Being single and pretty in NYC will get you fed very well, at least that is if you are as clever as one young woman who hatched a brilliant man to play a rolodex of men for a chance to live the high life.

Finding herself continuously going into debt just to stay afloat one young woman decided that if she was going to maintain an existence in NYC it would have to come down to sheer wit. That’s when she came up with her brilliant plan:

businessinsider: McGonagall started eating out five nights a week using a rotation of different guys she met through the dating site. McGonagall kept things simple—no more than five dates with the same guy.

Which immediately forces this author to wonder if a male would be able to play off this device as well or is the fact that in society it is understood the male is the presumed pursuer and such is held to the implicit understanding that ultimately he has to shell out money to get a chance to meet women. A notion very well understood by this one young woman..

The investment banker types were thrilled to woo her with extraordinary restaurants like the underground taqueria La Esquina and a Japanese restaurant, Megu, in Tribeca. One guy even took her to a champagne bar and purchased a $200 bottle.

McGonagall went from easily spending $500 a month on dinners alone to having someone else dole out an average of $60-plus per night. She also stopped eating lunch and opted for a light breakfast to save even more.

Hmm, not bad work if you can get it and by the looks of things there seems to be a lot of well to do courters who don’t mind exchanging gifts and dinners for the implicit trade in love and sex. Except not everybody is necessarily interested in the love or sex part.

Which raises the question what’s actually up for grabs here? Fraudulent behavior, opportunistic behavior on behalf of certain women or the ignorant behavior of many men whose deep pockets often protect them from the bitter truth that ultimately love isn’t what makes the world go around but an expense account, preferably a lavish dinner expense account.

Shouldn’t you start using match.com too?

Dating in the recession, has left a hole in my stomach.

Payola- How Women play Men.