Money can buy you love.
How much money? $218.
That's the amount your average man will have to spend this Valentine's Day to get "lucky."
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No, this is not the cost of whoopee directly, because that's illegal (except in parts of Nevada). It's the cost of all the gifts and romance necessary to turn a woman's head in the game of love. The $218 figure comes from the dating website SeekingArrangement.com, a site specializing in bringing together Sugar Daddies with young hotties. Yes, such a business exists. "Let's face it," the website explains, "It's human nature for successful people to want younger and more attractive partners."
Nice.
Seeking Arrangement says it collected data from over 17,000 people and found that single men, naturally, spend the most for V-day, forking over $257 on average for "dinner or activity."
Married men spend $203, mostly for gifts, and those in committed relationships spend $180. Ladies, this is further proof that it's better to be married than in a "committed relationship."
"A single will put all his chips into the experience," says SeekingArrangement CEO Brandon Wade. "That shows a woman the potential of a relationship. Whereas a committed or married man tends to focus on the perfect present to show the value of their relationship." (One note: Wade's press release could use a little polishing. "Event those that dislike the holiday will purposefully go out in hopes of catching a last minute date." Hmmm.)
Source: Vermont Teddy Bear
World's most expensive teddy bear.
Still, $218 is a bargain compared to some Valentine's Day gifts. Vermont Teddy Bear is pitching the "The World's Most Expensive Valentine's Day Teddy Bear," which costs a whopping $30,000. Basically it's their normal oversized bear for women which you see in those ads proclaiming, "Size really does matter," except this bear also comes bearing a 5.9 carat diamond ring.
My thoughts?
Buy the ring, skip the bear. At 5.9 carats, no one is even going to remember the big guy. Also, the big bear kinda creeps me out. It's like the pervy talking teddy bear in the film, "Ted".
You can always go to the other extreme this year and have a DIY Valentine's Day. The Huffington Post has some suggestions, though you risk the possibility that the warm thoughts you put into your handmade gift will be overshadowed by the fact you spent $2 on it. "Oh, a heart-shaped bookmark made of felt, you shouldn't have!"
I could probably skip Valentine's Day altogether and the Hubbanator wouldn't mind. The pressure is really on him. I asked folks on Twitter how much they need to spend on the holiday to get the desired payoff. Results may vary…
It's on a sliding scale depending on which base I want land on. I was told a pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes from Neimans an homerun! -@grizvacation
Cost? A marriage certificate 20 years ago. :) -@aileenmarkowsky
3 bottles of wine, $75 relatively. Cooking materials, $60, Netflix $10… Hall & Oates Greatest Hits $15…. $160 right there. -@BumbaJK
Somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,000 round trip. :-( -@kastansell
Including legal fees? -@Guy34VE
—By CNBC's Jane Wells; Follow her on Twitter: @janewells
