Keep your head straight.

Prioritize your goals. Meeting a new guy, as awesome as it theoretically seems, should definitely not be numero uno on your list. No matter how much time and effort you dedicate to searching for your Prince Charming, it won’t pay off if that’s all your interested in. A) You will absolutely come off like that crazy girl from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—and guys just aren’t into that. B) It’s Murphy’s Law that whatever you want will find you exactly when you’re not looking for it. And, most importantly, C) Maintaining your circle of friends, hobbies, talents and already great life in general is what makes you an interesting person in the first place; if you want to meet an interesting guy, don’t you think he’ll have the same expectations of you?

Get Sexy (-er).

Whether you’re already a bona fide bombshell or you’re ready for a complete face/wardrobe/etc., overhaul, getting dressed up to the point where you look HAWT and you know it is an instant guy magnet. Why is this? Well it’s more than your 4- inch stilettos and “ass jeans”—it’s the confidence you radiate knowing that you’re the bomb.com. So whatever you need to do to get yourself in the “You will worship the ground I walk on” frame of mind–be it a blowout, manicure, shopping spree or your favorite perfume—make it a habit before you go anywhere you think you may meet Mr. February 14th…and it could be somewhere you weren’t suspecting.

Location, Location, Location!

While getting wastey faced and shooting anything with testosterone your “sexy” bedroom eyes (more difficult to pull off than you’d think while inebriated!) was a perfectly effective method to reel in your midnight New Year’s kiss, it might not work when you’re setting your sights on something more than a one night stand. So skip the bars/club/ house party route and seek your dream boy somewhere outside the realm of beer goggles.

- Take advantage of the remaining New Year’s Resolutioners at the gym—but steer clear of the estrogen- overloaded ellipticals and head straight to the weight room. If you can get past the grunting, spray-tanned set (unless you’re into that) and check out the iron-pumping hotties, ask one that catches your eye to spot you. Bonus points if you have good form—maybe you can even give him a few pointers.

- Grab a girlfriend and go to a tennis court or indoor squash court. Not only do hot, sweaty guys abound , but you two will get to wear sweet outfits and get a fun workout in, regardless of if you meet anyone.

- Head over to good ol’ Starbucks, order yourself your favorite Venti and park yourself in the corner with a good book. Don’t get too absorbed though, and scan who enters every time the baristas welcome someone new; if he’s cute, give him a warm smile and pray he can’t find anywhere else to sit.

Carpe Diem!

When opportunity knocks, invite it in to curl up on the couch with you and watch the Dark Knight. When your best friend wants to set you up with her co-worker who mentioned a band you like, just let it happen. When your cute lab partner asks what your weekend plans are, bat those eyelashes while you tell him you may have some free time with his name on it. Keep an open mind and accept invitations you normally would pass on, for whatever reason. Even if you don’t meet your V-day partner, you may meet next year’s, or at least meet cool guys you otherwise never would have bothered with.

Whether you find someone before February 14th or not, living by some or all of these rules will pay off eventually. And if you don’t have a date on Cupid’s High Holy Day? Grab some Godiva and curl up with a nice slasher movie.

I love the fantasy version of dating where everything’s shrouded in a pink mist and it rains sunshine and daisies on you and your perfect mate. Music plays when you kiss, you’re wined and dined, showered with gift boxes from Tiffany’s… and everything’s fantastic because, duh, you’re in love. Or what Dane Cook refers to in many a sketch as “lerve.”

Clearly in Fantasyland there is no concept of money, which is the primary reason I would LOVE to move there and live happily ever after with Christian Bale.

Let’s face it, ladies, the dating game has gotten out of control with expenditures. If you’re doing distance, travel just to see the other person will cost you a small fortune. Between that, the upcoming holiday season, birthdays, anniversaries, Hallmark holidays and oh, remember the generic DATES you’re going on? Yeah those. They’re all costing you.

I admit, there’s nothing more fun than splurging a little on a date-night outfit, heading to a fancy schmancy dinner, going away for a weekend, or getting tickets to a concert or sporting event your new fling would die to see; it makes you happy to make other people happy, I get it. But frankly, unless you’re one of the those lucky bitches who have Mommy and Daddy as your personal piggy bank, odds are you’re young and broke. And more than likely – unless you’re dating up – so is the other person. (Note: Dating up would be the ideal way to do it if money is your concern… I don’t attract these guys, but if you have advice on how to do so, please comment away below. PLEASE.)

Sure, you want the great first impression to keep going, but is it worth getting yourself into debt to buy those Tory Burch boots for the perfect outfit, or box seats at that game? Hate to tell you, sweetie, but you don’t get reimbursed for cash spent while dating if you break up. And the bills really only make you bitter, which doesn’t make you too marketable for the next guy.

I’ve made the mistake many a time – seriously, just look at my credit history – and have a few suggestions for how to keep yourself and your credit card statements in check:

Chivalry is dead, go halvsies. Take turns visiting each other if you don’t live in the same place. If you do, have fun but spend within your means. My own record shows many a guy who had no problem letting me pay, which is fine if it’s for half, but I have yet to date someone who finds it necessary to pay my way all the time. If their situation is anything like mine, I try to appreciate that. Do what you’re comfortable with and what you can afford.

Start small with the gifts. I’m a huge fan of doing things we both can enjoy for birthdays, holidays, and the like. If you’re in the beginning of a relationship that might not be “the one,” well… it may not pay off in time, if that’s what you’re expecting. Talk with him about gifting and set a cap to your spending limit. It’s nice to do nice things for people, but, like your mom tells you, it’s really the thought that counts.

Do not, do not, do not try and buy his affection. He was attracted to you for a reason, so don’t think you need to buy him off to make up for a fight or to keep his interest. It’s not going to fix anything.

Level with him. Don’t play it off like it’s no big deal when you won’t be buying groceries for the next month after a really expensive date or weekend. If you really like this kid, tell the truth: expensive dates once in awhile are fine, but you’d love to keep it low key. It’s ultimately about the company you’re keeping, right?

Love is a many splendid (and expensive!) thing; spend wisely, ladies.

[photo courtesy of www.dating-weblog.com]

For Christmas one year, my first boyfriend shocked the hell out of me by buying me this beautiful emerald and diamond necklace set in white gold (because he knew how much I hated gold jewelry). I was stunned. And pissed because I had only gotten him a new nice set of knives and a copy of The Ladies Man on DVD. I honestly didn’t think we were close enough for jewelry, or that he even liked me enough to buy me something so obviously gorgeous and expensive.

Turns out, I was right. We broke up two months later amidst screaming fights and accusations and I couldn’t wear that damn necklace anymore, not because I didn’t like it, but because he had given it to me.

I wish ExBoyfriendJewelry.com had been around then, so something good could have come from the whole relationship debacle. On the website, not only can you sell the jewelry that the bastard (or that wonderful guy you f*cked over) gave you instead of giving it back, or throwing it away, or letting it sit in your creepy Jeff shrine, or whatever, but you can also buy jewelry from similarly situated women and give it, in a sense, new life.

Each item comes with its own delightful story about the boyfriend who bought it, like this gem from “FreefromFrank”: always wanted Tiffany jewelry from a boyfriend. Well, I finally got my wish but with some drama. Turns out he bought the same exact pieces for his WIFE! Doh!! He was married. She’s the one that told me all about it the day she called my office freaking out.

Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com presents itself as a welcoming, sympathetic alternative to a pawn shop or a consignment shop and it is, giving it’s patrons more than just a couple of bucks and some extra room in the jewelry box. Indeed, the site provides some comfort to the ex-girlfriends (and, the website insists, ex-boyfriends too) and shows them that they are not the only ones who are, perhaps, weighed down by lovely jewelry and not-so-lovely emotional baggage attached to it.