I've had a strange mish-mash of dates since then.

I met a musician on tour in Ballarat - who I think was more interested in his guitar.

Then there was a guy who had spent a year in Italy and was constantly teaching me dirty words in Italian.

I spent a random evening wining and dining in Melbourne with a blast from the past who I knew years ago in school.

I also had my first date with a guy from Ballarat.

It was going really well.

He picked me up and we drove to the restaurant. Witty banter and seamless conversation followed.

We sat down at the restaurant and the waiter brought us the wine list and poured us a glass of water each.

An honest mistake, he knocked over his glass and water flowed across the table.

It happened so fast and I managed to squeak and jump out of the way but I watched the mortification creep across his face as the water splashed, almost in slow motion, onto my lap.

I laughed and told him it was no big deal but it was obvious that this was not the impression he wanted to make within the first 30 seconds of our first date.

The waiter swooped in with extra napkins to help us soak up the water and was lovely by pretending to start the night all over again, welcoming us for the second time that evening.

We moved past it and the rest of the night was fantastic, but he hates it whenever I bring it up.

But this foray of mine into dating has given me a whole new appreciation for guys who insist on paying for everything on the first date.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's fantastic to know that chivalry is not dead, but the costs can quickly spiral out of control.

Last week I took a girl I used to tutor to the movies for her birthday - my shout.

Two tickets, two choc-tops and two drinks later I was down $50.

Think back to my first blog - do you have any idea how many pairs of fishnets $50 would buy?

If the average guy goes on 10 to 12 first dates a year, he's looking at about a $1000 spent annually on dating alone, not to mention flowers and all that other dating paraphernalia.

My friend Emily gave me a good solution to feeling guilty about guys breaking the bank to take a girl out for dinner and a movie.

She used to slip money into her ex-boyfriend's glove-box in his car, which he'd find days or weeks later and assume was his.

Without him realising, she was lining his wallet, all the while he continued to take her out and pay for everything.

So I'll continue dating. I'll be a classy coquette, let him pay for drinks, splash out on a movie - but when $20 notes start appearing in his car I'll play dumb.

Chivalry certainly isn't dead, it's just that now the girls are playing the game.