If Your Love Life Heats Up, So Does Inflation

PHOENIX – Finding a partner to share your life with doesn’t have to be an expensive task, but inflation makes the pursuit of love a challenge for singles across the valley.

“I’m a girl who likes to order a lot of little things. I like to try everything,” said Sarah Miller of Phoenix.

The “little things” could quickly add up in a time when almost everything is more expensive these days.

Miller says her first date with her boyfriend was at an upscale sushi restaurant cost her $300, and that date was before inflation.

“You know, my boyfriend knows I’m a little expensive,” Miller said with a joking smile.

Some parts of dating have become slightly more expensive amid inflation.

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index shows an increase of more than 2% in alcohol, meaning a $20 bottle of wine would now cost about 50 cents more. .

A $100 dinner for two away from home is up a slight 0.8%. A $30 theatrical release is actually down 1.3%, saving consumers just over 40 cents.

Overall, inflation is higher here in the Valley than in most major cities. The inflation rate in the United States has been measured at over 9% while the rate for the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa area is over 12%.

Depending on the distance, a big cost for singles dating in the Valley is getting to the date.

The main drivers of the valley’s higher inflation rate are housing, energy and gas.

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures that the price of gasoline rose 12%, on Monday the price of a gallon of unleaded continued to fall to 4.83 cents, according to AAA.

The cost of a date shouldn’t be a “decisive factor” for a prospective relationship.

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby, a relationship expert, told ABC15 “if people are worried about money with dating, that tells me they’re focusing on the wrong thing.”

So if money is too tight for five courses by candlelight by the water, Dr. Bobby suggests sharing time with someone who does something you love, who brings you energy and comfort. – even if it’s inexpensive.

She suggests free date ideas like volunteering somewhere, going to a human society, or going on a hike.

“When you offer an inexpensive date and someone turns you down, they’re just doing you a big favor because they’ve shown you what they’re interested in and that’s what I’d like to leave people with. is an assessment of them, not a statement of you,” she said.