Just because your funds may be a little limited, doesn't mean you can't have a social life. A five-star dining experience and drinks may not be something that you can afford right now. However, with a little planning and creativity, you can create a date night that will exceed your date's expectations.
1. Watch the sunset.
Take a moment to decompress and relax by grabbing a bottle (or two) of wine and your significant other to watch the sunset.
2. Hit the trails.
Nature is always there, willing to help a couple in need of a cost-free date. Picnics or hikes seem to be like the typical "old school" type of date, yet they seem to be some of the most cost effective ones. Merely stock up on a few essentials such as water, cheese, fruits and a few sandwiches and head out for the day. A quiet day in the local city park or a hike to the nearest waterfall might just be a great, romantic date, especially if you top it off with a picnic at the end of the trail. See if your partner can keep up on a hike. Plus, you'll be getting a work out in, too!
3. Bike ride.
Just as fun and romantic as the above, but on wheels! Take a ride along the beach or lake, or maybe through the hills or mountainside.
4. Go mini golfing.
Pretend that you're PGA champs on a putt-putt course and see who can come closest to par. You two can even grab an ice cream after! Loser pays.
5. Skate your heart out.
Throw back to the days of elementary school birthday parties and spend some time on the roller skating rink. You might be the oldest ones there, but that won't make whooshing past everyone else any less fun.
6. Stay in and cook.
Taking your date out to dinner usually turns out to be a lot more expensive than cooking at home. However, simply cooking dinner could also get boring and might not interest your date very much. A themed dinner on the other hand will impress your date and maybe even result in future prospects with them. Pick a romantic and beautiful place such as Italy, cook an Italian dinner, set the table based on an the Italian theme complete with candles, and play some Italian music to set the romantic mood and atmosphere. After dinner, if everything is still going well and the mood is right, watch a romantic Italian movie such as “To Rome with Love” to top off the night.
7. Movie marathon.
After you watch a movie, the best thing to do after it is to discuss it. Renting movies is relatively cheap, so rent a whole stack of movies and invite that special someone over for a movie marathon. You could rent classic movies, your favorite movies, their favorite movies, silly movies, or bad movies so that way you can talk through them about how dumb they are. Any type of movie you decide to rent, you are sure to have a good time with good conversation.
8. Save for an expensive night out.
Yes, these dates above are memorable and wallet friendly, but there is nothing quit like getting dressed up to go out for a fancy date. Work with your significant other to put aside money every week for a big date night.
9. Game night.
Unless you’re a gaming aficionado, you may not realize that there are some really cool and fun board games out there. And yes, I do mean outside the realms of Scrabble and Monopoly. As such, a games night can be a be a really cheap and fun way to spend an evening, whether it be in a group situation or by yourselves.
10. Happy hour.
Take your partner down to your local watering hole so you can take advantage of some cheap drinks. The best part is that happy hour often goes for several hours at a time!
11. Open houses.
Right now, you both may be unable to afford a house right now. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go looking at them! Open houses are so much fun to go look at as a couple. Not only can you fantasize about living in places you’ll never afford, but you also gain access to people’s questionable decorating choices.
