He Says His Girlfriend Is Demanding And It's Starting To Hit His Budget. 'Ramsey Show' Host Says, 'It Costs Money to Have a Girlfriend'
Wed, September 23, 2026 at 2:00 AM GMT+3 7 min read
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Dating can get expensive surprisingly fast, especially when you're trying to impress someone. One man said the woman he once considered a "low-maintenance girlfriend" has gradually become a much bigger part of his monthly budget. Dinners, coffee, gifts and other extras are now forcing him to pull money from other spending categories.
Chris from San Diego explained the problem on a recent episode of "The Ramsey Show." As the relationship has become more serious, he said his restaurant budget has essentially become his girlfriend budget. But there's an important catch: His girlfriend isn't demanding the spending. Chris admitted he's choosing to do most of it himself.
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'It Costs Money to Have a Girlfriend'
During her finals, Chris started buying her coffee every day because she was tired. Then came her birthday, when he spent roughly $450 to $500 on a spa package.
Co-host George Kamel immediately saw one problem with starting that big. "You just set the tone and the bar, 'cause now next birthday it's got to be at least 500 bucks' worth," he joked.
On the other hand, co-host Jade Warshaw was more sympathetic to the idea of spending money while dating. She said she believes in "wooing" and "wining and dining" during courtship.
"It costs money to have a girlfriend just like it costs money to have some of the other things you enjoy having," Warshaw said.
The bigger question was whether Chris could afford the level of spending he'd chosen.
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He has about $35,000 in debt outside his mortgage, along with roughly $100,000 in a certificate of deposit that he expects to access around July or August. His plan is to use the money to clear his debt and then start investing more aggressively.
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He's The One Blowing The Budget
Chris eventually admitted his girlfriend doesn't have particularly expensive tastes. Their schedules simply limit how much time they can spend together, so he feels pressure to make up for it by doing more when they are together.
"So you're trying to buy her love since you can't do it with your physical presence?" Kamel joked.
"I'm trying to," Chris replied.
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That gets to the real problem. Chris isn't dealing with someone demanding $500 birthday gifts and daily coffee. He's repeatedly choosing to spend beyond the amount he originally planned.
"You set the budget. You're the boss of the budget," Kamel told him. "So it's your job to say, 'All right, I'm going to spend $200 for this birthday and no more.' And then you figure out how to do that."
Warshaw suggested Chris be upfront with his girlfriend. He can still take her out, pick up the bill and make her feel special while explaining that he's working toward financial goals and can't spend freely every week. That conversation should be particularly understandable considering Chris said his girlfriend was the one who introduced him to Dave Ramsey's financial advice.
Is the answer to stop spending money on his girlfriend, or is it to decide how much he can actually afford to spend on dating – and stick to it?
Image: Shutterstock
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