When a first date means a walk, cutting chai and street food instead of a Rs. 5,000 dinner, romance may be getting real. As eating out and socialising become pricier, more Indians are rethinking what a date needs to cost. Enter infladating, or dateflation: spending less on an outing without necessarily putting less effort into the connection.
Twenty-seven-year-old researcher Tanisha Mahanta says that with people often going through several first dates before finding a relationship, the economics of infladating are harder to ignore. “It’s quite rational, and I already apply it in my relationship.” She sees little reason for every date to leave a `5,000-6,000 dent in the wallet and prefers “cheap thrills”—walks, local food stops and spontaneous outings.
The appeal goes beyond thrift. Without elaborate settings and the pressure to impress, dating becomes a better test of chemistry. “It ultimately helps a relationship grow,” she smiles.
For matchmaker and relationship coach Radhika Mohta, the trend reflects inflation, the frequency of first dates and a growing reluctance to let money define romance. The shift comes as India’s dating market expands. Redseer estimates that the online dating segment could reach `2,000-2,500 crore by 2030, growing at 9-10 per cent annually. Social media adds another layer of pressure, serving up surprise dates, flowers, holidays and picture-perfect evenings as benchmarks for romance. Relationship coach Monika Vasal sees a shift beneath this performance. “There seems to be a growing shift from ‘How impressive is this relationship?’ to ‘How does this relationship actually feel?’” she says.
That distinction also challenges assumptions about effort. “Effort and expenditure are not the same thing,” Vasal adds. “A person can spend a lot of money and put very little thought into the date. Someone else can spend very little and make you feel deeply considered.” Financial compatibility matters, too. Partners may have different attitudes towards spending, saving and paying for experiences. “It tells you a lot about how two people look at responsibility, security, independence, the future and even what they consider a good lifestyle,” says Vasal.
Ultimately, spending cannot guarantee connection. Infladating is not a rejection of expensive dinners or grand gestures, but of the idea that the bill proves romantic intent. A date can cost `40 or `4,000 and still leave the same question: Did the two people enjoy being together? If yes, perhaps spending less has not reduced the romance. It has simply removed some of the noise around it.