I think the problem here also is that this also depends on the type of girl. I know it sucks to have to feel like you're spending money to keep a girl around, but in reality, you aren't doing that if you aren't giving off that vibe. The key is to make sure you pay but don't make a big fuss out of it either way. The bill comes, you take out your wallet, put down money, and hand it to the waiter, without much more than a blink of an eye. Even better if you do it while you talk to her, so that she doesn't offer to pay until it's too late, and you sort of chalk it up as being too much of a hassle if you have to calculate the bill. Basically, this shows that you're not cheap, you don't put such a high value on money (thus you can't be "buying" her since you don't put money on high priority) but are appealing to the whole aura that you are independent and able to provide if necessary.
Anyways, before I put too much thought into this, I think that we all have to sort of make less of a deal out of this. I can't believe that a girl will end up not liking a guy because he paid for her. I think it's great if she'll pay, but sometimes you just pay because it becomes something little that goes a long way. Just don't go out and buy her a $100 dinner before you even know her. Then that reaches the point where you're trying to "buy" her. If you spend a reasonable amount that isn't too extravagant, I can't see the harm in that.
Anyways, before I put too much thought into this, I think that we all have to sort of make less of a deal out of this. I can't believe that a girl will end up not liking a guy because he paid for her. I think it's great if she'll pay, but sometimes you just pay because it becomes something little that goes a long way. Just don't go out and buy her a $100 dinner before you even know her. Then that reaches the point where you're trying to "buy" her. If you spend a reasonable amount that isn't too extravagant, I can't see the harm in that.
