Whether you are working to pay off debt, live life on a budget or just want to get some creative date night ideas, I’ve got everything you need right here! Tom and I have worked to make date nights a weekly event and we intentionally keep our spending around $100 per month. This averages to $25 per date night. To help inspire you I wanted to share 30 of our favorite date night ideas under $25.
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Why date night is so important
I am a child of divorce. My mom had gotten divorced twice in my lifetime and my dad had been divorced twice as well.
Growing up I saw a whole lot of disfunction in marriage and I want to make sure to avoid any of those same occurrences in my own marriage.
Making date night and quality time together a top priority is a great way to make sure you are putting your marriage first. When your marriage comes first, the rest of your home life naturally seems to fall into place.
How to budget for date nights
One way to budget for date nights is to do exactly that. Set a comfortable amount that you are both willing to spend (remember, you’re investing in your marriage).
We have an automatic transfer of $100 set up each month to go from our regular checking account to our date night checking account.
How We Budget Hacked an Extra $3,000 Per Month Into Our Budget
$25 ideas
Coffee shop date
Tom and I recently decided to bike to a local coffee shop one Saturday morning. It was perfect. Not only did we get a little time outside, but we also got to sit together quietly sipping coffee and enjoying one another’s company.
You can even help front the cost by spending 10 minutes a day taking surveys to earn free gift cards!
Chain restaurant specials
There are a ton of chain restaurants that offer deals like 1 appetizer and 2 entrees for around $20.
Sure, it might not be the most unique food in the world, but it’s a few quiet hours where the two of you can get some face to face time.
To save even more try sites like Restaurant.com where you can get $25 gift cards for only $10 at some of your favorite local restaurants! If you do it this way, no you can easily afford a few drinks with your meal! Score!
Brewery/winery taste testing
If you scan your local Groupon, you are sure to find some great deals on local breweries or wineries where you can spend a day sampling different flavors together!
Movie date
Movie date nights have been our personal favorite way to have date night on a budget. Our local theater runs a special on Wednesdays where you get 2 tickets, 2 drinks and a bucket of popcorn for $24.
Your movie theater might not offer the same deal, but hitting up an early bird movie and sharing a bucket of popcorn should definitely keep you under $25!
Take a hike
Besides the cost of gas and maybe parking, taking a hike or a long walk together should be a completely free date.
Take the time to soak in each other and the beautiful scenery! My personal favorite thing to do is spend a few hours hiking followed by sharing a piece of pie at a local diner.
Share dessert at a local diner
Maybe you don’t have the time or money for a full sit-down meal. Who says you can’t go out for just ice cream or a piece of cake?
Even sneaking away for 30 minutes just to indulge in dessert together is a great way to make date night happen without breaking the budget.
Netflix and chill
If all the youngins these days can do it, why can’t you? Haha. Ok. So maybe you’re not as old as me. But, we says snuggling up on the couch watching a show together can’t be a great way to connect and fit in a date night?
Just avoid texting and planting your face in front of your phone. If you’re going to Netflix and chill, do it together. Mmmk?
Couples massage at home
$25 is more than enough to invest in some fun massage oils for giving one another romantic massages at home.
You can put on some romantic music in the background and even light some candles for really adding to the mood.
Beach day
If you have a local beach or pool, why not spend the day together relaxing under the sun. Maybe even bring a Bubba keg filled with your favorite co*cktail. I won’t tell if you don’t! ?
Local comedy clubs
Chances are if you scour Groupon you can find some awesome deals at local comedy clubs. Some near us have tickets for just $10!
Yes, most people want to have a drink or food while at the comedy club too, but if you’re really on a budget, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad sharing?!
Barnes and Noble
Maybe I’m just a nerd, but a date night on a budget doesn’t really get better than Barnes and Noble or another cozy book store. You can snuggle up and read together, browse through the aisles together or grab a cup of coffee and just chat.
Getting an idea of the types of books that your partner finds interesting can be a great conversation starter too!
Outdoor fairs and festivals
Is there a local carnival in town? People watching is free, folks! Grab some cotton candy, stroll around together and maybe take a ride to the top of the Ferris wheel!
Bowling
Share an hour of bowling at your local bowling alley and of course, check your Groupon to see if you can find a local discount!
Wine and candles at home
I’m personally a big fan of box wine from Costco which is a whopping $15! Whoop whoop! Why says you can’t light some candles, pour some wine and just have a quiet date night at home?
Make a “mix tape”
Remember the days when you were so hung up on someone that you’d make a mix tape for them with all the cheesiest most romantic songs in the world.
Chances are, if you’ve been with your spouse for a long time, you haven’t done this for them. At least not recently.
Bring back some of that teenage dreamy eyed stuff and create a mix tape AKA playlist for your spouse to listen to and exchange.
Game night
There are a ton of great games you can play one on one for
A good favorite of ours is the Heads Up app, but there are also a ton of great board games you can take advantage of!
Spend time volunteering
Taking the time to give back to the community is a great idea for date nights and you can find a cause that resonates with both of you.
Maybe a local homeless shelter, animal shelter or spending time at a senior home would be great ways to do good together.
Hit up an arcade
Who says grown ups can’t have fun? Split $20 on token credits and use the rest to sip a soda.
One of my favorite ways to do date nights on a budget is to just go back to being kids again. Adulting can make us think we need to take life too seriously and that’s just not the case.
Other budget-friendly reads:
- Budget Friendly at Home Manicure Review
- How to Tell Your Friends You Are on a Budget Without Committing Social Suicide
- 13 Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Master Bedroom Feel Like a Hotel Suite
- How to Discuss and Execute a Budget With Your Spouse
Sleep under the stars
Not a fan of camping? You could try camping together in your back yard or even sleeping snuggled up in the tailgate of a truck.
Mini golf
I love spending time outdoors, moving a little and getting in a few giggles. Mini golf is one of the best ways to do this with your partner. A round of mini golf is pretty inexpensive but is a perfect way to allow the two of you some quality time outside.
Have a picnic
No one really does this any more. What’s wrong with packing up a small picnic and just snacking together under the shade of a tree?
Sit around a fire pit
If you have a fire pit in your backyard, take the time to have your own private fire. Tell your favorite stories and snuggle up with a blanket.
Having a fire to yourself is a nice, ow key way of keeping date night romantic but affordable.
Go biking or roller blading
I still have visions of Tom and I’s roller blading date day. I came zipping down a hill unable to stop myself and he sat back and laughed while taking pictures.
Not my finest moment, but it was memorable and totally free!
The If Book
I bought this book when I was a teenager and it is STILL one of the best purchases I ever made. It’s called the IF Book. It is a book filled with a ton of questions to ask your significant other or a big group of friends.
Things like, “If you could suddenly possess an extraordinary talent in one of the arts, which would you like it to be?”
This book is perfect for getting conversation going and might help you get to know your partner a little better.
Try karaoke
No one says you have to do this in public. You could download some karaoke versions of your favorite songs on your phone and just belt it out in the privacy of your own bedroom!
Have a paint date
I’m sure we’ve all seen those fun paint places (that you can score on Groupon) or you could scoop up some affordable paint supplies and just spend a few hours being creative together.
You could even stick with a color scheme and then hang your works of art side by side in your home?
Hit the gym
Sure the gym might not seem romantic, but spending an hour encouraging one another and helping each other build strength is a great way to spend quality time.
Our old gym used to tease us all the time because our Friday nights were always spent together at the gym.
Cook a meal together
Yeah, you might be able to find a local cooking class, or you could look up a fun recipe on Pinterest, scoop up the ingredients and work together to make it together!
Visit a psychic
Maybe you believe, maybe you don’t. Either way, you’re going to come out with something to talk about!
Explore a free museum
We are so fortunate to be so close to Minneapolis where there are a ton of great free museums and other places to visit. Look up local free attractions in your area and take advantage of spending a day exploring them!
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