20 of My Favorite Date Night Ideas for Under $20

If the holidays have left you broke and in desperate need to reconnect as a couple {giving so much to “family time,” sometimes leaves very little time for  you as a couple}, there are still tons of things you can do to ignite excitement for date night without putting further strain on the budget.

Here’s my favorite ways to spend a little time with the HH for under $20:

1. Amazon Prime or Netflix movie, a little popcorn, the couch and one blanket to share.  You don’t have to go to the movies–you can put the kids to bed and carve out time together right in your living room.
2. Have a cook-off.  Both of you have to make something for the other person that will wow them.  I don’t know why they say food is the fastest way to a man’s heart, because this woman is pretty fond of it too.  Take the time to look up a recipe or copy-cat of their favorite restaurant.  Then, sit down and share what you’ve both created.
3. Date night doesn’t have to be a night only thing.  Farm the kids out to friends mid-morning and do brunch.  It is usually cheaper than dinner, and you still get the chance to get out.  You can always just go grab a tea/coffee and scone if you really want to keep the cost down.
4. Go for an evening walk together.  Put the kids to bed and take a 1/2 hour nightly stroll around the block.  It will give you both a chance to catch each other up on your days, and who knows, maybe you can even hold hands like you like each other.
5. Hit the farmer’s market.  You can eat, stroll and talk…and eat.
6. Game night.  It may seem lame at first, but a little competition actually fuels the fire–it reminds both of you that each of you can provide a mental challenge for the other.
7. Have drinks on the patio.  No need to hit a bar and grill, mix up some margaritas or open a bottle of wine and chill out on your patio.  {Of course, it doesn’t have to be alcohol–mocktails, lemonade, hot chocolate…whatever floats your boat.}
8. Become a tourist in your own town.  Chances are that you have totally free museums you’ve never even stepped foot in–go together and see what your city has to offer.
9. Go to the bookstore.  You can each grab a stack of your personal favorites and then sink into those big arm chairs for a couple of hours.  You get a chance to spend time together and unwind at the same time.
10. Make-out like your 16.  Yep, I said it.  If you have been married for any length of time, making-out probably doesn’t happen all that often…but seriously, have a revival.
11. Workout together.  I know, I don’t really get this one either, but I have a friend who does P90X with her husband 3 times a week.  She says there is something about all of those endorphins and sweat.  I tell her to keep it to herself.
12. Go to the drive-in.  When is the last time  you went to the drive-in?  Seriously, you pay by the car load, see a movie that has been out on DVD for roughly a decade, and it is awesome.
13. Learn something new…together.  Look up free lectures.  Take a community ed class.  Sit and watch a documentary at home.  It sounds nerdy {and it is}, but you’ll be amazed at how much it gives you to talk about.
14. Go for a drive.  Drive through neighborhoods that you’ve always dreamed about living in…or if you are lucky, drive up the coast, into the mountains.  Talk and drive.  Drive and talk.
15. Go to a matinee.  They are cheaper, less crowded, and you still get the movie-going experience.
16. Volunteer somewhere together.  Pick something near and dear to your hearts–the animal shelter, a food bank, etc. and volunteer together.  You’ll get all those self-righteous feel-good emotions AND get to spend time together…for free.
17. Lay a blanket out under the stars and stargaze.  There is something laying under the stars that can start all sorts of…shenanigans.  😉
18. Have a chocolate tasting soiree, with just the two of you.  For $20 you can get a sampling of some pretty amazing chocolates.  Plus, they say chocolate is an aphrodisiac–which if that means it’s hard to keep your pants buttoned, I can attest to it.
19. Watch the sunrise or sunset together.  Take time for indulgences that normal days don’t allow…together.  If it is a good date, you’ll think of each other a little bit every time you see the sunrise/sunset in the months to come.
20. Take a bubble bath with a little bubbly.  Grab some champagne or sparkling cider and run a big over-flowing bubble bath.  It’s fun, decadent–and probably a bit out of the day to day ordinary.

How about you, do you have any favorite low-cost date night ideas to share with the class?

~Mavis