Keeping romance alive when you’re on a budget can be a challenge. These cheap date night ideas are tried and true and spring for our own experience. When we were in process of paying off $127K in debt, we spent four years of keeping it simple but still striving to keep our marriage healthy and strong. In the process, we learned plenty of tips for keeping date night affordable and fun. Here are my twenty favorite tips and date night suggestions that will keep your budget in the black and your red heart beating strong.
Do a Sitter Swap
Agree to watch another set of bedraggled parents’ kiddos so that you don’t have to drop $30 before even stepping out of the door on a teenager to keep your house from burning down. You’ll get to bless someone else and a night out on the town, too.
Change Night
Gather up all of pennies and dimes. Search the couch, the car, everywhere there is change and use that as your budget for the evening. Visit the batting cages, buy an ice cream cone to share, go to the dollar theater, be as creative as you like. The only rule is that you must spend change found around your home.
Let’s Do Lunch
The prices are cheaper during the noon hour. Rather than getting gussied up for an evening on the town, check out a local restaurant for the midday special.
Post-bedtime Romantic Dinner
If you can’t afford a sitter, set aside part of the grocery budget to prepare a late romantic meal together – after the kids have been put to bed. It’s fun to cook in the kitchen as a couple and you can actually afford an oo-la-la item like lobster or a good steak since your grocery bill will be MUCH less than a swanky restaurant’s menu prix. And you’ll dodge the typical date night crowd for a quieter, more intimate experience.
Watch the Bargains, Deal Sites, and Coupons
If you are springing for a sitter and going out in the evening, by all means don’t pay full price. Check sites like Groupon, Living Social, Sweet Jack, and Deal Chicken for great deals.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Go for a walk! Visit the nearest trail or park for some fresh air together. You don’t have to break a sweat, but exercising together is beneficial for your health and your relationship.
Buy a Board Game
For the amount that you’d spend on dinner or a movie, you can buy a board game to play together not just that night but many other nights, too.
Check out the Bookstore, Then Go to the Library
I know, I know, at first glance this one seems pretty ho-hum. High end booksellers may have more of a date night “feel”but their book prices can be outrageous when you consider that you can get many reads for free at your local library. If your library has an online catalog, search it via a smart phone (or simply write titles down and check them at home) to put books you’re interested in on hold right as you browse. Unless you’re buying my book of course then run that puppy right up to the desk because I hear the library wait list is REALLY long (ha!). Your local library likely has a large supply of DVDs so you can skip rental fees or pricey movie tickets.
Use Your Rewards
We collect reward points for just about everything – even products we don’t purchase. Put the word out to your friends and family that you are collecting points and they might even give you their codes, too. We often cash in reward points for movie tickets, gift cards, and more and then set them aside specifically for date night.
Check out Free Events in Your Community
The Parks Department, the Community Center, Local Churches, Libraries, and even Museums all feature events that are either free or greatly discounted. I typically browse the Visit Indy Free Event Calendar, the WTHR Community Calendar, and the calendars at our local municipal destinations for ideas and then schedule date night around what’s going on for free.
Progressive Dinner
Set a budget, take only cash, and then head out for a creative progressive dinner. Choose somewhere to go for an appetizer to split, then another destination for a main course, and polish it off with dessert at a third location. You’ll save money by splitting each component of the meal. Typically, I’d suggest going somewhere simple where a tip isn’t required. Otherwise, you may end up splitting a candy bar from a gas station for dessert because you’re low on cash by the end of the evening. But hey, that might be ok, too.
Take Out, Stay In
If someone is watching your children at an off site location (like the sitter swap or grandparents house), opt to stay home! Get take out (or fix your own food) and simply enjoy the comforts of home minus the little people. You can still dress up and look all fancy. You can rent a movie or simply sit and stare into each other’s eyes and let romance take its course. I know TMI, but I can promise this will probably be your husband’s favorite item on the list. Just sayin’.
Check Out the High School Calendar
Watch the price because it might be more expensive than you realize; however, local high schools are a great place to catch a Broadway musical, take in a ball game, or hear beautiful music at a concert. You’ll support local schools and you’ll see quality entertainment on the cheap.
Head to eBay
Someone in your relationship a sports fan? Check out places like eBay for tickets on the cheap for professional sports. It might not pan out, but sometimes you can score a great deal!
Volunteer Together
Probably doesn’t sound like the most amorous activity but doing something to strengthen and encourage others has the same effect on your relationship. Volunteer at a local food pantry, rake a neighbor’s yard, make a meal to bring someone in need, or garner support for your favorite charity.
$5 Gifts
Eat your meal at home, swap a sitter, and head out with only $10 in cash. Go to the Mall or a Big Box retailer with $5 a piece with the simple task of blessing your significant other with a little gift. Spend time creatively searching for something special and then meet back up at the snack bar or food court with your gifts. Explain why you purchased what you did and how spouse was a blessing to you that week. Say THANK YOU to your spouse for your gift and why you love it (because you should love it since they found it for you and it was a simple sweet gesture even if you had your heart set on something else). Take it down a notch and go to the dollar tree for the same activity (a savings of $8!).
Bake a Cake
Forget fancy desserts at restaurants with desserts in their name. You can do a better job at home. Find a recipe online in your recipe book or simply go to the grocery store together and pick out a boxed cake mix. Bake it together. Frost it together, decorate it together. And then of course eat it.
When We’re Out of Debt, We Will . . .
The King of Free and I used to brew a cup of coffee at home and sit and chat about what we do, to whom we would give money, what we would buy once we were out of debt. It doesn’t exactly sound like an evening of violins and rose petals, but it was super fun to dream together. Plus it helped us get on the same page financially years before we actually had the cash to support the dream. We even wrote some of the financial dreams down and it was so much fun checking some of them off the list after we paid our last debt.
Pick a Passion
Does he love poker? Does she love to craft? I know it seems like a total drag if it’s not your thing; however, showing your significant other that you can can enjoy their passions with them will lead to more passion your relationship. No whining, complaining, or angling for your own point of view. Ask your spouse why they love this particular activity and be teachable. And the best part of all, next week it’s your turn!
Any Night is Date Night
If you’re intentional about children’s bedtimes and your own work schedule, any night can be date night. Don’t just cash out on the couch after a long day. Don’t hide from each other behind respective screens. Be intentional with the time that you and your spouse have together. Plan fun things to do or simply ask each other about your dreams and plans for the weeks and months ahead. Play a hand of cards or a board game (see above board game suggestion). Read books together. Throw in a workout DVD and work out together. Just don’t let valuable moments fly by during too many commercials or internet browsing.
What’s your best tip for keeping romance real and out of the red?
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free on Kindle.
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!