My husband and I love to spend time together as a family but we also love and NEED, to spend time as a couple. The traditional date night of dinner out followed by a movie or other entertainment is something that is just not in the budget these days. (Well, it really hasn't been in the budget for a few years but who's counting.) An evening out like that happens once/year for us, because once you add the babysitting cost, what was already expensive becomes even more so. Brett and I have had to find creative ways to have couple time on a budget. We sometimes have the grandparents watch the kids or we have arranged babysitting swaps with other parents we know. This means one night we watch both our kids and theirs and the following week, they return the favor giving us a night out.
In terms of fun things to do together, we do enjoy going to restaurants but usually bring an Entertainment book coupon to help defray the cost. Additionally some restaurants have fixed price menus during certain time periods of the day or the year. Sometimes we head to our favorite restaurant and we buy only ONE entree, this saves money and perhaps more importantly, calories. The other night we had the grandparents on board to babysit and were looking at our restaurant options with coupons in mind. Nothing was striking us as a "must-do" and dinner out would have still cost us at least $30. This is when I suggested that my husband and I cook a nice meal at home. At first he wasn't thrilled with the idea but then became supportive. He went to the grocery store prior to our date and bought some small steaks and a few fresh vegies. I already had a bottle of wine and dessert at home. Once we had the house to ourselves the act of cooking together was fun and we enjoyed a lovely meal by candlelight, in the comfort of our own home. I am certain the meal was much healthier than the restaurant version and cost us just $10 (and I am rounding up here) for everything including a glass of wine.
Other ideas for ways to spend time together include (but not limited to):
- Walking and/or window shopping in a new neighborhood
- Going for coffee and/or dessert instead of dinner
- Breakfast or lunch out instead of dinner
- Bringing a picnic to a favorite park
- Costco Cafe $1.50 as we like to call it, followed by sample city
- Happy Hour at many places can be more affordable
- Run errands together
- A nice long car ride to a special vista, giving lots of time to talk
- Movie night at home with a "free" movie from the library
I would love to hear your ideas for budget-minded date nights or days. I know I am just scratching the surface here. Have fun with it in the name of "research"!
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2 comments:
I came across your Blog while blog hopping..we are a 1 income family so saving money is super important.
A couple ideas:
1. Buy from the dollar menu, take the bag to a local park or waterfront. Eat while looking at the water, then go for a nice walk.
2. Many local small playhouses or high schools put on great performances for little money. Be entertained for a few hours without the cost of the big name theatres.
3. Double date.. Invite a couple to your house for dinner with the condition that next time they host. It may cost more the first time, but will be free the next go round.
4. Pack a lunch and go for a walk in the woods (seasonal unless you have snow shoes or heavy rain gear). Hiking is a great way to burn calories, be close to nature and get some much needed alone time to talk.
Hope these are OK. Thanks again.
Mel
For people who love the classic dinner and a movie date night: Break it in half for twice the dates. One week cook a special dinner at home then go to a film. The next date, have a nice dinner out then come home and enjoy a romantic netflix movie. Home made popcorn is better anyway.
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