Nearly one in three singles (31%) born between 1997 and 2012 admit they’ve gone on a date just for the free meal, according to an Intuit survey of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted in September.

The study found that money is increasingly shaping relationships, from date-night budgets to deciding who pays the bill.

Overall, 51% of Americans said they’re dating less due to economic concerns, with Gen Z hit hardest at 58%. Yet many are redefining a “good” date around affordability and creativity.

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“For Gen Z, financial habits and ambition are becoming part of the new love language,” said Ashleigh Ewald, a Georgia Tech public policy student in her twenties.

“Money and financial security have become major forces in dating because they represent stability.”

Many Gen Z singles say their dating lives are shaped by finances. (iStock)

Nearly half of Gen Z and millennials say they don’t feel financially secure, according to a Deloitte survey released earlier this year.

Ewald said inflation and cost-of-living pressures have made creative, budget-friendly dates more common, from home-cooked dinners to shared side hustles.

Almost half of Americans say the sweet spot for a first-date budget is between $50 and $100, Intuit found.

For 22-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, media professional Katie Fites, the trend rings true.

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“A girl’s gotta eat, but I wouldn’t go out with just anyone for a free meal,” Fites told Fox News Digital. “The risk usually outweighs the reward.”

She said she’s fine with splitting costs or even covering a round of drinks, but she expects effort in return.

Katie Fites told Fox News Digital that she “wouldn’t go out with just anyone for a free meal. The risk usually outweighs the reward.” (Katie Fites)

“If you can’t afford a $15 drink, don’t ask someone out,” she said. “I want to go out with someone ambitious who knows what they want. It doesn’t mean they have to make a lot of money, but they should have direction.”

Like many of her generation, Fites said she prefers low-pressure, affordable dates — grabbing coffee, walking on the beach or getting a drink instead of an expensive dinner.

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Jason Lee, founder of the relationship app LoveTrack, which provides date ideas, conversation starters and birthday and anniversary reminders, said members of Gen Z are more frugal and creative when it comes to date nights. Some of the most popular date ideas on the app are free or low-cost, such as scavenger hunts, picnics and movie nights at home, he said.

Licensed therapist Allison Guilbault, who counsels Gen Z clients in New York City, said splitting tabs, sharing Ubers and buying their own drinks has also become the standard.

“I don’t even think they notice if their date is cheap the way that my peers and I would absolutely notice,” the 44-year-old said.

Younger daters are more transparent about income, spending and saving, according to some experts. (iStock)

Money, however, often becomes the “third wheel,” according to Intuit. A third of Americans have ended a relationship over finances, and 44% of Gen Z daters say they’d only go out with someone who earns more than they do.

Sabrina Romanoff, a New York-based psychologist and relationship expert with dating app Hily, said these financial dynamics aren’t new, but they’ve intensified.

“Historically, women tended to date men of equal or greater education or income,” she said.

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Today, dating has become increasingly transactional, she added.

“In the past, a first date might have led to the hope of a future together or a potential relationship, whereas, now more cynical daters may have lower expectations, such as a free dinner or free drink.”

A Hily survey found that more than half — 57% of women and 63% of men — would stop seeing someone who can’t manage money responsibly, and about a third of women and 37% of men even find frugality attractive.

Nearly half of Gen Z and millennials say they don’t feel financially secure. (iStock)

“The goal of getting free meals, drinks or even vacations was prevalent when I was in college,” Guilbault said. She recalled the early 2000s “Sex and the City” era in New York City, when she and her friends would often hustle men to pick up the tab for dinner or drinks.

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For many young couples, financial independence has become the ultimate form of security. More than half keep separate accounts, preferring autonomy to joint control, Intuit found — and they don’t dance around the “money talk.”

“We’re asking the salary question when we get exclusive because we’ve learned that love doesn’t pay the rent,” said Gen Z money expert Taylor Price.

Talking about money early in a relationship isn’t taboo for Gen Z. (iStock)

“Money has always mattered in relationships, but for Gen Z, it’s been front and center from day one,” Price told Fox News Digital.

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“We’re the generation that graduated into a pandemic economy, watched inflation eat our paychecks and realized our parents’ financial playbook doesn’t work anymore.

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“A free meal isn’t just about the food,” she added. “It’s about one less transaction on a card that’s already running on high tabs.”

Deirdre Bardolf is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital.

The post Free meal is motivating nearly 1 in 3 singles to say 'yes' to date, new report finds appeared first on My Blog.

UTIs can occur with the introduction of bacteria, like E. coli, into the system, which can be caused by poor hygiene, sexual activity, inability to empty the bladder fully and other factors, according to experts.

New research from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and Kaiser Permanente Southern California has estimated that nearly one in five UTIs in Southern California stem from contaminated meat with strains of E. coli.

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The researchers proposed that this poses a “hidden foodborne risk to millions of people” across the U.S., as noted in a press release.

In the study, which was published in ASM Journals, researchers collected more than 5,700 individual E. coli samples from patients with UTIs, as well as retail meat samples in the same neighborhoods.

Meat contaminated with E. coli poses a “hidden foodborne risk to millions of people,” the researchers claimed. (iStock)

A genomic modeling approach was used to estimate whether each bacterial strain originated in humans or animals.

It was determined that 18% of UTIs were linked to E. coli strains of animal origin, known as foodborne UTIs. The highest-risk strains were most often found in chicken and turkey.

Residents living in low-income neighborhoods had a 60% higher risk of foodborne UTIs in comparison to those in wealthier areas. Women and the elderly were impacted the most.

More investigation is needed to “distinguish foodborne transmission from other possible exposures” and to research other areas and infection types, according to the researchers.

Bloodstream infections were not tested in this study, which is important in monitoring how UTIs progress to more dangerous infections, like sepsis.

Women and seniors are most impacted by UTIs through foodborne contamination. (iStock)

Lance B. Price, senior author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health at The George Washington University, commented in a statement that UTIs have “long been considered a personal health issue.”

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“But our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem,” he went on. “This opens up new avenues for prevention, especially for vulnerable communities that bear a disproportionate burden.”

Price suggested that this problem occurs across the U.S., despite this first study being conducted in Southern California.

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, the professor added that the rate of UTIs in this region was more than twice what had been detected in a previous study in Arizona.

“This is just one example of dangerous pathogens spreading to people through the food supply,” he said.

All meat should be completely cooked before it is consumed, according to experts. (iStock)

“They should also demand that food safety be a national priority — it’s impossible to make Americans healthy while making them sick with foodborne pathogens,” he said.

The George Washington researchers plan to explore interventions that could reduce the risk of foodborne infections.

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Meanwhile, to prevent sickness, Price recommends that people always assume that raw meat and poultry are contaminated with bacteria and to take precautions in the kitchen.

Safe practices include buying meat and poultry that is securely sealed, which can prevent leakage onto other groceries.

All meat and poultry should be thoroughly cooked, experts advise, and cross-contamination in the kitchen should be avoided. Hands and surfaces should be washed after preparing raw meat.

Sarah Little, vice president of communications for the Meat Institute in Virginia, wrote in a statement sent to Fox News Digital that this study makes “very big leaps without establishing actual exposure pathways.”

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“It does not account for other plausible sources, such as close contact with pets or transmission in dense urban environments, and doesn’t confirm whether participants even consumed meat or poultry,” she said.

“Because it’s limited to one community, the results can’t be generalized nationally. Meat and poultry remain safe, affordable and nutrient-dense foods when handled and cooked properly.”

Fox News Digital reached out to other U.S. meat associations for comment, including the National Chicken Council (NCC) and National Turkey Federation (NTF).

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

The post Contaminated meat blamed for rise in common urinary infections, experts warn appeared first on My Blog.

Residents of Detroit spend the largest share of their income on groceries — nearly 3.8% — followed closely by Cleveland and Birmingham, Alabama, according to a new report from personal finance website WalletHub. At the other end of the spectrum, residents in Fremont, California, spend less than 1%.

“In the cities where people spend the most money on groceries, residents often have low incomes on top of seeing high sticker prices on common grocery items,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub writer and analyst.

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Detroit and Cleveland have some of the lowest median household incomes in the country — $39,575 and $39,187, respectively, according to Data USA.

Cities with higher living costs such as San Francisco and San Jose, California, meanwhile, typically have higher incomes that balance out expenses.

Americans in some cities are spending nearly four times more of their income on groceries than others, according to a new study. (iStock)

The top five cities where residents spend the most on groceries are Detroit; Cleveland; Birmingham, Alabama; Newark, New Jersey; and Toledo, Ohio.

The five cities where residents spend the least are Fremont, California; San Jose, California; San Francisco; Irvine, California; and Gilbert, Arizona.

Grocery prices have climbed nearly 30% since before the COVID pandemic, according to federal data, and rose by as much as 0.6% between July and August, marking one of the largest monthly increases in the past three years.

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To conduct its survey, WalletHub selected 26 grocery items covering a broad range of common household items, including meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits, frozen food and cleaning products, Lupo told Fox News Digital.

Meat and dairy prices drive most of the grocery cost gaps nationwide, with items like chicken, milk and eggs varying sharply by region, Lupo said. Produce tends to fluctuate less, he said.

Meat prices are fueling the biggest differences in grocery costs across the country, a WalletHub analyst said. (iStock)

Those in lower-income cities like Detroit and Cleveland, said Lupo, feel a bigger squeeze because even modest grocery bills eat up a larger share of limited paychecks, while people in high-income cities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C., can better absorb inflated prices.

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Lupo said grocery prices have also risen more sharply in the Midwest and parts of the South than in many coastal cities.

“Midwest cities like Detroit and Cleveland and southern cities such as Birmingham show some of the highest grocery costs relative to income,” he said, adding that inflation and lower local wages play a big role. In high-cost coastal cities, higher incomes tend to offset the inflated prices.

Experts recommend comparing prices, choosing store brands and taking advantage of discount programs. (iStock)

He noted that the WalletHub analysis focused on 100 of the largest U.S. cities for which complete grocery cost data was available.

A spokesperson for Detroit declined to comment. Other recent reports have found that Detroit and Cleveland still rank among the most affordable cities in the U.S. based on overall living costs.

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Grocery prices have stabilized but at elevated levels, driven by inflation and supply constraints, Lupo said.

“Shoppers will need to rely on budgeting, discounts and smart buying to manage the increased costs,” he said.

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WalletHub’s experts also recommend sticking to a shopping list, joining store loyalty programs, buying generic products and comparing unit prices to avoid overspending.

Andrew Burnstine, an associate professor at Lynn University in Florida, told WalletHub the key to saving is planning meals, shopping with a list, comparing unit prices, choosing store brands and setting a firm grocery budget.

Buying in bulk at warehouse clubs can save money. (iStock)

Jeff Shockley, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, added that shoppers can cut costs by buying in bulk at warehouse clubs like Costco, taking advantage of discounts and loyalty programs and steering clear of impulse purchases.

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Dana DiPrima, the New York-based founder of the nonprofit For Farmers Movement, which supports American farmers, also recommended shopping seasonally and locally, buying and storing staples properly, sharing bulk purchases, seeking end-of-day or “ugly” produce deals — and using every part of the food, such as beet greens and carrot tops.

“At this time of year, you can also stock up on staples and things that you need all winter that store really well, like potatoes, carrots, onions and other roots,” DiPrima told Fox News Digital.

Deirdre Bardolf is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital.

The post Grocery bills in America: Here are the most and least expensive cities appeared first on My Blog.