My friends refer to me as a 'serial dater'.

This sounds a lot more appealing than it actually is. I'm not one for long-term relationships as I'm a total commitment phoebe with a peculiar taste in men. During my time dating I've learned a lot about first date etiquette and have come to discover many of the do's, don't and the mental checklist (these are the things I expect the guy to adhere to). A lot of these are things we'd never even consider when going out with our friends but, for some reason, it's things that girls will obsess over if it's a first date.

The outfit

Dressing for a date can be tricky as it depends on the venue and/or the activity. Every girl should invest in a good pair of mid-heel shoe boots. These are ideal as you can wear them with a skirt, a dress or trousers, and they're a lot easier to walk in than a pair of stilettos but they still sound classy because they make that clicky noise when you walk! For a dinner you should probably go for jeans or dressy trousers for comfort. If it's drinks, you should go for a skirt or a dress - with or without tights depending on the weather and the time of day.

The food/drinks

When ordering food I always make sure I pick something easy to eat: spaghetti all over your face isn't sexy. My favourite meal when I'm dining out is carbonara but I always ask for penne pasta instead - I've learned from my mistakes. If you're having drinks try to stick to fruit juice so you don't get gassy and burp in lover boy's face. Also, make sure you don't get too wasted. There's nothing worse than seeing a couple on a date and the girl is scraping her heels along the floor and hanging all over the guy like a cheap necklace.

The bill

This is the trickiest bit of all. Whether it's drinks, dinner, the cinema, bowling, ping-pong, whatever - you should always offer to pay for half. Don't try to pay for everything because that's a whole new level of desperate. A lot of the time the guy will want to pay and if he forces it enough, just let him pay because it probably means he's totally into you and a real gentleman. If he doesn't try to pay, he's probably not worth your money or your time. If he can't be bothered trying to impress you on your first date, he's never going to try and impress you.

Now you know the most vital basics, go forth and play the field!