to my mind, assuming you don't have a golddigger on your hands as Kontroller points out, money is all about ensuring that "dissonance" does not crop up early on in your relationship.
there was a infamous post from a well-respected member of the community who gave the deets of his date where he "itemized" the bill and had to change plans on the fly because the original destination (an aquarium, i believe) cost more than he expected.
to me, while it doesn't reflect poorly on a guy simply because he isn't rolling in money, the bigger problem is the level of dissonance and turbulance allowed to arise by not being able to make things go seemlessly or smoothly. the ambiance is ruined and things just don't have that warm feeling for the girl that you would expect them to have.
making a big production out things like bills, price of admissions, cab fare, etc is basically a DISTRACTION from what your overall objective should be. especially early on you should be non-verbally communicating to the woman that you are smooth, professional, and can conduct yourself in a dignified and experienced manner. your ability to successfully navigate these challenges with a minimum of turburlance says that
and money, in that way, helps.