Lesson: Be a cheap date. In "Breakfast at Tiffany's," street-smart socialite Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) and struggling writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard) are both broke -- and both "kept." Holly lives off the money she gets from her dates (she also makes $100 a week by visiting an imprisoned mob boss and relaying drug intelligence). Paul relies on his married lover for financial support. As a result, the two don't have much cash between them when they hit the town on their first official date.

Dates aren't cheap, especially in New York, where a movie now averages $10.44 a ticket and wine $10.86 a bottle. Throw in dinner for two ($40 on average, says Zagat), and you're looking at a first-date price tag of $75 to $100 easy.

How can a couple court without incurring this kind of cost? By taking a page out of "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Instead of dinner and a movie, Holly and Paul hit the famous jewelry store to peruse the merchandise (and have a Cracker Jack ring engraved), then head off to the public library for some afternoon high jinks. After that, it's a stealth adventure at a local department store. You and your date might not want to make off with stolen property (Holly and Paul nick goofy dog and cat masks from the store), but their date -- which resulted in true love, mind you -- was a real steal.

For more ideas, see "10 hot dates in a bad economy."

Continued: "Confessions of a Shopaholic"