As gays and lesbians writing about money, we’ve grown weary of reading all the personal finance content that’s written from the perspective of straight marriages. So at Queercents, we’ve turned the tables on money and relationship advice by asking: What if all of our favorite money columnists were gay? Would their advice be more relevant to our lives?

We think the answer is yes! And as such, this is our weekly series called In Search of Gay Money where we reprint their advice by swapping out pronouns and a few other words to make it seem like everyone is queer!

The economics of love and happiness

By Tyler Cowen and Queercents

You may think economics is just about GDP and the Fed. But actually, it’s the science of weighing costs and benefits – which makes it also very useful for solving problems in everyday life. It’s not called a social science for nothing. Here are 4 ways to recession-proof your personal life:

1. How to win an argument with your partner
A partnership, like a lot of economic arrangements, is a long-term investment. It’s smarter to defer an immediate profit (proving to your partner that you’re more intelligent/ deserving/put upon) in order to gain a longer-lasting one (a partner who thinks you take his or her points seriously).

So in the middle of your next battle, stop and remember, ‘œThe chance that I am wrong is at least 50%.’ And ask yourself whether this particular fifty-fifty proposition is worth the certainty that you’ll steam your partner if you insist on winning. Then give in.

2. How to find a good restaurant in a strange city
Keep in mind just one simple principle: Competition raises quality and lowers price. Look for large numbers of restaurants of a similar kind ‘“ overpriced martinis in West Hollywood, Cuban food in Key West – where competition will work its magic. Avoid going to the restaurant on the main drag; the worst ones are those with a captive (or lazy) audience.

3. How to really help a charity
What you don’t want to do is send a check for $50 with a hint that you own a yacht. Because fund raising is so expensive, gay and lesbian nonprofits will probably end up spending more money on future solicitations than you’re worth. Minimize the costs of extracting a donation and processing it: Give one large amount to your favorite cause (e.g. AIDS research) rather than small sums to many.

4. How to get someone to fall in love with you
Join a dating service such as Chemistry.com that uses scientific formulas to tell a potential partner that you are a terrific match. The point is not that the formulas really work (who knows?) but that the users of the service believe they do – and therefore will be receptive to you. A lot about closing a deal, whether in business or romance, is simply being open to it. Ask Mike.