London, May 30 (IANS) The average man spends about 24,000 pounds ($39,500) on his lady love before getting married, a British study has found.

In a ‘typical courtship’ of about three years and 10 months, unmarried men spend up to 6,367 pounds a year, on holidays and dinner dates, says the poll of 2,000 men by card and gift company Me To You.

The study found that single men spend 761 pounds on a summer holiday and 94 pounds per month just taking their women out to dinner. Romantic nights cost 205 pounds a month.

‘It’s easy to see how costs can escalate particularly for those who insist on paying the bill every time. But nothing says ‘I love you’ like a few carefully chosen words,’ spokeswoman Caroline Weaver was quoted as saying by the Daily Express.