Friday, July 2, 2010

Inexpensive Date Nights at Home

Sometimes getting out of the house for a date night just isn't possible.  With children's schedules, finding babysitters, the cost of a night on the town, and other difficulties, it is easier to just stay in.  But, that doesn't mean you need to forfeit date night.  It just means you need to wait until the kids go to bed.


Here are some inexpensive ideas for a stay at home date night:

Dinner for two 
Have dinner delivered or get takeout.  You may also choose to cook together.  Eating alone without the kids is still a luxury.  Have a picnic outside or eat by candlelight inside.

Movie night
Rent a movie and make popcorn and splurge on other goodies like boxes of candy or pop. Since it is summer, if you have a projector you can watch movies on the side of your house.

Take a walk down memory lane
Look through old photo albums of the two of you and reminisce.  Remember those new feelings of falling in love and what made you fall in love with your spouse.

Stargaze
Spread a blanket on the ground outside or sit in your favorite outdoor chairs and look up at the stars.  Pick a star for your star that belongs to just the two of you.  Check out a book about the constellations from the library and try to find them in the night sky.


Try something new
Sample wines and desserts from a local winery and bakery or try a variety of local or international beers.  Or teach each other something new. If he is handy at wood working, build something together.  Maybe you are good at cooking. Show him how to make his favorite dish.  The key is that you are doing something together.

Pamper yourself
Have hubby give you a foot massage and you can return the favor or maybe he would prefer a back rub.  Lounge around in your robes with your feet up.  Enjoy a relaxing bubble bath or an uninterrupted shower.

Get sweaty
It is hard to make time to exercise in the busy life of a mom.  Sweat it out with your hubby after the babies go to sleep.  Maybe do laps around your house or do cardio together with an exercise tape.  If you have a pool, go swimming.  If you have any outdoor games such as a volleyball net, play outside.

Shake your booty
Put some music on and dance the night away.  Don't forget the cocktails and that little black dress that has been hanging in your closet.


Have a competition
A little competition is good for the soul.  Have a game night.  Pull out the Wii, a deck of cards, or your favorite board game.  Twister is always a favorite classic.

Be lazy
Sit around and just enjoy each other's company.  Pull out a book and read aloud or read the newspaper together.  Pull out a crossword and work on it as a team.  Make time to just talk.

Go camping
Make smores and camp outside in your backyard.  Build a fire and snuggle.  Tell each other stories. Have an adventure.

12 comments:

daniii♥ said...

Great ideas! I might have to try some of them. :)

(visiting from nff)

Dina said...

we always do our mini dates nights on fridays. when we go out your right it costs us at least $200. We have done the spa thing, stargazing etc. of course it always leads to more fun, wink, wink. its getting harder now that our son is getting older and going to bed later, we are exhausted by that time too

Mindy said...

Awesome ideas! These are some of my favorite dates (assuming my daughter actually goes to sleep within an hour instead of getting out of bed 20 times). lol So, for a moment I saw "get sweaty" and my mind went elsewhere. Good thing it was about exercise. :0)

RN Mama said...

Wow, these are all great ideas! My husband and I don't have a babysitter, so we rarely go on dates. I will definitley use some of your ideas to have our own date night at home!

Heligirl said...

Thanks for the reminder that we don't need to pay a sitter or get out of the house to make time to be together. We recently signed back up for the really cheap NetFlix subscription, where we get one movie at a time. Hell, when do we have time to watch more than one a week? We're trying to have a movie night. We've also done the game night, either with a board game or the Wii. I got SportsResort for us to play and we're having fun with that game. I kick his ass in sword fighting. :) It gets infinately more fun after a few beers or a couple of glasses of wine. Hummm, that's sounding fun right now. I think we'll do this tonight. Thanks Joy!!

Heligirl said...

Excellent ideas and thanks for the reminder we don't have to spend so much money to have a date. Hubby and I recently signed up for the cheap subscription on Netflix so we can watch a movie every week or so. We do your game night idea. We really enjoy a fun board game or Wii after the kids are down. I tell you, the Wii get's really fun after a few drinks!

Shell said...

We love to have game nights. :)

The Drama Mama said...

my hubs and I did this the other night. We ordered out, picked a movie from On Demand, and enjoyed our time together. Thanks for the tips on other things to do!!

w said...

you scared me with the "get sweaty".

Lourie said...

Dates, even the money saving kind are important!

mustbecrafty said...

Just found you through new friend friday. Thank for all of the at home date night tips. My husband and I are just now trying this (we have an 11 month old) so new ideas for us are so great.

Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey said...

What a great ideas.

We've been trying many of these for last year or so since money was tight after hubs lost his job. Now he has a good job and we still enjoy doing it. It's so much more fun then going out and spending money.

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