We've all been there. We meet someone for dinner, a drink, or a cup of coffee, and within the first five minutes we already know that this date is not going to work, much less a relationship afterwards. But ditching out once you're there is pretty tough to do without looking like you're blatantly lying, so how can you get out of there without leaving it awkward?

Unfortunately, there's not much you can do to get out of a date early, but if you're at a dinner, you can use the experience to plan your future dates—that is, establish a "no dinners" rule for most of your dates. Meet your dates for a date that's sure to last an hour or less. Getting a drink with someone is not only a quick endeavor, but it's less expensive than going out for a full dinner, which is especially nice in this economy.

If you are indeed stuck at a dinner with someone you know you won't see again, you owe it to being a decent human being to stick it out instead of bailing. Put yourself in their position—if you were out with someone and they decided mid-date that they absolutely had to leave and actually did, you would feel pretty crummy. Regardless of the fact that we all end up on a bad date here and there with someone we aren't clicking with at all, it's common courtesy to finish out the date. After the date is over, if the person is still clueless as to your feelings about them, then you can let them know how you feel. But leaving in the middle of a date just because you don't like someone is just plain rude.

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