Guys, this one’s for you. No one wants to show up for a blind date, only to find the Geico Caveman sitting across the table. There are a few key elements you need to remember before meeting your date. That is, if you want to see them again.

The very top of this list is hygiene. You might laugh, but it is often overlooked. Before the big date, hit the drug store. Believe it or not, there is more than one kind of soap and deodorant. Yes, really. Shower, shave, and put a nice cologne on (the key word here is nice, not an olfactory receptor killing spray). You may be a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy, but on a first date, you really need to go the extra mile in order to make a good impression. Consider a shirt with buttons. On a side note, I cannot stress enough how much you need to leave the Hawaiian shirt at home…deep in the back recesses of your closet.

Money, a good thing to have. And, try and go to the ATM before the date. It shows that you took the time to plan for your date, and that it didn’t just “spring up” on you. First dates are not a time to have cash flow conversations. If you are the few these days that are actually rolling in the big bucks, keep it to yourself. No one likes a show-off. On the flip side, if you are less than stellar in the monetary department, keep that one on the down low as well. It shows acceptance of your current status and no ambition for change.

Drinking and dating don’t mix. Which means, let’s not get sloshed on the first date, and lay a path for disaster. If you are college age, alot of the spots you will tend to hang out will be campus bars. Drinking is alright, but just keep it in moderation. At the end of the evening, you want to make sure your date arrives home safely, and not where your date is putting cold wet towels on your neck while you talk to the porcelain gods. Alcohol can be a relaxant for blind date jitters, but just keep it to one or two.

Lastly, there’s the little white lies. Sure, on a first date, you want to appear exciting and interesting. But eventually the truth will come out, and then you will seem a little more of an annoyance then second date material. Just remember, your date is on a fact finding mission, and will stop at nothing to find out what dirt lies beneath your seemingly squeaky clean exterior. To avoid looking utterly stupid in the end, just be honest in the beginning.