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Dating Advice: 15 First-Date Dos and Don'ts

Singles, we asked some of our favorite dating writers for their advice on first-date faux pas you really should avoid and savvy moves you should use. No need to thank us when you score that second date.

1. DON'T get ahead of yourself. It's OK to get excited before you go out with someone new, but stay realistic. As pessimistic as this sounds, if your expectations are low, then a good date will be a welcome surprise and a bad date will be no biggie. -- DearSugar.com

2. DO be open to unexpected date ideas. A homemade meal, PBR, and Guitar Hero might be a better way to get to know each other than the standard restaurant and a movie. Plus, are you really going to ask someone to take you out for filets and the theater in this economy? -- Tom Miller, Tango's Daily Dish

3. DON'T go somewhere overflowing with eye candy. A while ago I took a girl out to brunch at a restaurant that is always brimming with beautiful hipsters. Naturally, there was a Kate Hudson look-alike sitting behind my date, right in my line of vision -- maintaining eye contact with my date has never been more of a struggle. -- Ryan Dodge, Single-ish

4. DO bring dental supplies with you. I once ordered a shredded beef burrito and there was a string of meat stuck in my teeth. I would've excused myself to the bathroom to fix it, but I hadn't brought my floss with me. So I sat there, not listening to him and going crazy. Now I bring mints, gum, spray, floss -- everything. Seriously. -- Erin Meanley, Single-ish

5. DON'T question his height. You question the 5'10" on his driver's license. Suspend your disbelief. Feel free to store it for something to make fun of later. -- Tom Miller, Tango's Daily Dish

6. DO have a positive attitude. I tried to plan a really neat first date -- something different. So I pick her up, and it's cold out, and the restaurant I was going to take her to is closed. We're in an abandoned area, and it's cold; I'm not looking so good right now. Finally we find a place to eat, except the menu is all in Korean. We point to something and what comes out tastes like rubber chicken. Then, when we get to the bowling alley, it seems like we're the only non-gang members there. But it was an amazing date because she was cool. Her positive attitude dictated how the date would go. -- Evan Marc Katz, dating coach and author of "Why You're Still Single"

7. DON'T turn your dates into therapy sessions. My friend Isabel just had the worst year of her life: She had foreclosed on her house and was in serious debt. Whenever she was out with a guy, she would unload all her frustrations right on his plate! No one wants to hear you ramble on about your sick cat, annoying boss, or stalker ex-boyfriend. If she was hoping for a second date, Isabel should've asked more questions and done more listening than talking. -- Jess McCann, dating author of "You Lost Him at Hello"

8. DO order a big-girl meal. Do you really think a puny salad will hold you over all night? -- The Frisky

9. DON'T psychoanalyze your date. A guy once got all Freud on me and asked me if I had trouble getting close to men because of my relationship with my father. Totally inappropriate, considering we'd just met. -- The Frisky

10. DO call a friend for a pep talk. If you're suffering from first-date jitters, ring a friend for a few words of encouragement before you meet the guy. Before my first dates, you'd always find me in a cab on the phone with my mom, with her telling me the guy would be crazy not to adore me. Even though she had to say that (she is my mom), a few positive words made me walk into my date with confidence. -- Joanna Goddard, Smitten

11. DON'T get too personal. One woman on our message boards reminisced about a guy who asked her how many kids she wanted. "I'm hoping for at least one little girl," he added. Sweet... yet a tad premature. Another woman wanted to know if it was normal that a guy asked her about her credit score and credit limit. Yeah, not normal. -- Josey Miller, iVillage

12. DO discuss issues that are important to you. Why wait to find out that the two of you don't see eye to eye on something you feel passionately about? -- The Frisky

13. DON'T talk about your ex. No good can come of this! You'll seem either bitter, heartless, or still hung-up -- and any one of these is a huge turnoff. -- Em and Lo, Daily Bedpost

14. DO break the dating rules. If you want to call him, call -- he'll appreciate it. If you want to make the first move, do it -- why not! -- DearSugar.com

15. DON'T let him take you to a second location if you don't like him. Too often, I politely follow the guy to another bar, and another, when really I just want to go home and read. It's better for both of you if you just speak up. -- Erin Meanley, Single-ish

Source: Lindsey Unterberger, Glamour

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Washingtonblonde

Good post Beans.. But what's wrong with the credit question?? I was once getting involved with a guy then found out later he had HOOOOORIBLE credit - including a ton of collections.. Sorry but that's just baggage I don't have room for.

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Mikercw

I could def. agree on some of those!!

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