“When I was online dating, I went on a ton of Hinge dates, like maybe two first dates a week, that never amounted to much. Eventually I took the advice of my best guy friend, who told me that if I really wanted to meet a guy who was serious about a long-term relationship, I had to pay to be on a dating site—the now-defunct How About We. (But paid dating sites today include Match, eHarmony, JDate, etc.) I matched with a very attractive, 6’4″ man who wanted to take me out for mac and cheese and wine—my soul mate, obvi. It’s been five and a half years since that date and I’ve never logged back in. We got married four months ago!” —Meredith G., 31, New York City