Hmm well it feels like a pretty standard case to me of "she has options, you don't"... but giving your viewpoint the benefit of the doubt... umm well you've just got to stop investing in the relationship and if she invests then you match that investment.
Problem is this is easier said than done... for instance sitting at home thinking about her and wondering why you aren't hanging out and what she's doing... that's investment. You think she is matching that investment? Nope. Cos she'd just pick up the phone, suggest a hangout and you'd agree right?
Given the near-impossibility of matching your investment levels as things are now, you gotta do something drastic bro, I mean lets face it, what you are doing now is not working and having the opposite effect to what you want right? What would you suggest to do about it?
To explain what I mean let me describe a sticking point that's been plaguing me for a while...
I meet a girl in a club on the dancefloor, introduce myself, exchange some basic info and we dance and grind for a bit. I'm having a great time and I just want to keep dancing and grinding with her. However, after a while she gets bored and turns back to her friends. I've proved myself to be a bit of fun to play with, but basically an orbiter.
So what I have to do is, when things are going well, grow some balls and say "okay lets go to the bar for a drink..." or "okay lets go outside so we can sit down and talk a bit..." and likely she's gonna say "oh no I have to stay with my friends" and I'm gonna go off and do that thing by myself (even though I would have preferred to stay dancing with her)... but sometimes she's gonna say "okay let's go" or just follow me. Those are the ones you want
Let's relate this to your situation shall we... so you've started a relationship which sounds pretty standard type (for a non GC reader) and you've had some fun together (dancing)... but you feel things are getting a bit same same and she's reducing contact (turns back to her friends)... time to take action and put her in a situation where she has to invest or lose you (let's go to the bar)... from what you describe she probably won't invest, but that's a
good thing. It's called screening. It prevents you wasting time on women who jerk you around.
Let's look at it from another perspective too. As I keep telling my mistress who is unhappily married to another guy... and wants to make her marriage work... she needs to be willing to walk away.
This does not mean she will actually have to walk away, just that she has to be
genuinely willing to. That's the only way you can have any kind of negotiating position. Well, she hasn't acted on this advice and as a result, she's still unhappily married... I would say to him "I'm not happy with how things are... these are my needs... I still love you, but if my needs aren't being met then I will have to look elsewhere". In your case I wouldn't advocate the exact same approach cos it would look needy, instead you have to show it through actions instead of words.
Breaking up and offering her FWB would also be helpful for your situation wrt. paying for dates... if you hangout as friends you could just say "half and half?" when you order and if she doesn't agree, don't order and go home. If she cuts up rough you'd just say "well given we're not in a relationship anymore I don't see it's really reasonable to expect me to pay for stuff".
cheers, Ray
PS Having said all that, the best thing you could possibly do is get your life back by taking a long break from her and meeting a shit ton more women. But I appreciate you don't want that.