The Ex Outlet

If you are single, undoubtedly someone has whispered (or shouted) at you that you need to join a dating website. If you are hesitant for any of the following reasons, we might have found a great dating website for you!

1. You are uncomfortable with the entire world searching for you and reading some of your most intimate lifestyle preferences and hidden desires. (Ones that you may have lied about for fear of judgement from the entire world)

2. You think that it’s tricky or extremely generic to ask the three things in life that you are the most thankful for on a dating website questionnaire. (#1 Family, #2 Friends, #3 Computer… #1 generic #2 boring, #3 thoughtless)

3. You hate wasting your time over the usual drinks with an extremely boring date that seemed good on paper and that really looks nothing like their profile picture. (And eww.. they just touched you)

4. You think that joining a dating website means that you have become desperate. (Time to face it. It’s 2011 and most of us don’t marry at 21 anymore. So, if it didn’t work out with your college sweetheart, you can either tell your friends that you met your husband/wife wasted at a bar or on a dating website… really no clear winner!)

If any of the above applies to you, than you should check out howaboutwe.com. It’s a dating website focused on setting up people that like to do the same thing. You can propose dates, “How about we go skiing on Saturday in VT…” or search dates you would like to go on. It’s like skipping the healthy low-cal salad that you order in public and going straight to the fridge for Ben & Jerry’s.

I’ve been perusing it the last two days and here is what I like:

1. I get just enough of the facts: You aren’t a smoker, you aren’t an alcoholic, and you’re Jewish, but your faith isn’t that important to you… Fantastic!

2. I get your personality: “Remind me to tell you about this story on our date” and “My mother would like you to know this about me”…tell me more about the REAL you and your personality than the three things that you are thankful for.

3. I get what you like to do: Drinks and Italian food: (No thanks) Touring a microbrewery and then drinking the beer: (Sounds fun) Kayaking on the east river: (Yes please!).

The best part is that if your date completely blows, at least you got to do something you wanted to do. While she/he may not be the love of your life, if you both like doing something out of the ordinary, chances are your date will not completely blow. And yes, for those of you that “a great personality” just won’t cut it, you can see your potential dates profile picture before agreeing to go on the date.

The only downside to this website is that it doesn’t work well for those in small towns. If you happen to live in a small town you can just pick up your phone and call someone you haven’t seen in a while and say “How about we…”