Dates don’t have to be expensive. No rule says it has to be at a fancy restaurant or pricey theater. Any quality time spent with the one you love can be a date. Here are 50 ideas for dates that won’t break the bank:
- Hang out someplace that is cheap or free, like the library or a high school sports game.
- Watch a movie with a new snack. Pick up some weird flavor of popcorn or some other new snack and pop in a movie.
- Candlelight dinner for two under your own roof. Buy something special at the grocery store and put the kids to bed early. Cook it together for some extra fun.
- Window shop. Look around at local stores and just see what you can find. No pressure to buy anything.
- Play with the animals at your local animal shelter. The shelter is often looking for volunteers to help the animals to socialize, and you and your partner can turn it into a fun time out.
- Have a game night! Break out your favorite board game or just a deck of cards and look up the instructions for a new game online.
- Have your own spa night. Get whatever comfy beauty product you want and pamper yourselves.
- Go camping in your own backyard. Use, purchase, or borrow as many or as few camping supplies as you want, and just spend the night looking at the stars.
- Go fantasy car shopping. Go to a dealership and look around. Go on a test drive of a car you wish you could own.
- Go bird watching. Check out some books about local birds at the library and check out how many you can spot on a walk in a nearby park.
- Explore an antique store. Who knows what kinds of weird stuff you will find that will spark new conversations? And at many, the price is right!
- Take advantage of free or reduced admission nights at a local museum, botanical garden, or zoo.
- Conduct your own taste test. Go to several bakeries and only buy a cookie. Decide between yourselves which bakery is the best.
- Go have breakfast or brunch somewhere. If you can make it work with your schedule and your babysitter’s schedule, breakfasts and brunches are often cheaper than dinners at restaurants.
- Have a picnic. Pack your own dinner and go to a local park.
- Go to a concert by a local community band or orchestra.
- Attend a presentation or lecture at your library or school.
- Go to a play or musical put on by your local high school or college.
- Hang out at the farmer’s market.
- Take advantage of happy hour deals. Limit your drinks and only eat appetizers.
- Keep an eye out for buy one, get one free coupons for local restaurants.
- Work out together. Exercise does not have to be expensive.
- Take a free or cheap class together through your community college or library.
- Go to a hardware store or home decor store together. Look around and see what ideas you can spot to improve your own house. (Then get the supplies to do it cheaper elsewhere. Do the project together for some more bonding time.)
- Go garage saleing together or visit an estate sale.
- Take a walk after dark in your neighborhood (while staying safe, of course). Everything looks different at night.
- Teach each other something. I’m sure there is something you don’t know that your partner does or visa versa. Share the knowledge.
- Start your own book club. Pick out a book together and discuss it as you go.
- Make a scavenger hunt. One of you plan out a scavenger hunt for the other that ends in something sweet, like a love letter.
- Be a tourist in your own city. Wander the city and hit all of the touristy spots (the inexpensive and free ones, of course).
- Check out real estate open houses, especially houses that are way out of your range.
- Get lost on the internet. Search random words on Google or look at videos on YouTube. Share what you notice and what you think.
- Volunteer together. Kind of going off of No. 5, every nonprofit is always looking for help. Pick out a cause you both care about and lend a hand.
- Paint a picture. Get some paper or canvas and paint and work together to make a picture or two.
- Discuss the future. Write out your own bucket lists and see what conversations get sparked.
- Go on a tour of a winery or brewery. These are often free because they are enticing you to buy.
- Have a wine and cheese night. The wine and the cheese can be as expensive or cheap as you want and you can just snack and sip all night long on your own couch.
- Check out your local arthouse. They may have cheap movie nights and interesting movies offered.
- Try fruit picking, especially in the fall, for a cheap date.
- Visit your local comedy club for amateur night or the improv show. It can be a good date with cheap tickets.
- Sign up for trivia night at your local bar. Limit your drinks, and it could make for a fun and cheap night.
- Go to an open mic night. Maybe even challenge yourself or your partner to take the stage.
- Celebrate the year you met. Or the year you were born. Or just about any year. Just pick out a movie or music from that year and take a trip down memory lane.
- Go hiking.
- Take online quizzes and discuss your results.
- Dress up and go out to eat from the dollar menu. You might get funny looks, but you’ll be making memories.
- Go geocaching.
- Coordinate a potluck for a double or triple date. Get to know each other better with other couples.
- Challenge yourself to come up with your own date. Pick a number, let’s say $10, and see what you can come up with for that little.
- Watch the sunrise or the sunset. It sounds cheesy, but you can’t get any more romantic than that.
By Bethanie Ryan
