Taking off where I left off yesterday with your sample list of errands to run this week, ladies. Of course, your own list of errands will vary. You will add more items as well as delete some of the sample items I provided for illustrative purposes. Most of the examples I cited were for marriage minded single women, typically over about 35, 37, 40s and 50s. If you’re a little bit older or younger but serious about seeking a LTR Long Term Relationship, just adapt the list and locations to better suit where you are and your lifestyle, ok?
And then when I reply I find out they read my blog post and many others (thank you for following so faithfully. I do appreciate it.) only to find out they read my blog but never implement any of the action steps! Well, no wonder you are still single. That is like all of us who enjoy reading about exercising. I’m including that here to poke fun at myself, because I can tend towards that. To borrow from one of my followers, a single man in his 30s, “Now go implement!”
I hear from both single guys and women about how impossible/difficult it is to meet eligible singles where they live. Really, I have a lot of compassion for you for that. When I was single-never-married, I lived in San Francisco which in nationally believed to be “impossible” or certainly difficult for single heterosexual women to find eligible heterosexual men. However, literally more than 13,000 couples got marriage licenses in San Francisco, New York, Toronto, and Chicago last year and the year before. You could be one of those next year if you are truly motivated.
Well, to borrow the phrase from the Silicon Valley software companies where I have been a top-ranking sales woman, “We eat our own dog food.” The very dating tips which I provide to you for free and generously (over 400 articles to-date not including the radio appearances and conferences who invite me to present) are what I did to meet my husband. They are also what hundreds and thousands of former singles now married folks who I have worked with an also interviewed did to meet each other. They work.
Now, if you’re not motivated to get married and you’re just information gathering, that is perfectly fine. A lot of us want to gather good quality information before using it fully. You might be in your 20s and wanting to date more but not actually feeling ready to get married. Bless your heart. Read on! These action steps when you implement them will help you to meet more people and get more dates. Of course, they only work as you work them!
To pick up on our errands list, what about all those cleaning errands? Now implementing these two need not even extend your errand time drastically.
- Drop off dry cleaning
- Pick up dry cleaning
- Do Laundry
Dating Tip – Dry Cleaning
Drop off and Pick Dry Cleaning. Literally yes, I have interviewed couples who met at the Dry Cleaners, so this is not just a bright idea “to do” item with no track record. I have one single man who always wants to know if someone has married from the precise list of action steps he has from me. Yes, I can promise you with this one, couples have met and married from having met at the Dry Cleaners. While the numbers are great for all the marriages sourced from having met at the top quality paid internet dating sites, not every marriage starts there.
So, now is the time to leverage the Law of Large Numbers and go to the Dry Cleaners when it is busiest not when it is the least busy. That means first thing in the morning before work office hours (not all are open at 7:30 am, so adapt it to where you live) as well as right after work hours. Yes, this will add about 7 minutes to your errand. You might need to take a minute to get a parking space because they are so busy. And you might need to stand about in line waiting to pick up your clothes. Precisely! So is everyone else! Just chat. Find something to say, something to engage others in brief, friendly conversation. “How about those Bruins! They really are playing well in the Stanley cup Eastern division semi-finals!” Or if you are in the Los Angeles area, you can just about always safely utter, “How about those Lakers!” Just utter a sentence or two offering the other person something kind and gracious to respond to you. Now just for some variety, every once in a while do stop by at an odd hour during the day or on the weekend just so you have the opportunity to meet others who keep entirely different hours than you do. By doing so, you maximize your opportunities for finding and attracting love. Often it is someone whose life and schedule complements ours by being a bit different than we are who meshes us best for lasting love. Happily married couples often just giggle and laugh knowingly about how apt that is for describing their relationship. In a relationship, we all need to adapt a little.
Dating Tip – Doing Your Laundry
You might have a washer dryer in your house or in your apartment unit. That’s great. This tip is for the singles who need to use the machines either in their apartment complex or who don’t have any in their apartment area. Even if you do have a washer dryer in your apartment complex, sometimes there is only 1 set of machines and you are always waiting to use it. Go to a laundromat. Be on the look out for those fun laundromats which have a coffee bar attached to them along with a television set. Those laundromats attract singles who want to connect with and meet other people. That is precisely what they are designed to do. You might spend more time at this laundromat getting your laundry done, so I am not suggesting you do your laundry there every week. However, aim to enjoy their facility about once per month. You will certainly meet others. You can always ask the cute girl what kind of laundry soap she prefers or for advise about folding your t-shirts. “Does it really matter if I tri-fold them? Can’t I just fold it down the middle?”
As you practice shifting your mind set to maximizing meeting new people, you will both go more dates and have more fun, you will also be establishing a fun habit that will serve you to bring elements of “newness” into you life for years to come. And that is an attribute of long term relationship success and happiness!
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Marriage Minded Dating and Relationship Expert
Scott Sylvan Bell says
May 3, 2010 at 10:01 PMAloha April, Just to drop a note another cool place to meet people is at the local gardening supply stores small or big. Typically mean people are not into gardening and can appreciate beauty, yes even the guys. As a side note my favorite flowers in no particular order are: Hibiscus, Plumeria and the Phalaenopsis.
Scott Sylvan Bell
Now go implement!
Shane says
May 4, 2010 at 1:37 AMI’ve met some pretty girls at the Laundromat before. I would ask, “Is it true that I shouldn’t wash white shirts, white underwear and white socks with something red?”
Shane
Eileen O'Neill says
May 4, 2010 at 5:13 AMApril, another good place to meet nice people is out walking the dog. I don’t own a dog, but I sure meet lots of nice people out walking theirs… and I find most of them love chatting…. to start the conversation – just make a comment about their lovely dog. What do you think?
Eileen
Tim Van Milligan says
May 4, 2010 at 6:37 AMAll I can think of when you mentioned laundromat was boxers or briefs? It is a good way to find out if you are into that.
Tim Van Milligan, helping you Make Money Online, God’s Way!
April Braswell says
May 4, 2010 at 8:15 AMHi Tim,
Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting. You are so drole to say that!
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April
Sabrina Peterson says
May 4, 2010 at 8:19 AMApril,
Some of those singles need(ed) to hear you call them out for lack of effort though you give them the tools.
And you have done what you coach others to do with much success so you are a role model to them. I’ve tried to send my girlfriends to your blog but not sure how many have seen it.
Sabrina Peterson, NASM CPT,CES
Corrective Exercise for Every Body
April Braswell says
May 4, 2010 at 11:01 AMHi Sabrina,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting and for sharing this resource with your single girlfriends. One easy way for them to stay up to-date is just to subscribe to my ezine. Here’s the link which you’re of course welcome to share with them: https://www.aprilbraswell.com/Subscribe.html
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April
Sonya Lenzo says
May 4, 2010 at 11:54 AMI love it when people say “give me another idea” when they haven’t tried the best 250 you have already given them!
Sonya Lenzo
Trisha Chambers says
May 4, 2010 at 12:49 PM…..and guys that dry clean their shirts are usually more attentive to how they look and care about themselves.
Mark says
May 4, 2010 at 4:17 PMApril, I have a friend that runs a laundermat (not a cool coffee bar one) and he said he is surprised how many people hook up and end up dating from meeting and talking during loads. Sounds like your idea is pretty sound.
Mark
Direct Selling Advice, Leveraging Relationships for Long-term Profit
Lisa McLellan says
May 4, 2010 at 5:12 PMI love when you tell your audience it’s ok if they are just gathering information. I tell new moms to do this all the time. I tell them to read and listen to whatever advice they can get and then use what sounds logical to them. I remind them that everything has worked for somebody but nothing works for everybody.
Babysitting Services, Nanny Services, Nanny Agencies
Mike Norris says
May 4, 2010 at 5:34 PMNever thought about the laundromat to meet women. Maybe I will go trolling and see whats there.
Mike
Safety Is Everyones Business
bryan says
May 4, 2010 at 5:58 PMSome great ideas April….Your idea in the laundry mat is really good…Ask questions! Even if you are shy a good question or two will get the conversation rolling. And people love to give their opinion.
Rob Northrup says
May 5, 2010 at 2:57 AMDon’t you run the risk of being labelled a sexist neanderthal if you ask a woman questions about the laundry and soap and stuff?
Seize the Day,
Rob
Steve Chambers says
May 5, 2010 at 6:17 AMIf they’re at the dry cleaners they have a little cash, since dry cleaning isn’t cheap, plus they probably care more about their looks than those who stick to wash and wear.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Steve Chambers, Body Language Speaker
Michael D Walker says
May 5, 2010 at 12:02 PMI like the idea of chatting with someone while waiting to pick up your dry cleaning.
And to tie it in with another of your posts, you could always ask the person if they’ve ever been to a Scotch tasting event!
I like that I can tie 2 of your great tips into one!
Michael
The Success Secrets
Hezron says
May 5, 2010 at 3:37 PMYour column echos what my married colleagues told me one time “Go to the grocery store to meet single women”…each time I do
Onto a much more interesting subject, NBA and NHL playoffs!!!
michael c says
May 5, 2010 at 8:31 PMLaundry.
There is a really good laundrymat near my house that is always filled with cute girls.
I have never thought of going there.
It would be easy to ask to go to coffee and just get back before the laundry is done.
Michael
April Braswell says
May 5, 2010 at 10:42 PMHi Hezron,
Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting. Indeed, NHL Playoffs it is. Assume game face.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April
Lettie says
May 30, 2010 at 1:22 PMhelpful dating tips for us singles. What about where are all the single men?