How has the economic downturn affected your dating behavior? Perhaps you want to meet someone special, or you want to plan fun, romantic and economical dates without appearing stingy.

It’s a great time to change dating expectations. Many women have come to expect that if a man cares for her, he’ll express it by buying her flowers, gifts and extravagant dinners. While these are lovely gestures, and great celebratory activities, most women need to accept that fine dining may not play as large a role in dating as it did in the past. However, with a little planning, creative courtship can be more fun and impressive than traditional dates.

If you want to meet people, consider throwing your own singles potluck party. If you have friends of the opposite sex who you’ll never feel romantic about, recycle them! Ask your single friends to invite their friends, and ask everyone to bring eligible people they rejected. You never know who will click!

Online dating is still a bargain. For less than $20.00 a month, you have the opportunity to explore the possibility of connecting with a wide variety of people. When you've agreed that you want to get to know each other better, don’t start by going out for coffee. Invest in three or four twenty-minute phone conversations before you meet, and you’ll be able to tell if there is enough mutual interest to go out on an imaginative date.

Creating chemistry is more fun if you’re having a great time. San Francisco is filled with countless enchanting enclaves. No matter how long you’ve lived here, it’s fun to play tourist. If you time it well, a spectacular sunset can enhance the romantic atmosphere even more.

If you’re feeling adventurous, exchange your list of top five favorite views or “secret” spots around the City with your date’s. Introduce each other to your chosen places. If your lists are in sync, visit your top three choices and compare notes. Or, if you’re both movie buffs, choose a movie that features San Francisco and visit location spots.

Plan a hike around beautiful Stow Lake Waterfalls and Park in Golden Gate Park. Be sure to bring snacks and drinks with you so that you can relax together without having to deal with concession stands.

If you’re both in shape, check out the Seward Street Slides at Seward St & Douglass St in San Francisco. When you're tired of flying down the hill, walk to 24th Street and grab something to drink.

Do you like to cook? Go on a Chinatown crawl. Google “Chinese recipe,” find something new to try, and take your list of ingredients to Chinatown. Explore the shops on Stockton St. to find authentic ingredients. You could always go to other parts of San Francisco, but you’ll find a wider variety of stores to explore in Chinatown. After all, part of the fun is looking around and asking questions.

Go for a walk on Ocean Beach. Bundle up against the winter wind, and park at the Beach Chalet. Walk south on the beach until you’re ready to go back, and grab a drink inside. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm. Their tasty on-tap beers are only $4, and a selection of other drinks and appetizers is only $5!

If you use your imagination, you can come up with hundreds of romantic activity ideas that will allow you to date economically with style.

If you want your online profile to shine, take my Optimizing Online Dating tele-class. You’ll receive professional help filling out your profile, tips on filtering and responding to others online. Click here for details.

Contact me with your dating questions and suggestions annie@getalovelife.net

Check out my Dating Blunders segment on KGO TV View From the Bay.

Midlife dating coach, Annie Gleason, teams up with singles frustrated with the dating scene and helps them to transform their love lives with her exclusive five-step program.