Every now and then, I need a night out. Like, really, really need a night out. Last week was one of those weeks. I was itching to get out on a date night with the hubby, but unfortunately, our budget wouldn’t allow much. You know how it goes…it’s the beginning of the school year, which means money put out for school clothes, PTA, school pictures, field trips, class donations, fundraisers. Every time I come up for air, I’m pushed right back under. Money for this. Money for that. Money, money ,money. And it doesn’t help that the holidays are right around the corner (only 61 days until Christmas…but who’s counting??)
Those of you who have read my past blog posts on the issue of date nights know how highly I esteem them. I just don’t feel like time alone together should be put on the back burner. Sometimes it means being creative. Lucky for us, our kids are at the age now where we no longer have to pay a sitter. [I know that babysitting makes it tricky when trying to date on a budget; those were the times when I usually called in a favor to grandpa]. At any rate, it would’ve been easy to cast date night aside this month with everything we’ve had going on, combined with our strict budget, but I could tell that Jeff needed a night out just as badly as I did. We needed that time together to connect.
I told Jeff that I would make all the arrangements for this date night. I acknowledged that we were on a budget but guaranteed him that I had something great and inexpensive in mind, and that he would love it! He was excited that I was taking the lead. Normally he plans something with friends or we decide together what we want to do. This left him with a little mystery and anticipation all week long.
Friday night came and he still had no clue what we were doing, which kind of surprised me because I was sure he’d figure it out. He came home to find me dressed up but also cooking dinner and packing it up in our picnic basket. I suppose he figured we were going on a picnic to a park. That worried him a little because the wind had been picking up late that afternoon. I fed the kids, packed up our bags and told him I’d lead the way. He grabbed his jacket on the way out.
Jeff didn’t figure out where we were going until our last turn onto the street. Then the lights went on! I was a little worried that after all of my planning and his anticipation, he might feel a little let down or think it was silly, but he was actually really excited when he figured out where I was taking him.
You may remember that earlier this year, we bought an RV. Our RV sits on a vacant lot next alongside our friend’s house (part of their property, but secluded from their house). I thought it would be a fun night to set up a romantic dinner and spend the night in, playing games and watching a movie free of the distractions at home. Three distractions, to be exact. Plus, we have the RV payment every month; we may as well make good use of and it and get our money’s worth! Ha ha. Jeff was thrilled at the idea, but he was even more impressed once he walked in and saw how I’d prepared beforehand to make the evening special.
Unbeknownst to Jeff, I had come earlier in the day and set up a romantic dinner table, with candles and flower petals and fancy glasses for our sparkling cider. When he saw me packing the picnic basket, he was assuming we’d be eating on paper. Real dishes at a beautifully set table added a little wow factor to our [basically] free date night.
Let’s not forget the cider and chocolate covered strawberries. Those two things can turn any ordinary dinner into something fancy and romantic!
For dinner, I made bacon wrapped pork tenderloins, roasted potatoes, fresh green beans and dinner rolls. I would say it was restaurant quality!
We enjoyed the rest of the evening relaxing, playing games (just like we did, every night, in the good ol’ days before we had kids), and then snuggled up to a movie. For two days afterwards, Jeff was talking about what an awesome night I had planned. Maybe he’s easily amused, but I love that about him. I love that he can appreciate the thought and effort behind the things that I do. And I love that we were able to make lemonade out of our lemons (our lemons being our empty wallets, ha ha).
Okay, so not everybody has an RV that they can run away to for a cheap date night out. But there are still lots of things you can do that are inexpensive or free and I’m sharing some of my top picks with you. Some are things that we have done in the past, and some are on our date night bucket list. I would love to hear some of your ideas of date nights on a budget!!
Creative & Inexpensive Date Nights
- Game Night- get together with friends to play your favorite board or group games, or have your own game night together
- Have a Picnic- go to the park, the beach…or even an RV!
- Go on a Hike- hike a trail anytime of the day, but a hike to the top of a hill at sunset is super romantic!
- Find a Free Concert- there are always concerts in the park, in restaurants, etc
- Karaoke night- you can download an app or find a restaurant with a bar that offers free karaoke
- Shop-mart Bingo- create a bingo cards with funny scenes that you might encounter, and go out to the mall to see who wins bingo!
- Sports Night- find a park with a basketball hoop, tennis courts, etc and play a sport together. Get a group of friends together and play baseball!
- Paint Ball- buy cheap water guns, washable paints and white t-shirts. Fill the guns with watered down paints and go out paintballing in an open field or park. Glow-in-the-dark paint would be extra fun for a nighttime date!
- Nerf Gun Wars- don’t want the mess of paint? Try nerf guns instead!
- Bookstore Date- go visit a bookstore; you could even create a scavenger hunt out of it!
- Backyard Campout- set up a tent and camp out in your own backyard! (send the kids to grandma and grandpa’s house!)
- Spa Night- set up a romantic bubble bath and even a massage parlor, taking turns with romantic massages with your spouse
- Frisbee Golf- all you need is an open space! Play in teams or by yourselves.
- $2 theater- If you have a few dollars to spare, find a discount theatre near you.
- Go on a Bike Ride- find a trail or just ride around town
- Service Night- find an organization or an individual that you can serve.
- Visit Historical Sites- there are probably lots of free historical sites in your very own community. Many offer free tours!
- Farmer’s Market- go browse a Farmer’s Market in your area
- Model Home Tours- walk through model homes just for fun; it’s always inspiring to get ideas for your own home!
- Antique Store- wander through an antique store and share stories for the things that bring back memories.
- Video Game Competition- play old school (or even “new” school) video games together
- Hobby Store Project- visit a hobby store and pick out a project that you can work on together
- Home Improvement Stores- visit a home improvement store and get inspiration for your next home renovation that you’d like to complete in the next year or two.
- Take a Class Together- lots of communities offer inexpensive classes. Join a class together: cooking, dancing, yoga, etc.
- Scenic Drive- go take a drive to a scenic place
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