Whether you’re a newlywed, new parents, been married for several years, or your kids have already moved out, every couple needs a date night. One of the most important parts of a relationship is staying in touch with each other. Spending quality time with the love of your life is the best medicine for stress, too! Sometimes, we all just need to relax and enjoy our time with our families.
Unfortunately, not all of us have the luxury of going out to spend money. My husband and I always save as much as we can for anniversaries, but when it comes to the regular date nights we get frugal.
I will admit that, while we haven’t had a ton of money, we’ve had some very unhealthy, yet fancy, meals. There was one night I made two packages of creamy chicken ramen and one cheap chicken pot pie (single serve one). I dished out the ramen onto two plates, swirled the noodles, and crushed up the pot pie and topped the ramen. It looked like I’d made an expensive dinner but it cost us less than $3. I felt guilty that it was unhealthy, albeit very delicious, but it’s all we had in the cupboard until payday. We put some water in wine glasses and lit a candle and we didn’t feel like we were broke.
Here are 5 simple, inexpensive dates to try!
1. Candlelight Dinner
No matter who makes the dinner, you can always make it romantic with some candles. Since mood is everything, be sure to clear off the dining room table (or wherever you plan to eat) from any distractions, including electronics and bills. If you don’t want to use an open flame, try an electric candle! Another idea is to use a nightlight in a nearby outlet to give the same glow in the room.
Make it special:
Try a few changes to make it feel high class and expensive without spending money.
- Put the plates on the table and set out the silverware on a folded napkin to the side. Not everyone has cloth napkins, so get creative with paper towels and colored napkins.
- Put your drink in a wine glass. No wine needed! Anything looks great and taste amazing coming out of a wine glass.
- Take extra care when placing dinner on the plate. As an example, you can swirl pasta noodles as they are set onto the plate to make it look neat. Better yet, add some garnish to the side if you have any. Parsley is common, but you can also use some types of veggies, such as sautéed asparagus, put just off the side of the main course.
- Color! Color is the best thing you can add to your meal. Whether it’s in your food, on the table, or in the lighting. Add some color to spruce up your meal.
2. Movie Night
Movies are easy to come by these days. There are subscription services like Netflix and Hulu, and rental services (physical and digital) like Redbox. Even better, you can do dinner and a movie. Personally, I love pizza or popcorn (sometimes both) when watching a movie with my husband.
Make it special:
- Watch a movie that you will both love. Ladies – Don’t make him watch the Lifetime-style shows. Mix it up with a good action movie or even fantasy. Pirates of the Caribbean is one of our favorites. Subtle love story with great action and comedy.
- Grab some dinner! You can go cheap with pizza (take-out specials only!) or making an easy-to-eat-on-the-couch dinner. Finger foods (think burgers) are easy to eat leaning back since you don’t have to use a fork to eat.
- Go to bed afterwards. If you’re watching at night, make your movie date the last thing you both do. Once the movie is over and it’s lights out, this gives you an extra few moments with your spouse to talk about the movie or anything else that needs to be discussed. (But remember, no money-talk right before bed!)
3. Picnic
Picnics can be simple if you plan it right. Sandwiches, chips, granola bars, trail mix, and soda are great picnic items that are easy to clean up. The key to a simple picnic is picking simple foods. However, if you don’t care about simple then try some BBQ chicken or ribs. Be sure to bring wet wipes or water and towels so you can clean up!
Make it special:
- Bring the kids! Picnics can be a great way for spouses (and parents) to connect while the kids play. Parks usually have picnic tables you can use for the family. Be sure to bring a table cloth for easy cleanup, though!
- Grab a blanket and go to an unusual spot. Nature can be captivating if we depart from the norms of life. If the two of you have a special place from your past, go there (if you can picnic, that is).
- Don’t want to go outside? No problem! Push the furniture back and lay a blanket down, it’s time to have a picnic in the living room. You could even play some nature sounds if you want to feel like you’re outside.
4. Go Somewhere
If there’s anything better than staying in, it’s going out. Couple can go places and do things. Being a part of someone’s life means everything you do you have a friend with you. Try something new. If you like the outdoors, you could go hiking, fishing, swimming. If you like the indoors, you could go to a museum, art gallery, tours (think breweries).
Make it special:
- Head to a thrift store or antique store. Make up stories about item’s past lives and who their owners were. If that item could talk, what would it say about its previous owner?
- Wake up early on a Saturday morning to go to yard sales. You can find great deals (or haggle them) in other people’s stuff. Maybe you’ll find that thing you’ve been looking for.
5. Make Something Together
When you are together, you can make anything. A craft, a fort in the living room, a sand castle, cookies, a cake, babies (ahem). I mean, anything. You can make literally anything.
Make it special:
- Teach your spouse something new. He usually cooks? Let him teach you how to make a new recipe. You bake? Ask him to make cupcakes with you (so you both can eat them all while watching a movie, of course).
- Craft something special for each other or your kids. Cardboard, glue, glitter, and construction paper is not only cheap, but goes a long way. Cut a piece of cardboard out to make a frame for a picture of the two of you. Decorate it with kind words, colors, shapes, or anything. Anything you make for your other half is special.
Do you have more simple ways to date your spouse? Leave a comment!
