The Cost/Benefit Analysis Of A Professional vs. Trying To Date

One of the people I know at work has gotten very...upset about the whole dating situation. On divorce #3, and the last two were not pretty. And, damned if he's got a point that makes perfect sense.

According to him, it is cheaper to hire a high-quality professional lady of negotiable virtue vs. dating, for the following reasons-

• On average, a high-quality prostitute is going to cost you about $100/half hour. This provides you a guarentee of sex, and a half-hour's worth of uninterrupted attention.
• On average, you can spend about $100 at most bars, buying drinks for women, and at the end of the night, you'll probably go home alone.
• Most women in a relationship will not have sex with you prior to the fourth date. So, assuming you buy dinner and a movie (I don't care what the feminists say-if I'm dating you, I'm buying dinner), you'll probably spend about $50-60 per date. Four dates...$200-240. At least. And that still means you may be short of nookie.
• And, don't forget any incidental costs-dating sites, cost depreciation of driving, flowers, cards, gifts, etc, etc...

So, to him, if all you want is to get your wicket sticky, a good professional is worth the cost vs. a relationship. He actually did a cost/benefit analysis of this, and added other costs to show that it was effective to get a professional vs. a "relationship".

Of course, I think he's full of it, but my love life or lack thereof makes me wonder if he's right. That I think he's wrong is no reason why not to consider his hypothesis. Or at least have serious questions to ask about how relationships and their progress happens. I want to prove him wrong, and hard and painfully. With some luck and good timing, I will.