Fun date nights don’t have to come at a great expense – here’s some creative ideas for inspiration.
Can you remember when you and your partner first kindled your love over romantic evenings together?
Romance probably seemed easier before becoming a family but that’s no excuse for skipping date night. Whether its a special occasion or a regular weekend night, hire a date night babysitter and share more special moments together.
And date nights don’t have to cost the earth – we’ve put put together 101 cheap date nights to give you some inspiration to get you started:
- Play Frisbee.
- Browse a secondhand store for new-to-you treasures.
- Head to happy hour – enjoying a drink or two together won’t break the bank.
- Ever play the game Name 5? Take turns calling out categories and seeing if the person can name five things that fit (five Tom Hanks movies, five pizzas topics, etc.).
- Take a yoga class that focuses on relaxing.
- Attend a poetry reading — you might even consider reading your own compositions.
- Collect shells at the beach.
- Take a bubble bath together.
- Have a special dinner at home. After the kids go to bed, dress up for late-night dinner in and bring out the fancy china.
- See a movie at a drive-in theater.
- Browse the stacks at the bookstore or library.
- Watch your wedding video.
- Visit free- or low-cost museums. Small-town museums often have low admission rates while large, city institutions often have free or pay-what-you-wish hours.
- Play 1-on-1 basketball.
- Go geocaching.
- Tackle a household project together.
- Drive through ritzy neighborhoods and look at the houses.
- Take photos of one another in a scenic location.
- Go birdwatching.
- Challenge each other to a video game competition.
- Browse a home-improvement store and dream about renovations you’d like to make someday.
- Draw pictures of one another — stick figures are allowed!
- Pick up a pizza and eat it in the park.
- Attend the zoo or the aquarium on a free day.
- Read aloud to one another from a book or magazine.
- Set up your own wine tasting, with several single-serving bottles.
- Have a lunch date. Many restaurants offer lunch-hour specials.
- Hike the trails at a nature preserve.
- Sing in a karaoke bar.
- Look through old photo albums.
- Roast marshmallows around a backyard fire pit.
- Take advantage of offers to try out free martial arts or exercise classes.
- Volunteer together.
- Go out for coffee.
- Participate in a local astronomy club’s stargazing event.
- Go sledding and warm up with hot cocoa afterward.
- Look through travel brochures and plan your next vacation (or your dream one).
- Hold a movie marathon.
- Go fishing.
- Dip fondue – strawberries, marshmallows or pretzels.
- Browse the farmer’s market.
- Rent a canoe.
- Go out for breakfast.
- Make a fancy popcorn recipe and eat it while you watch a movie.
- Attend a presentation at your local library.
- Play cards or board games.
- Go for a run.
- Snuggle in a backyard hammock.
- Cheer on the high school sports team.
- Bake cookies.
- Take a peek at homes in your community during real estate open houses.
- Camp at a state park, which often has lower fees than a privately owned facility.
- Drive around to look at holiday lights.
- Take a walk in the park – an easy way to enjoy each others’ company while getting some fresh air.
- Cook dinner together.
- Go for a scenic drive — especially nice when the autumn trees are in full color.
- Eat takeout by candlelight.
- Conduct a taste test. Drive to three or four local bakeries, pick up one chocolate chip cookie from each, then taste and rate them to decide which the best is.
- Stroll through a college campus.
- Visit a historic site in your area — admission is usually inexpensive.
- Go out for ice cream.
- Attend a free concert in the park.
- Invite another couple over for a game night.
- Go fantasy car shopping. Browse the lots and dream about which ones you’d like to own.
- Visit an apple orchard or a you-pick berry farm.
- Attend a high school or college play.
- Walk hand-in-hand through the downtown streets.
- Go bowling.
- Fly kites.
- Grill a pizza in your backyard.
- Massage one another.
- Play on a playground — they’re not just for kids!
- Have an alphabet scavenger hunt. Challenge yourselves to kiss in front of an item that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
- Window shop at the mall. Treat yourselves to a soft pretzel or a giant cookie.
- Hit up a used book sale.
- Do crosswords or other word puzzles.
- Go hunting. If that’s not your thing, go wildlife watching.
- Test your smarts at a trivia night – it’s a fun and inexpensive way to bond over teamwork.
- Attend a carnival or town festival.
- Go mini golfing.
- Set up an indoor picnic.
- Ride bicycles.
- Take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free meal coupons for local restaurants. Keep an eye out for deals like these in the newspaper, the phone book and online deals sites.
- Feed ducks at the pond.
- Go swimming — or just spend time in the hot tub.
- Watch the sunset. This can be done from the beach, the hood of your car or your own front porch.
- Attend an art fair or art show.
- Enroll in a class together. You can find reasonably priced programs through your community college, parks and recreation department or community center.
- Browse a flea market.
- Dance — in your living room for free or look into low-cost lesson options.
- Rent a TV show on DVD and watch as many episodes as you can in one night.
- Watch a concert by your community band or orchestra.
- Play racquetball or tennis.
- Listen to podcasts.
- Go roller skating.
- Watch planes take off and land at the airport.
- Visit a hobby store to pick out supplies for a project you can work on together, like a vacation scrapbook or a model car.
- Play Google Roulette. The game involves plugging random words into a search engine and picking an activity from the results.
- Build a snowman or a sand castle — depending on the time of year.
- Visit a garden center or arboretum. Make plans for your own landscaping or garden.
- Go out for coffee & cake.
Don’t let lack of funds hamper your dating creativity. No matter your budget, you and your partner can enjoy fun, romantic, relationship-building times together.
Any good and cheap date night ideas not on the list? Please share them with us below!