Confessions of a cheapskate Casanova

George P. Moya

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Confessions of a cheapskate Casanova
Being with too many girls at any given time can easily break the bank. But Romeo comes with up creative peso-pinching strategies.

MANILA, Philippines – A real-life Casanova, lover boy par excellence, and an ultimate man’s man? Meet Romeo*, who claims that over a period of about two decades, he has been involved with about 100 women – from one-night stands, to casual affairs, to serious relationships.

On the average, he simultaneously maintains relationships with as many as 5 women, lasting only about 4 months each.

Romeo’s womanizing ways began during his college days. Surprisingly, during his heyday, he celebrated Valentine’s Day with his family.

“When one of my girlfriends calls me on Valentine’s Day, she’ll be surprised to find out I’m at home with Mom and Dad. She will then think I’m a family-oriented guy. That’s extra pogi (brownie) points for me. And no one among them would suspect I was fooling around,” Romeo confessed.

“If you celebrate Valentine’s Day with one of them, whether it’s just a dinner date or a romantic rendezvous in a love hotel, chances are, you’ll get caught red-handed,” he added.

The seduction strategy, of course, has economic reasons, too. Being with too many girls at any given time can easily break the bank. But Romeo comes with up creative (read: cheapskate) peso-pinching strategies.

While expensive flower arrangements in mall-based shops can easily fetch about P12,000 ($271.19), Manila’s flower market are known for selling cheap flowers. But even at Sampaloc’s flower street, popularly referred to as “Dangwa,” there’s a 200% mark up for a bouquet of roses sold a day before Valentine’s. In fact, a dozen roses now sell for P800 ($18.08). On a regular day, they sell for about P350 ($7.91) only.

So flowers for his girlfriends are a post-Valentine treat. (READ: Love for hearts on Valentine’s Day and beyond)

DIVIDING HIS PACKAGE. Romeo buys flowers packaged with stuffed toys and balloons, divides the items, adds chocolates to the loot, and gives them to his girlfriends. Photo by George P. Moya

“Flowers are so much cheaper the day after V-Day,” said Romeo. “Flower shops are getting rid of their stocks. Bagsak-presyo (price drop).”

He actually buys flowers packed with stuffed toys and balloons, divides the items, adds chocolates to the loot, and gives them to his girlfriends. (READ: 50 date ideas for Valentine’s 2015)

“If you’re going to give everyone of them flowers, you’ll end up broke,” he said.

Romeo also schedules dinner dates with his girlfriends post-Valentine’s, usually meeting any one of them, every other night, a week after Valentine’s. He said the dinner date is just a prelude to motel trysts.

Revealing yet another penny-saving strategy, Romeo said cheapskate Casanovas can take advantage of promos offered by hotels. “You can get any one of those 3-day stay packages.

On the first day, bring a girl. Then, rest on the second day. And on the last day, bring another girl.”

But according to Romeo, the cheapest way is to just bring the girl home.

“As soon as I got a job, I got a bachelor’s pad. I turned it into a love nest,” he said. 

CHEAP DATE. Romeo even asks his girlfriends to pay for the hotel bill. The  taxi fare, too. Photo by George P. Moya

And like a real-life Don Juan, on nights when he ends up in a love hotel, he convinces his girlfriends to foot the bill. Sometimes, his girls even pay for the cab fare, too. 

“On the average, I’d say I’m in some motel somewhere at least once a month. But that’s when I’m paying,” Romeo claimed. He said the average increases exponentially when he takes into account the times when his women foot the bill.

Not celebrating V-Day may have proven to be an effective ploy for Romeo. But like any other Casanova who hops from one bed to another, juggling his time with 5 women at a time, D-Day is just waiting to happen.

“I got caught once in a mall in Makati. I was actually in a serious relationship then. That day, I was with girl No. 2. Then, I saw girl No. 3. So I asked girl No. 2 to go watch a movie. But when we came out of the cinema, girl No. 3 saw me with girl No. 2,” Romeo narrated. “A shouting match ensued. I just walked away and left them there.”

He has since learned his lesson and took extra precautions. He does not bring his own car when going to motels. He asks his dates to bring their cars. (READ: Why Valentine’s Day is good for your health)

“That’s what I call karma. You have a car, and you have a sugar mama,” he chuckled.

Romeo’s philandering days are now over. He’s happily married with two daughters. He still celebrates Valentine’s Day at home with his family. And on occasions that he does check into a hotel, it’s with his wife and kids. – Rappler.com

*Real name withheld upon request

**1 US$ = P44.25

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!