It’s a fact of life that you will inevitably run into people who will use you to give them things they can’t otherwise get. It can be VIP treatment at the hottest clubs, blue chip connections in the business world or just someone to cry on when the going gets tough. The problem with this breed is that they can be so insidiously subtle. You never know they’re using you until you’ve exhausted all you can give. You know what’s worse than knowing a user? Dating a user! These users may often use you for sex or money or both. Sometimes they’ll count on you for other things like favors, social status and whatever gets their ego going. But the most common types of relationship users are those who take advantage of your body or your wallet. Here’s how you can tell if that’s who you’re dating. 1. A user wants to hang with you at strange hours Okay, so maybe the person you’re dating or having a fling with works odd hours or happens to be a night owl. But you’ll get to wonder what you can possibly do together at 2am on a weeknight. You can’t catch a movie, all the nice restaurants would be closed and the only friends you can hang out with are those who are already wasted.

2.  A user has inconsistent contact

In the last pointer, we mentioned that your dates consistently end in some nookie, or the next best thing. This is probably the most consistency you’ll get from this person aside from the line “let’s play it by ear.”

3. The user’s friends don’t even get to know you
The first time you meet your partner’s friends, it can be rather awkward. But if they can’t even recall your name or you only get to talk to them for ten minutes tops, this should get your alarm bells ringing.
4. Post-coital bliss becomes post-coital dismiss
One of the most telling signs that you’re being used in the relationship for sex is when you’ve just finished a hot lovemaking session, and your lover is already asking you to close the door on your way out. There doesn’t seem to be any room for cuddling or talking as they practically kick you out afterwards!
5. The user pays for the first dates, and then expects you to pay for the next
Apparently, this is a sly technique that users like to use in order to guilt-trip you into paying for future dates. They’ll blatantly show how generous they are and how much they’re spending on you so you’ll do the same for them.
6. The user always has a sob story that only money can solve
Your new squeeze’s grandmother/sister/uncle/second cousin twice removed, borrowed some money from them to pay for dental surgery and that’s why they’re broke. And the next week, you notice that they need money for an electrician, for a doctor’s appointment, for an ultrasound, to replace a faulty appliance, to take the dog to the vet, and a series of expenditures that they had never prepared for!
7. The user is too proud of your possessions Meeting your significant other’s friends is always a plus in our book. But you may notice that instead of being proud of your achievements and your qualities, the user highlights the fact that you have a fancy car, you live in the affluent part of town or you make six digits monthly! 8. The user has expensive taste There’s nothing wrong with expensive taste. Some people are just used to that sort of thing. But it will start to get alarming when your dates are always in five-star hotels, fine dining restaurants and trips to exotic locations. 9. The user isn’t motivated to earn money Maybe you dated your significant other for their sophistication and brains. But despite a diploma from a good college and the chops to succeed in their field, your partner doesn’t have the drive to work and earn their own money.