cheap date ideas.

Let's face it, going out on dates is expensive. Especially if: a) you're a college student, b) you're a recent college graduate, or c) you're living in the current economy of the USofA. So, that pretty much covers most of us.

Husby and I have always cherished our weekly date nights. From our courtship years, to engagement, to the ole married folks that we are today...our date nights are special. It's so good to set aside at least one night a week to get out {or stay in}, phones off, computers off, no distractions, and do nothing but spend quality time together.

The problem is, dates are expensive. Eating out can be expensive, going to movies, etc., etc. can be expensive. So, we have to be creative.

And being creative is fun! :)

Here are some cheap date ideas we have concocted over our years of dating together:

• Find a new recipe and make it at home together. If you know me, you know that I love to cook. Sometimes for our date night, we will sit down and figure out a brand new recipe to try, go to the grocery store and get the ingredients, and then make our yummy meal together {Jonathan is a great sous chef.} This is fun, cheaper than eating out, a lot healthier than going to a restaurant, and also provides a lot more privacy than a crowded public dining area.
  
• Go for a nice long walk together. On sunshiney days or evenings, it's so nice to go out together {along with our little puppy Max} and take a nice long walk filled with good conversation. We live within walking distance of the local greenway, so that is one of our favorite places to stroll along.
• Go to the store {i.e. Target}, set a budget {i.e. $5}, and split up to buy surprise gifts for each other! This is so much fun. We have done this twice now, and it has been a blast. You really have to think outside of the box, because it is super hard to find nice gifts for that small of a budget...but it makes it even that more fun! Last time we did this, I ended up getting Jonathan a set of fun dip {do you remember those things?! the sugar packets that you dip the little white sticks into and lick the sugar off? he had never had one until I bought it for him that day}, a Go Fish card set, and a monster cup {yes, a little kiddie cup with monsters on it...it was great!} When we're finished shopping for other, we meet back at the car and unveil our finds. It's so fun to see what the other person comes up with!
• Go on photography sprees together! I love photography...but you probably know that about me already. And I am lucky to have found a guy who loves taking pictures too. So, sometimes we'll just go out in our nice little town and take pictures of places we love, or of each other, or of random buildings, or whatever we can find.
• Game night! This is fun, and completely free. A few weeks ago we stayed in and played Go Fish while "Finding Nemo" was playing in the background. And this past weekend, we made supper at home and then played a nice game of Monopoly {normally we are both quite competitive when we play this game, but we did pretty well this time around} :) It was great fun!
  

I could go on and on about fun dates that we've had, and ideas for dates that we are waiting to try...but I will save those for another post at another time.

In the meantime, I hope this has helped spur some creative ideas of your own to save money but still go out and have fun with your honey {or your friends.}