotted baby vegetables watered with the tears of Tibetan monks. If you do this, you'll reassure the guy that he's the big draw for you and not the free dinners -- perhaps allowing him to devote his attention to you instead of checking his phone to see whether the bank has cleared the security deposit for your desserts.