In romantic comedies, the cheap date always ignites the romance.

Shy couples suddenly find themselves staring into each other's eyes during a picnic, a walk in the park or a silly carnival ride. It's almost as if the simplicity of the date strips the pretense and evokes pangs of true love.

But the movies, as everyone knows, are a fantasy land of la-la endings. In real messy life, does a cheap date stir up breathless romance, or does it lead to sighs of disgust and murmurs of "cheapskate?"

We decided to explore the subjects of favorite cheap dates in deference to eye-bulging gas prices, rising grocery bills and shrinking discretionary household income. Readers sent us their favorite date for $30 or less and discussed the pros and cons of cheap dating.

Julie Dickson said her first date three years ago with her boyfriend, Christian Manders, was her favorite date -- a surprise boating expedition at Moraine State Park in Butler County that was simple, but imaginative.

And they did it for less than $30.

Miss Dickson, 30, of Dormont, said they rented a sailboat for roughly $20 for an hour and then spent maybe $5 for hot dogs and ice cream at Dairy Queen on the way home. (It may have gone up -- sailboat rentals are a two-hour minimum for $42, but you can get a kayak for $13 an hour.)

"I still joke that he took me to DQ on our first date, but it was the best so far and barely cost a thing."

Mr. Manders is now her fiance.

But some men say a first cheap date can be a risk.

Bill Hooton, whose favorite cheap date is a free outdoor movie at Schenley Park and a picnic dinner, would never go that route the first time he asks a woman out.

"If you suggest it too soon, one woman might view it as creative and intimate and two others might view it as the guy being cheap and not want to go out with him again," said Mr. Hooton, 42, of Scott, who pays for the woman on dates.

A Web site called askmen.com agrees with him. "If you consistently choose dates that are clearly dollar-challenged, the likelihood is high that your woman will begin to perceive you as a tightwad. That's not to say that you have to break the bank to win a woman's heart. Just know that there are occasions where the truly thoughtful and imaginative date may cost a bit more. If saving a few bucks on other ones gives you a better budget for such occasions, fine. But don't make the cheap date de rigueur."

Dating expert Nina Atwood said a cheap first date is OK for people who are really young -- high school, college students or just out of college -- but otherwise a warning sign for women. "A cheap date is OK if it is sprinkled in after nice dates. Otherwise it is a turnoff," said Ms. Atwood, a traditionalist on men paying and the author of "Temptations of the Single Girl: The Ten Dating Traps You Must Avoid."

But for the cash-starved there are always ways around spending little without appearing cheap, says Stephanie Steiger, 40, who runs a singles group in Butler. She advises male friends who are watching their money to take dates to an opening at an art gallery, where wine and pastries are free.

"You can't look cheap," Ms. Steiger said. "You don't take a girl to McDonald's. You take her to a gallery crawl, where you look like you are spending money but you really are not. You put a little culture into your life."

Another favorite cheap date is karaoke bowling at Arsenal Lanes in Lawrenceville at $9 per person on Friday nights. "It is an absolute blast," she said.

Of course, the whole notion of cheap dating is less dicey when the couple go dutch or they have been dating for years or are married. (There is nothing like a $40 baby-sitting bill to make a couple scramble for bargain night at the movies or a free gallery opening.)

Shannon Capellupo's favorite cheap date with her husband, Brian, is to rent bikes at North Park for $5 an hour for a few hours at the North Park Sports Shop, followed by snow cones and a pretzel or hot dog from the vendor.

"That allows us to have a nice three-hour date for less than $30. We're out in the beautiful weather, get some easy exercise, appreciate our local parks and most important -- it's a cheap date!"

Christine Commella's favorite cheap date is a day at the National Aviary ($9 per person) and a picnic lunch afterward in the park and then a quick stop at Gus and YaYa's cart for popcorn or a snow cone.

In fact, it was one of her early dates she had with the man she married. Although they are now divorced, Ms. Commella is still friends with her ex and thinks back fondly to that cheap date.

Summer is the easy time for cheap dates. Ebony Taylor of Penn Hills likes three games of miniature golf (for about $10 per person) and then ice cream afterward.

Some restaurants make for budget dating.

For a date less than $30, Carrie Lynn Harrison heads on a Saturday night to Anthony Jr.'s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Coraopolis, a neighborhood Italian restaurant where she gets a heaping plate of Scarface pasta -- penne with fresh mushrooms, white chicken breast and Alfredo sauce -- for $12.99. A couple can get pasta and drinks for less than $30, and then get free entertainment -- a Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond or other impersonator.

Dorothy A. Miller, author of "Rich/Poor Man's Guide to Pittsburgh," likes Penn Brewery or Max's Allegheny Tavern on the North Side, Union Grill in Oakland, and Tessaro's in Bloomfield as cheap dates -- especially if you order right.

Her other favorite cheap dates are a stroll on Mount Washington -- "still the best free thing in the city" -- and an ice cream cone afterward; a trip to the Carnegie International; a Friday night at The Andy Warhol Museum; a Hartwood Acres free concert and picnic; a trip to the zoo and any summer art festivals; and on and on and on.

"The summer is quite easy," she said. "You don't have to spend a lot of money."