How Tariffs and Inflation Will Impact Dating in 2025

[Solomon]

This topic and similar ones have been discussed already by the likes of @sangheilios However with tariffs being a likely thing this will cause inflation to skyrocket which will affect dating. Let's take a look.

Financial Strain on Dating​

1. Rising Costs of Traditional Dates
   • Dining out, movies, or even casual coffee dates might become significantly more expensive. A $50 dinner date could now cost $100 or more, making affordability a big consideration.
   • This could push people toward lower-cost or free date ideas, such as cooking together at home, walking in the park, or exploring community events. OR make women pickier on who they date. The guy might be 5'4 But he's making 200K working as a C-level exec. He may now have a shot
2. Shift in Expectations
   • Economic hardship might lead to a reevaluation of what's "romantic." People could become more understanding about scaled-back gestures and prioritize meaningful over extravagant.
   • Alternatively, some might still expect grand gestures, which could create tension in relationships.
   • Women looking for men of means, you have female dating coaches telling women to date ugly rich men, this would benefit a lot of ugly guys who are down bad

Impact on Long-term Commitments​

1. Housing and Living Arrangements
   • Inflation will likely drive up rents and mortgages, making cohabitation seem more appealing sooner in a relationship to share costs.
   • However, this could also stress newer relationships not ready for that level of commitment.
2. Weddings and Family Planning
   • Rising prices for goods like food, clothing, and decorations could lead to smaller, more intimate weddings. Family planning might also be delayed as people focus on financial stability.

Changes in Dating Culture​

1. Preference for Financial Stability
   • Individuals may prioritize partners who seem financially stable or are skilled at managing money. Ugly rich guys to the front lmfaooo
   • Dating apps might even see users showcasing their budgeting skills or frugality as attractive traits, or their means of wealth
2. Less Disposable Income for Fun
   • Travel, concerts, and other expensive experiences might take a backseat. Couples might have to get creative about bonding without spending.

Who Gets Hit Harder?

• Young Adults: Those just starting out in their careers might struggle to balance student loans, rising costs, and dating.
• Long-distance Relationships: Rising fuel costs or transportation fees could make frequent visits harder, adding strain to these relationships.
• Luxury Markets: Fancy gifts or high-end restaurants might see fewer patrons as people cut back on non-essentials.
• Average Men With No Charisma-Can't keep up with the continued rising standards

Positive Spin
Economic challenges can also strengthen relationships by encouraging creativity, teamwork, and deeper conversations about shared goals. The focus might shift from materialism to building emotional connections and resilience together.

Thoughts?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Probably not much.

People who spend lots of money on dates still will likely do so and go broke doing it because they are typical nice guys that think the way to get laid is to trade money and free meals for pvssy(which can happen, just not ideal by a long way).

People who don't spend a lot of money on dates will continue not spending money on dates because they know they don't need to.

I also doubt tariffs will stay long because once enough negative impacts are seen there would be a near revolt against them and they would quickly be swept under the carpet. These are likely just part of a negotiation tactic and used as a threat.

Ain't nobody who is already loudly complaining about groceries being too expensive is going to just be cool with them being 30-50% more expensive on top of what they are now and be quiet about it in addition to everything outside of groceries going up as well.

The only people who would eventually benefit from tariffs are the rich because middle class assets will end up being on sale for pennies on the dollar.

 

[SW15]

Inflation has been very high in recent years. Higher prices are noticeable throughout the economy.

I think inflation has been one of multiple factors that has affected nightlife interactions. People are less willing to go out to nightlife venues to meet people initially when they have less money. Swipe apps and social media DMs are unable to substitute for real life initial interactions despite the promise they seem to offer. There doesn't seem to be a good substitute for starting interactions face-to-face for about 90% of men. Top tier men can do well on the swipe apps and sending Instagram DMs but the majority of men are better off meeting women through real life venues. Nightlife venues are the most obvious face-to-face option.

I think inexpensive dates are gaining popularity.

I haven't seen much of a change in housing and living arrangements yet. I think it's more common to end up living with one's parents/family due to inflation and a recession as compared to living with a romantic partner.

In the USA, there's been a declining birth rate for a long time. Other developed nations have had that trend too. In the USA, it's common for middle class, upper middle class, and even affluent couples to have 1-2 "Last Call Babies" in their 30s (sometimes with the help of IVF). The lower parts of the middle class and the lower class might not have babies because they can't afford them.

https://time.com/6970873/us-declining-birth-rate-2023-total/

There are also more bougie, privileged White Millennial women who haven't had babies because they haven't found success in longer term relationships. Many of them have been penis carousel riders.

I've seen less of an impact upon longer term couplings due to inflation.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Inflation has been very high in recent years. Higher prices are noticeable throughout the economy.

I think inflation has been one of multiple factors that has affected nightlife interactions. People are less willing to go out to nightlife venues to meet people initially when they have less money. Swipe apps and social media DMs are unable to substitute for real life initial interactions despite the promise they seem to offer. There doesn't seem to be a good substitute for starting interactions face-to-face for about 90% of men. Top tier men can do well on the swipe apps and sending Instagram DMs but the majority of men are better off meeting women through real life venues. Nightlife venues are the most obvious face-to-face option.

I think inexpensive dates are gaining popularity.

I haven't seen much of a change in housing and living arrangements yet. I think it's more common to end up living with one's parents/family due to inflation and a recession as compared to living with a romantic partner.

In the USA, there's been a declining birth rate for a long time. Other developed nations have had that trend too. In the USA, it's common for middle class, upper middle class, and even affluent couples to have 1-2 "Last Call Babies" in their 30s (sometimes with the help of IVF). The lower parts of the middle class and the lower class might not have babies because they can't afford them.

https://time.com/6970873/us-declining-birth-rate-2023-total/

There are also more bougie, privileged White Millennial women who haven't had babies because they haven't found success in longer term relationships. Many of them have been penis carousel riders.

I've seen less of an impact upon longer term couplings due to inflation.

Inflation has not been high in recent years. It was only high for a few months, and it peaked at 9%. Currently at 2.7% as of the most recent snapshot. That's not high. Sure, it's higher than what they want it at, which is 2% and it's increased the last 2 months, but that isn't high.

That's not high compared to the rest of the world.

Most Americans have a backyard problem in that they have no idea how things here compare to the rest of the world, only to how things compare to what they were at one time. And the comparison is being made to one of the lengthiest prosperous periods in the history of the modern world for a country. That's not being realistic.

If your standard is to say that since we are not at a 95/100 anymore and are at an 85/100 and that means we are doing terrible, well good luck. Your expectations are delusional.

The baseline is 50/100. I don't think people fully comprehend that we have far, far, far more room to the downside economically than we have upside potential. People who think we are doing terrible are going to be in for the rudest awakening of their life if we end up even at 50/100 which would be average. Now imagine if we end up at 35/100.

The problem with this is that we are dealing with a global economy and if you don't understand how we compare with the rest of the world then any basis you have for trying to decide what things look like in relation to that is going to be based on bad information or no information and is likely to be wrong.

In the case of the US, we peaked lower than the majority of countries and we recovered quicker. The economy has largely stayed steady and even started to gained traction which is far better than most places have done.

This disconnect with what people in the US believe and reality is honestly mind blowing and continues to show Americans ignorance about anything outside their backyard.

Americans seemingly want all the benefits of a global economy but also want to be protected from any of the downsides that comes along with that. It doesn't work that way.

And not understanding that comparing the economy to what it was previously in the US, especially when that comparison is not being made to average but to the most prosperous period out country has ever seen, doesn't mean much when you don't have a full picture to compare it to the global economy as a whole is huge issue here.

As an aside, people also need to understand that there are economic cycles for a reason. Recessions are 100% necessary for a strong economy just like drops in the stock market are needed for a strong stock market. They act to reset Imbalances and get rid of inefficiencies. Thinking they need to be avoided at all costs like most Americans do is ignorant because you cannot have an economy continue to grow properly without these and the longer you go in between them, the higher the chance grows that when it happens it's going to be orders of magnitudes worse than it would if you had multiple small ones.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

As if the money supply didn't increase exponentially during Covid...

 

[BackInTheGame78]

As if the money supply didn't increase exponentially during Covid...

It increased across the globe.

 

[sangheilios]

@Solomon and @SW15

I think we are in the very early stages of American society/culture transitioning back to more traditional and conservative values/beliefs.

I was recently studying this data actually, which shows the stats of children being born to unwed mothers.....basically over the last 20 years we can see a trend where this was increasingly becoming more the norm.

Percent of Babies Born to Unmarried Mothers by State

Some thoughts and feelings I am noticing that are common with young adults, 18-25ish, I did not pick up on when I was in their age range. There seems to be way more thought put into things like student debt or even whether college is worth it at all, not that long ago this thought was never questioned. I've also had several conversations with Gen Z males through 2024 about their thoughts on the dating market, which shows a trend towards valuing free time, hobbies and friends instead of chasing tail.

I'm also noticing a trend towards frugality in young adults that I don't recall seeing as much when I was in their age range. I think this is one huge reason why nightlife is showing signs of being on the decline. I'm not a drinker at all, but from what I remember pre COVID a group of friends could easily be spending well over $100 for a night out lol.

I think the one issue now though is that young men are starting to trend more conservative while women are still clinging on to leftist beliefs and values. I recall seeing data that young men actually valued family and traditional marriages more than women in their age range did, which is interesting. These guys would be better off moving to areas where they are more likely to run into conservative women, Boise Idaho would be a great example.

 

[SW15]

These guys would be better off moving to areas where they are more likely to run into conservative women, Boise Idaho would be a great example.

Many Californians have been moving to Boise recently. I don't think the dating culture is going to be as conservative there as a result.

Some thoughts and feelings I am noticing that are common with young adults, 18-25ish, I did not pick up on when I was in their age range. There seems to be way more thought put into things like student debt or even whether college is worth it at all, not that long ago this thought was never questioned. I've also had several conversations with Gen Z males through 2024 about their thoughts on the dating market, which shows a trend towards valuing free time, hobbies and friends instead of chasing tail.

I like the idea of questioning the value of a bachelor's degree. There were too many 4 year college graduates in the Millennial generation. A lot of Millennials found out that their bachelor's degrees didn't help them too much with finding quality white collar professional employment.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Many Californians have been moving to Boise recently. I don't think the dating culture is going to be as conservative there as a result.



I like the idea of questioning the value of a bachelor's degree. There were too many 4 year college graduates in the Millennial generation. A lot of Millennials found out that their bachelor's degrees didn't help them too much with finding quality white collar professional employment.

You almost have to question the value when you start doing the math of what these schools are charging and what you will owe at the end of the 4 years, plus interest.

You are talking 100+K in debt or more...there is almost no way that you can justify taking that sort of risk in the "hopes" you will make it up someday in the difference in income you could make getting a job in your field versus getting a different job. Unless you are studying to become a doctor or a lawyer or in some other really high paying profession.

On top of that you need to add the loss of income you'd make working full time for the 4 years you'd be in college versus only being able to work part time while going to school.

Conservatively, let's say another 50-70K over the 4 years you are losing.

So now you are trying to make up 150-170K over your lifetime. Plus interest being charged on loans that's going to add another 25K at least.

By the time it's all said and done you are looking at a difference of 200K you are going to need to make up over the course of your career by going to college versus not.

That's going to very difficult to impossible to do for the vast majority of people.

 

[SW15]

You almost have to question the value when you start doing the math of what these schools are charging and what you will owe at the end of the 4 years, plus interest.

You are talking 100+K in debt or more...there is almost no way that you can justify taking that sort of risk in the "hopes" you will make it up someday in the difference in income you could make getting a job in your field versus getting a different job. Unless you are studying to become a doctor or a lawyer or in some other really high paying profession.

On top of that you need to add the loss of income you'd make working full time for the 4 years you'd be in college versus only being able to work part time while going to school.

Conservatively, let's say another 50-70K over the 4 years you are losing.

So now you are trying to make up 150-170K over your lifetime. Plus interest being charged on loans that's going to add another 25K at least.

By the time it's all said and done you are looking at a difference of 200K you are going to need to make up over the course of your career by going to college versus not.

That's going to very difficult to impossible to do for the vast majority of people.

If a student is going to college to seek general business roles from a business/social sciences type bachelor's degree, then it becomes more difficult to justify the effort to get that degree. That's even true for getting a more affordable, in-state tuition bachelor's degree at a public university.

Getting a STEM degree is more justifiable. Doctor is part of STEM. Lawyers are well compensated, but that required a bachelor's + a 3 year advanced degree (JD). There's a risk with the JD path though. A lot of JD graduates have difficulty finding jobs in law after graduation, especially JD graduates from mid and lower tier schools.

When you do the math, finding a way to make up that $200k+ becomes difficult.

A lot of people with both bachelor's and advanced degrees spend a decade plus after graduation trying to have the career achievements to justify their degrees. I have commonly seen this with my Millennial contacts who graduated in the 2000s/early 2010s. College tuition had started to become expensive after 2000. Generation Z is also dealing with this as well.

Making the effort to justify an expensive degree program inhibits freedom in life.

It does affect all life choices, including choices made in the longer term mating environment.

 

[Bible_Belt]

a lot of JD graduates have difficulty finding jobs in law after graduation, especially JD graduates from mid and lower tier schools.

You don't even know. The degree marks you for life, and you can't be anything but a lawyer or maybe a politician/guvment worker. My neighbor has the same crappy law degree as me, practiced for a while but couldn't keep up with the costs of maintaining a license. Eventually she gave up, and at one point just wanted any minimum wage (high in my state) job, but she wasn't smart enough to lie on the applications. They all ask about your level of education. If you admit to the law degree, no one hires you. They think it's a setup for a lawsuit or scheme of some sort. After a few years, she finally got a job working for the same school that sold us that sh1tty degree. They are the only ones who wouldn't hold it against her.

 

[SW15]

The degree marks you for life, and you can't be anything but a lawyer or maybe a politician/guvment worker.

At one point in life, I was looking into getting a JD. I had concerns about this problem playing out in my life. That's why I decided against pursuing a law degree.

MBAs are also overrated degrees.

My neighbor has the same crappy law degree as me, practiced for a while but couldn't keep up with the costs of maintaining a license. Eventually she gave up, and at one point just wanted any minimum wage (high in my state) job, but she wasn't smart enough to lie on the applications. They all ask about your level of education.

It's possible to omit a degree on applications. I think that feels like a kick in the pants.

 

[Solomon]

I've noticed the men who tend to whine and complain the most are men who usually have of these below or more

• Awkward personality
• overweight
• broke
• incel behavior
• Negative mindset
• Poor verbal skills

In 2025 you wanna put yourself on the road to success if not you will have it infinitely harder as the game is being separated moreso in regards to the haves and the have nots.

After 2025 the only men who won't deal well with women will be classified as losers or incels and we already are starting to see that happening now ith the narrative

 

[SW15]

In the white collar professional working environment, there has been an explosion of layoffs in 2023 and 2024. There's a white collar recession going on right now. The job market for white collar workers right now is a lot like it was in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

The white collar recession is as big of an issue as inflation.

In my LinkedIn NewsFeed, I'm seeing so many posts about job losses and terrible job searches right now.

For females, that's not a big deal as female unemployment does not affect their SMV. Very little of a woman's SMV is tied into her job, though a lot of women have poured a lot into their careers and find themselves with an identity loss when they lose their jobs.

For males, a job loss is going to hurt their SMV. Most men are not able to apply the Roosh lessons from the early 2010s about getting laid while unemployed (see below).

Getting Laid While Unemployed And Living In Your Dad’s Basement

The typical unemployed unmarried guy loses his girlfriend during a white collar job search that often takes 6-12 months, depending on economic conditions. Many married unemployed guys also find themselves getting divorced due to being out of work.

Men should try to separate their SMVs from their employment status.