I’ve been really making date nights a priority these last few years. Taking that time out to connect with your spouse is so important to maintaining a healthy, happy relationship. That one-on-one time, regardless of what you are doing, will help you connect, even if the week has gone sideways and you’re stressed to the max! So how do you implement frequent date nights without breaking the bank? Luckily, with the weather turning cold, cuddling up to your main squeeze can be a date night in and of itself. But here are a few more inexpensive fall date ideas to choose from:
Root for Your Team: See if you can snag some cheap tickets to a football game. If you live in a town with a college football team, those seats can go for next to nothing sometimes. Bundle up and then hit the stands. If you don’t have a stadium near you, or ticket prices are too high, whip up some appetizers and watch the game together from the comfort of your couch!
Take a Drive: The trees in autumn are ah-mazing {especially if you live in New England—my very favorite place in the fall!}. Take advantage of all that gorgeous scenery with a fall foliage drive. Take a route you’ve never driven before or find the prettiest scenic route in your area and buckle up for some great conversation and a pretty drive!
Take a Walk: If you live near a park or walking trail, you can get all that fall scenery up close and personal with a fun walk. If you are looking to up your date game, make it a full-on hike. Pack a picnic and enjoy nature!
Take a Ride: If you’d rather not drive or walk, maybe a bike ride through all that fall foliage is just the thing for you!
An Apple a Day: If you have a local orchard near you, grab a basket and head on out to pick some fresh apples. You could pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a meal in the orchard, or bring your apples back and spend some time together making apple pie from scratch!
Sign Up for a Tour: If you are a lover of apple cider or craft beer, find a local farm or a brewery and sign up for a tour. Not only is it pretty fascinating to see how things are made behind the scenes, you’ll also get to sample a few! Often, these tours are totally free!
Have a Romantic Bonfire for Two: Light up that fire pit in your backyard, gather your s’mores supplies, pull out some cozy blankets and curl up together by the fire!
Get Lost Together: If you have a corn maze near you, this time of year is perfect to get your adventure on and test your navigating skills, all while hanging out with the one you love! While many pumpkin patches are geared towards kids {and can be money pits because of that!}, you can typically pay just to get into the maze {and maybe for a few of those warm mini donuts, too!}.
Carve Pumpkins: Maybe grab a pumpkin or two after winding your way through the corn maze and then head on home to carve them up! You could even have a friendly competition to see whose pumpkin turns out the best!
Shop ‘Till You Drop: Head on out to thrift store and have fun shopping for your costumes together. See who can put together the most outlandish outfits. Don’t forget to model them and then snap some pics! You may or may not score some epic costumes, but you’ll certainly score some laughs!
Make Work Fun: Spend time together raking up all those fall leaves…and then jump into the piles! Channel your inner kid and have a blast letting go. Perhaps a leaf fight is in order?
Netlix and Chill: Pick out your favorite Halloween flick and cozy up on the couch together. Popcorn is a must but staying awake for the whole thing is not!
There are just a few to get you started! Now go grab your sweetheart and start checking them off the list!
Date on,
~Mavis
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Mona says
Mavis- do you know what Netflix and chill really means?
Lisa says
LOL. I was going to say that I don’t think it means what you think it means.
Anne F. says
It works. It’s a date night with your spouse, right?
Mavis Butterfield says
Read your comment and was like what is she talking about. Then asked Mr. Google. Somethings I’d rather not know. 😉 Seriously, I must be getting old. I asked the HH and he had no idea either.
Marcia says
I thought “Netflix and chill” actually meant…Netflix and chill. Millenials ruin everything, ha!
Mavis Butterfield says
Totally. But then again it shows us comments on a blog post can be enlightening. Ha! Whateva. I’ll still be making popcorn.
erin in ia says
Haha Mavis I thought that Netflix and chill meant the same thing you did! Not really sure how netflix and chill is suppose to mean what they say it does but whatever….I guess I’ll stop saying it to my 8 and 10 year old.
Diana says
OK I know this is going to sound silly, but if you’re going to go to an orchard and apple pick, make sure it’s an open orchard FOR apple picking! I grew up in Central Washington full of orchards and you wouldn’t believe how often people would just stop on the side of the road and pick apples like it was a community garden. That’s someone’s business! 🙂 OK – off my soap box now!
Jamie says
I’ve always known chill to mean, “take it easy” which I think was Mavis meaning above. Asked my kids in their teens and twenties, and they have the same definition too.
We have lots of upick farms throughout the year in the Seattle area. You have to check websites for when they’re open, fruits and veggies available and prices. I can’t believe people would think it’s okay to just stop on the side of the road and pick from commercial farms in Central WA. Stealing from hard working farmers is just plain sad 🙁
Diana says
Now where I live in Western Washington there are tons of small u-pick orchards or experience type farms, but I didn’t even know that was a thing until I moved over here in college. I thought all farms were commercial farms. Like why would you pay twice as much for those apples, and you have to pick them yourself!? Now of course I go to the pumpkin patch every year with my kids and fall for all that stuff, but at first it was so weird to me 🙂
TJD says
Perfect timing, my sweetie and I are heading to Hood River this weekend to a book signing. I live just outside Portland, Oregon. Fall weather(going to be clear!) gorge drive, breakfast out and a book signing. Nothing like being in a car all day to enjoy some good conversation! I love long rides with him.
I guess I don’t know what netflix and chill mean either. What am I missing?
TJD says
okay just looked it up! I thought relaxing and watching a movie. That’s not what google says! 🙂
Kat says
Maybe Mavis did mean what Google says… you go girl ^^
Paula says
I live in the mountains of NC. It’s apple country! Yesterday, I stopped at a new apple stand and discovered my new favorite donut! They were making apple cider donuts. Oh my and they were hot! I only bought 2, big mistake. I plan on going back this coming up weekend to get more! Explore your road side stands! You never know what treasure you may find!!!
Carrie Council says
Where in NC? I love a good donut! I was in Boone last weekend with all the leaf peepers and ASU fans. We stopped at the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis and had a spur of the moment date at the corn maze down the road.
Paula says
Carrie, It was on Chimney Road Road: Mountain Fresh Orchard. (near Hendersonville) I was out a Burntshirt Winery with a group. The orchard was only about a 5 min. drive from the Winery. You could do both for a really fun day. The winery is open every day except Christmas. They offer a tour daily at 2 pm and they offer wine tasting (all day). They have music on the weekend. Fun day in the mountains!
Marcia says
Now if only I could find cheap childcare for date nights.
KAYTHEGARDENER says
Could the saying used to be “Netflix & chill out = relax & enjoy yourself”? What a difference a preposition & time lapse in years make to our language!!
Carrie says
So my partner and I have been rekindling our relationship this year. I’m being really honest here because I’m sure others have been in the same situation. We aren’t married but have been dating for 11.5 years and have lived together for 8 and currently own a house together for the last 2 years. We weren’t doing well for about a year and this spring we snapped and both started talking to other people. He moved out but we spoke on the phone every night and he would come home to stay on the weekends. We had very lengthy heart-to-heart conversations where we were honest, sometimes brutally honest. We discovered that we stopped talking to each other and stopped dating and became roommates. I resented him because I felt like I was doing all the house chores while he got to go out and have fun (he mountain bikes). By 8 or 9 pm most nights when we had time for each other we were too exhausted and were sucked in to a tv show, looking at Instagram, Facebook, watching YouTube, etc.
We’ve been back together for 3 months now and things have changed and been really good. We have recommitted ourselves to one another and plan on getting married next year. We now only eat meals at the dining room table. Before we ate on the couch watching tv. This has been huge. It’s been wonderful to reconnect and check in with each other every night. We have also started to have dates more instead of hanging out with our friends every Friday and Saturday night. We still see our friends often but its nice to just do something together. Wednesdays have become our weekday “date at home” night. Last night we rode bikes together around the neighborhood and enjoyed a quick leftover dinner before snuggling on the couch. We have also really taken to drinking wine on the front porch on Fridays.
It’s really been the simple everyday pleasures that have made a difference in our relationship. I learned to ask for help when I need it and to show appreciation when he does something for me/us. And for anyone out there thinking about leaving their partner, really think about the “crap” you have to deal with. Relationships are committing to putting up with the other person’s crap. I can handle my partner’s anxieties and his bike obsession much more than I could a chronic cheater, alcoholic, abusive partner or plain lazy butt. Focus on making your grass green instead of wondering about the grass next door.
Torry says
Carrie, as someone who has been married for 45 years (46 in just a couple of weeks) let me say, “Amen!!”
Today my husband and I did a Breast Cancer walk (I’m a survivor) and I know he did it for me. It meant the world to me and it was really fun!!