I agree it wouldn't be a good signal for most women early on. I remember, a few months in a relationship, lightly making fun of some of her "cheap" behaviours

I agree it wouldn't be a good signal for most women early on. I remember, a few months in a relationship, lightly making fun of some of her "cheap" behaviours (which I really appreciated) and her getting very offended. At that point I realised I never communicated I was a massive cheapskate and I asked her if she thought she was more frugal than me. It turns out she thought so! I think I definitely proved I won the frugality contest, but I learnt over time to mask this to appear more interesting and charming. Money is not the only resource that count and that's worthy of optimising for; time and reputation are important as well.