That’s my mum – but I’m not like that. I have more than a sneaking suspicion that all time that she spends looking for a bargain might not be worth undoubted savings that she eventually makes.

For me, a change of job meant an imminent move from one side of country to other - and of course at very idea of having to search for a new home, I broke out in that familiar cold sweat.

But things have changed since my enforced childhood property searches. Now we have internet and things are very, very different. A friend recommended Bargain.com and I decided to sign up for their service at http://www.bargain.com/fe/homes/ and see how I’d get on. I wasn’t disappointed.

After dinner, I sat down in front of screen with my partner and logged on to site. I entered our new location and budget into search boxes and hey presto, there were over 40 properties for us to browse.

After some discussions and a bit of banter over a very pleasant glass of wine, we whittled our selections down to six properties – all from comfort of our own home.

All that was left was a trip to look round our chosen properties and a mercifully short negotiation as we settled on our final choice. I couldn’t have been more pleased.

That was three months ago and we’re settling in to our new neighborhood. I’m now getting even more value from my subscription by looking for a car on Bargain.com, http://www.bargain.com/fe/autos/. (Perhaps my bargain-hunting phobia is disappearing).

As for my mother, she’s just been for her first week-end visit.

Of course, mum being mum she asked all sorts of penetrating questions about our house buying experiences. She must have been impressed – her final question was, “Now, how do I find myself cheapest broadband connection in Portland?”

Really, have you ever gone out on a first date and found by end of date you were in some type of intimate encounter while you realized you didn’t even know where this person grew up? You maybe even didn’t know their last name in some cases. Doesn’t sound too nice, but it is a fact.

When you date online, you set boundaries. You get to know as much as they will share with you and if it is not enough, you never have to leave safety of your own home to meet them. When you do meet them, you already have information about them and their feelings that will nurture emotional needs we have as women. You would not usually have that offline.

The butterflies are still there. The excitement of meeting someone new and prospect of new love are still there. Instead of waiting for a phone to ring, you find yourself checking your emails more often. With right man on other end, you will never find your mailbox empty.