I don’t know about you, but I never knew how creative I would have to be in order to squeeze in a little alone time with my spouse.
We don’t get to escape as often as I would like and it is hard to find people you really love and trust enough to watch those that are most precious to you.
Not only that, but teenagers sure seem to be a lot busier than they used to be!
I am so thankful for the grandparents who offer to take our kiddos time and time again so we can get that time away.
With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some creative ideas for dating that will cost you little/no money and won’t even require paying a babysitter.
These are the ideas that have worked for us through these years and I hope you can share some ways that you have found to creatively date your spouse when you are low on cash and sitters.
Book Club Night- My husband and I have started, what I jokingly refer to as, our “magical book club” together.
I have been dying for him to read the Twilight series and he has been dying for me to read the Harry Potter series.
We made a deal to exchange books and talk about them each night.
Obviously, this is not intellectual material we are talking about, but I have to say that I am so enjoying every moment of this exchange.
You could also read the same series together or tackle a literary classic together.
Better yet, reread those amazing books from your childhood.
Have a book club night together instead of a night parked in front of the television.
Once we have finished the books though, we plan to have a screening night of the movies together too. I am wondering if I am pushing the envelope too much if I make my Edward cupcakes?
Engage in Conversation Starters– I think I know just about everything there is to know about my husband, especially since we have been together since we were teenagers.
Conversation starter questions though can sometimes lead to some beautiful surprises of happy memories that we had never heard before.
Look at these unique conversation starters, these sweet conversation starters, or this list of fun questions to get the ball rolling.
My husband & I sometimes just ask each other questions in Facebook quizzes.
Anything that gets you talking together is a great investment of your time!
Late Night Dinners– When our kids were really little, our time alone really felt few and far between.
We would sometimes shift our dinner hour until after the kids went to bed to enjoy a romantic and quiet dinner together.
I would put table linens on the table, break out the beautiful dishes and stemware, and make a fancy dinner that the grocery budget would not be able to normally accommodate.
After all, you are still staying in so there is still a great savings in that!
Don’t be afraid to move your dinner somewhere else in the house.
Sometimes I would set up a folding table and chairs and dress it up in a different area of the home or put a fancy spread out on the coffee table with a fun movie.
In those long days of newborn feedings and diaper changes, this little change in location was really something to look forward to.
Game Time– My husband & I are both very competitive so we love to play games together after the kids head to bed.
For outdoor games, we love a good badminton match and for indoor games we love a good board game challenge or a fun game of Wii bowling.
Challenge each other to a match and feel free to indulge in childish behavior to escape the reality of adulthood.
Dollar Store Extravaganza– This is something that I have planned for the two of us as a fun date night idea.
Just make a small budget of $10 or less and challenge each other to a contest to see who you can come up with the most creative gift from the dollar store for each other.
You can really put a lot of creativity into this and it will be a fun exchange to do after the kids go to bed.
See if your husband really knows what your favorite candy in the world is and he can see if you know how to pick a great book for him or what type of puzzle book would be a fun one.
Enjoy Some Time By the Fire– After the kids go to bed, we love to start a little fire in our fire pit and sit by it together.
We are finding it is a great way to unwind and have some time to discuss the day together.
Make some s’mores and snuggle up under a blanket together. If you have a fireplace, you can do the same thing with some cocoa in your warm house on a wintry night.
Plan an Anniversary Getaway– I decided awhile ago to begin putting money into a separate savings account for our ten year anniversary.
At the time, we were really penny-pinching, but $25 a month didn’t seem like a ton of money so it has been automatically transferred every month for our anniversary getaway.
I swear that we talk about this (at least) once a month.
Even though there is just $1,000 saved, we have come up with a zillion places we could go to and have been number-crunching to see how much we will have from making this tiny investment each month.
Sitting around and just planning a vacation can be so much fun together.
It is such a fun way to spend your time, imagining the places you will go and talking about how quickly we are approaching our big anniversary.
Make it more fun by challenging each other to plan the best anniversary getaway package.
You could each research and put together your own vacations and then sit down together and see who came up with the best ideas for the least amount of money.
File it away for future reference when you actually do to get to go on that getaway.
Exchange Babysitting With a Friend– I am really lucky because if I really want to go out with my spouse, I can call up my sister and ask if we can do a babysitting exchange.
If you have a good friend that you can exchange babysitting with and trade nights out, then you get great care for your kids without having to shell out any money.
While you are enjoying some time alone, you can still enjoy the frugal things in life.
Some of my favorite date nights are hitting a movie at the second-run theater, packing up a picnic dinner and taking it somewhere with a view, lounging around Barnes & Noble looking for home improvement inspiration, or even enjoying an evening at home without the kids.
If your spouse can take off work, use a vacation day and try and plan your date during the day.
You can take advantage of cheaper matinee rates and even affordable meals out at restaurants because of the earlier hour.
Start a New TV Series– Now that I have given you lots of ideas that don’t involve the television, I think I can bring up an idea that does.
I love to pick up a new television series together, particularly in the summer months when nothing good is really on television.
You can rent these using a movie membership or check on Hulu or the network websites to watch a series.
Try looking for an older series that you have never seen before and watching it for the first time.
On our list of never seen television- Lost, 24, and House. We also love to watch rerun sitcoms and relive all those funny moments all over again and watch Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, & That 70’s Show just for laughs.
I don’t mean to brag, but this man of mine is awesome!
He works a full-time job AND manages to run all of the programming on this website too.
I am willing to set aside as many fun & free nights as I can to hang out with him.
Even when times were very lean, we have found creative ways to spend time together. I know we both benefit from it and so do our children!
What is your favorite budget-friendly date night activity? Please share your creative and unique ideas for keeping the romance alive!
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