Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so there’s a pretty good chance you might be spending time and money on a significant other. This time of year leads one to think about the cost of dating.

A good amount of money each year is spent on restaurants, movies, and gifts -- all in the pursuit of finding love. There is also considerable money spent on pre-date preparation, including hair, beauty, and new outfit expenditures. In fact, according to this article, 65% of women spend more than $50 just to get ready!

Over the course of time, these expenses can certainly add up. While all the things you’re spending on might work to impress your date at the time, did you know you could also be doing harm to your credit?

According to this same article, 57% of singles say debt has an impact on how they view potential partners, to the point it could cause them to reevaluate their relationships. So while you’re trying to impress your date, try not to go into debt doing so! Not too surprisingly, there are even entire dating sites that match potential partners on your credit score alone! Read our recent blog write-up on this – “Your Credit Score & Dating?”

If you’re worried about the effects of debt on your credit – be it dating related or other – you should be sure to track and monitor your credit scores and reports from each of the 3 major bureaus – Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. There are a number of services available for this, including PrivacyGuard (publisher of this blog).

Your credit scores, based on your credit information from each of the bureaus, provide a numerical indicator of the health of your credit standing. The higher your credit scores, then generally the better shape you’re in to spend from a financial perspective.

If your dating dollars are over your budget, consider doing some low cost date activities – including hiking, checking out a local museum, or even a relaxing night of home cooking and on-demand movies. If your significant other truly cares, they won’t mind a low budget date night or two!