Alright ladies, it's date 4 and you've decided that the guy you're seeing isn't a serial killer.It's time to stop meeting in crowded public places, and let the dude pick you up from your apartment. If things go well, you might even invite him back up for a nightcap -- or a SportsCenter recap, either way. But, before you start planning your whole 'would you like to come up' line, there are a few things you need to make sure you've got handy in that humble abode. Think of it like the dating version of baby-proofing -- instead of covering outlets, you're making sure you're covered when it comes to the necessary apartment accoutrement required to maintain that whole sassy, successful single lady thing you've been selling since date one.
First of all, there are few truisms that are...well, truer, than that whole way-to-a-man's-heart thing. We all know there are certain organs that guys tend to defer to in times of need, and one of them really is their stomach. So
, a well stocked fridge is a must. I'm not saying you need to have homemade cookies and pot roast chilling on your shelves. Hell, you don't even need a real kitchen. But, you do need to have cold water, cold beer and a decent bottle of wine on hand. Depending on the type of guy you're going after, a nice bottle of whiskey couldn't hurt either. I've found that you can get a lot of bang for your buck out of Firestone Double Barrel Ale on the beer front, Barefoot Pinot Noir in the wine rack and Maker's Mark on the liquor shelf -- most guys love all three brands, and none of them will cost you more than a twenty. Have some chips and salsa in your cabinets -- if unopened, they keep forever -- and you're all set for a lovely post-date rendezvous on your couch.
While we're on the topic of booze, nothing is worse than pulling off the perfect wine purchase only to find yourself struggling with the cork while trying to maintain that whole smooth seductress vibe. So, make sure you invest in a decent wine opener and a bottle opener to boot. If you've got $30 to blow, check out The Rabbit (http://www.amazon.com/
Of course, once you
've got the food and booze covered, what else could a guy possibly want? Well, depending on how much wine you've downed, or how late your little post-date party went, there's a very good chance he'll want a cup of coffee. You know how that old book goes. If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want a glass of milk. If you give a guy enough booze, he'll probably need a cup of coffee. The easy solution to becoming your own barrista, impressing your date and saving the seven bucks you'd spend at Starbucks? My new favorite toy -- the Melitta one cup coffee brewer, which has all the cool science experiment appeal of a french press without any of the expense. In fact, I got mine for less than $10 at the Ralphs on Sunset. You can also buy them for $8 and change on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/So, now you've got the food, the booze and the caffeine all taken care of. All you have left to do now is hide those stuffed animals on your bed (save 'em for the fifth date), change the channel to ESPN and make sure you've got your shoe pyramid tucked away in a closet (save all hints of potential high maintenance-ness for the fifth date too). Then, it's time to find the last and possibly most important apartment accessory for us gals dating in LA -- a parking space for your man. Because nothing says 'I'm committed to seeing where this relationship goes' quite like 'I just fought that angry guy in the convertible so you would have a convenient place to put your Prius.'
Written by: Mollie Vandor - SpeedLA Dating Resident Blogger
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