Is your boyfriend banking on love or money?

According to a British poll, the average angers male shells out close to 24,000 pounds (approximately 17.5 lakhs) in a less than four-year courtship period. Find out how the average Mumbai male fares in the sweetheart sweepstakes



The average man spends roughly 24,000 pounds (approx Rs 17.5 lakhs), or 6,367 pounds a year, on dinner dates and holidays during a 'typical courtship' period lasting three years and 10 months, according to a recent British poll that surveyed 2,000 men. The Guide speaks to a few youngsters to find out how much their love costs them.



Money can't buy me love
On his first Valentine's Day with then-girlfriend Sarah Larson, actor George Clooney shelled out an impressive ufffd20,000 in 2008. Clooney treated Sarah to a night at the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Playboy Tower in Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort. The 9,000 square-foot suite has an indoor waterfall, a rotating bed, a swimming pool, plasma TV, massage room, exercise room, sauna and two bedrooms. Clooney also treated Larson to a romantic dinner at Vegas hotspot Nove, and then took her to a Cirque du Soleil show. PIC/AFP

My love is priceless
Lyndon Pinto, 23, PR professional
On an average, I think I spend slightly above Rs 10,000 per month on my girlfriend. I like paying for her and buying her gifts. We celebrate our anniversary every month. And every month I make it a point to buy her a gift. She does insist on paying, but as the man in the relationship I feel I should be the one taking care of all the expenses. So, to make her feel good, I let her pay for the travel sometimes. She likes clubbing, so we sometimes do that. We also go out to a lot of fancy places for dinner, as I like to make the occasion special.

Kunal Kulkarni, 22, works in a law firm
I have been in a steady relationship for the past three years. Movies and dinners constitute most of the expense. We go to the movies twice a week. Apart from that, there are gifts for special occasions, including Valentine's Day and birthdays, which adds up. It's tough to calculate, but I guess I spend around Rs 8,000 on her in a month. Though I don't buy gifts too often, I like getting her expensive stuff. I prefer to pay when we are out. I feel expenses should be completely on me. My most expensive gift to her has been a saree worth around Rs 12,000.

Jamshed Gandhi, 35, media professional
I guess traditionally men have always paid for women and that continues. I do end up paying a lot when I'm with my girlfriend, but it's nice, and I like doing it. It also makes the woman feel good. In my relationship, eating out constitutes the major chunk of expenses. We eat out almost every day. Then, there are travel expense like dropping her home, picking her up, going to restaurants and clubs, and so on. Holidays and weekend outings also constitute quite a bit. On an average, I spend about Rs 10,000 a month on the relationship. But, it's totally worth it.

Monthly expenditure:
Rs 11,000
Annual expenditure:
Rs 1.32 lakhs
(Rs 11,000 x 12 months)
Projected courtship expenditure:
Rs 5.06 lakhs
(Rs 11,000 x 46 months)

Monthly expenditure:
Rs 8,000
Annual expenditure:
Rs 96,000
(Rs 8,000 x 12 months)
Projected courtship expenditure:
Rs 4.41 lakhs
(Rs 8,000 x 46 months)

Monthly expenditure:
Rs 10,000
Annual expenditure:
Rs 1.2 lakhs
(Rs 10,000 x 12 months)
Projected courtship expenditure:
Rs 4.6 lakhs
(Rs 10,000 x 46 months)