Like most young couples, my husband and I didn’t have a lot of money when we were dating or when we were first married. We also didn’t want to stay home with our parents or my roommates. So we found relatively cheap ways to have fun and get to know each other.
Some of my favorite dates were the ones that weren’t planned and didn’t cost much, if anything. I loved that there were so many possibilities. But sometimes it was hard to think of things we could do together. I was always on the lookout for fun places to go or things to do.
I compiled a list of a few of my favorite dates. Get creative. Dress fancy. Wear pjs. Pay attention to free events going on in your area.
-
Fly a kite.
-
Pick out random balloons at the store. Sing songs and talk on helium.
-
Build a sandcastle.
-
Put your feet in a stream, lake, or fountain.
-
Make Mac and Cheese in the mountains.
-
Have a fire in the mountains and make s’mores…or another tasty campfire treat.
-
Make something homemade…pizza, bread, cookies, soft pretzels…
-
Try an unexpected treat. We poured melted chocolate on popcorn…messy but not bad!
-
Explore a new store. Stores like Cabela’s, IKEA, Scheels, and Hobby Lobby can be super fun.
-
Go downtown. Walk the streets, check out the mall, visit the grounds of old buildings.
-
Stop at a gas station for hot chocolate and sit by a public fire.
-
Go sledding.
-
Go see Christmas lights. There are lots of fun displays in parks, downtown, and even neighborhoods that all decorate their houses.
-
Go to a lake. Skip rocks, go on a walk/hike, have a picnic, go out on a raft if you have one.
-
Go to a playground. Swing on the swings; see who can go highest. Do tricks. Race down the slides.
-
Go to a local lake or farm in the spring and see the baby animals.
-
Play in the rain. Splash in the puddles. Dance.
-
Sit on a dock and talk.
-
Play board games outside. Bring a nice blanket and snacks. Try different parks and new games.
-
Do a puzzle together.
-
Do a craft. Color pictures. Paint. Make something seasonal.
-
Read together…the same book or different books next to each other.
-
Go star gazing.
-
Go on a bike ride.
-
Watch a lightening storm.
-
Take a blanket to the park and go cloud watching.
-
Go to a car show.
-
Go on a hike…or just a small walk in the mountains.
-
Visit a waterfall.
-
Look for free festivals to explore. Cultural, chalk, whatever.
-
Have an unexpected treat somewhere…one time we took Martinellis to the frozen lake and drank it out of fancy glasses.
-
Make a gingerbread house, gingerbread train, Halloween house, or spooky graveyard…even if it isn’t Christmas Halloween.
-
Go hot tubing. This is especially fun outside in the winter.
But seriously, my best advice would be to be a kid again. Enjoy doing simple things because it’s really about who you’re with, not what you’re doing.
