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Five Ways to Keep your Date Night on a Budget

by Amy Blevins 31 Comments

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Living on a budget and trying to carve out quality time with your spouse can be frustrating.

For most couples, the go-to date night activity is dinner and a movie. My husband and I typically go out to dinner each Friday evening now that we have teens to babysit. When our kids were little, we had to add in the cost of quality child care, and we went out rarely. A few hours connecting with your spouse away from the kids becomes an expensive proposition!

However, keeping that date night resolution should be a priority in our marriage – it helps us remember what it’s like to be a couple and enjoy each other without the kids, so coming up with ways to do date night on a budget is important.

Date night doesn’t have to be expensive. Because we are busy, we tend to get into a rut when it comes to planning evenings out. We automatically go for the most comfortable solution instead of trying to plan an evening that both spouses will enjoy. That dinner and a movie that costs so much becomes the thing that’s done simply because it’s easy.

However, with a little out of the box thinking, you can put together a fun date night experience that doesn’t break the bank! Here are some ideas to keep your date night on a budget.

Date Night on a Budget: Skip the Restaurants

If you have spent any time at all living on a budget, you have probably come to recognize the high cost of eating out. The ideal date night restaurant would be somewhere with great ambiance and a menu that doesn’t include chicken nuggets; that’s not likely to be budget friendly! Instead, have dinner at home as a family, and then head out for the rest of your evening together without the kids and try some of these date night ideas sans dinner!

Trade Child Care to keep your Date Night on a Budget

Child care can be one of the biggest expenses for couples who are trying to carve out some hard-earned child-free togetherness. Even your trusty teen neighbor is likely to charge a premium for those high-demand weekend slots. Instead, find another couple and offer to trade child care for date night. For one date night a month, your savings will be significant. Plus, you have the added bonus of helping your kids build friendships! If you cannot trade childcare with another couple, consider booking a sitter for a less premium time, such as Sunday afternoon. The cost might be greatly reduced.

Make Your Date Night Productive While You Keep it on Budget!

I know a couple who have a standing Saturday morning breakfast date. Their children are older now, but when they were younger, they would ask the grandparents to take over for a few hours. They leave the house early, grab breakfast at their favorite diner, and then head out to tackle some of their errands together, without the kids in tow. (It is amazing how quickly you can get the grocery shopping done without the children asking for fourteen boxes of cereal!)

Once the errands are handled, they spend some time indulging in their shared passion: antiquing. While it’s not a traditional date, they are still getting precious one-on-one time together, and they are minimizing gas costs by combining the time with errands they would have to run anyway.

Stay on Budget for Date Night by Staying Home

I’m not suggesting that you skip date night. Instead, use the opportunity provided by trading child care, or ship the kids off to grandma’s, so that you and your spouse can spend a quiet evening at home. Your favorite shrimp scampi dish that the kids will not touch? Cook it together for a fun kitchen experience. Follow up by cuddling together on the couch while watching that R-rated movie you have been waiting to watch. No phones or devices allowed! Finish up your evening with a relaxing massage. Add candles for a touch of romance!

Get Outside and Play!

These are all free or cheap options that can be fun and romantic too! One of my favorite memories with my husband was our hike out to Ka’ena Point. The hike was free, the camaraderie was free, and we made memories together.

Free hikes are everywhere! You don’t have to be in Hawaii as we were to enjoy one! Head to a local park for a game of (free) disc golf, or spend an afternoon at the lake. Explore local hiking trails that you haven’t hit for years, or walk around the capital building during the holidays. Make plans to hit “Taste of” festivals or neighborhood celebrations. Explore a historic neighborhood on foot or check out the local car shows.

Although it is romantic, date night doesn’t have to be about staring longingly into each other’s eyes over glasses of champagne while a waiter brings escargot to the table. Date night should be about connecting with your spouse without the kids. It’s a time to turn off the stresses of work and parenting, unplug from the rest of the world, and shrink your universe. That can be done on a blanket at the beach or over free popcorn at the Farm Store.

As long as you make your time matter, and take the time to remind each other that spouses come first, then you’re honoring the commitment to date night!

Read Tips for a Date Night At Home next for more inexpensive ideas! 

What are some ways you enjoy Date Night on a Budget?

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31 Comments
Budget And Finances, Date Your Spouse, Moms

About Amy Blevins

Amy lives with her husband and six beautiful children in Northern Virginia. Besides blogging, Amy enjoys homeschooling, hiking, reading, singing, teaching, and serving Jesus above all. Welcome.

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  1. Emily bush says

    March 8, 2018 at 2:14 AM

    I’m single as a Pringle, my dates are free with myself ??

    Reply
  2. Sachs says

    March 8, 2018 at 2:43 AM

    Thank you, I Love your ideas!

    Reply
  3. Brandy Tuttle says

    March 8, 2018 at 6:08 AM

    Nice suggestions

    Reply
  4. Lois Hatcher says

    March 8, 2018 at 7:54 AM

    Very useful tips, thank you

    Reply
  5. amy Doering says

    March 8, 2018 at 9:40 AM

    sweet read =)

    Reply
  6. Donna Holder says

    March 8, 2018 at 10:36 AM

    Leave it simple and not to far from home

    Reply
    • Rafe David says

      March 9, 2018 at 12:27 PM

      It’s tiring work but it is worth all for it

      Reply
  7. Kristin Clark says

    March 9, 2018 at 11:56 AM

    Having my mom take the kids overnight and my husband an I enjoying a nice, quiet dinner followed by some Netflex and a bottle of wine.

    Reply
  8. Sandra McFadden says

    March 9, 2018 at 1:57 PM

    I would love to do a date night………….but it seems like there isn’t enough money to go out and even get a cup of coffee together or find the time to do it…………I am disabled and my Fiancee is a Quad Dump Truck Driver and his work is seasonal so when he isn’t working he is on unemployment so no extra monies to do the fun things. And when he is working no time to enjoy each others company. So, I try to do special themed meals at home for those times.

    Reply
  9. Kirsten says

    March 9, 2018 at 4:36 PM

    Date night is a problem for us. When the girls were younger, it was easier. Now we have a college student at home and privacy is even more difficult. Thanks for the suggestions.

    Reply
  10. Alicia Hewitt says

    March 9, 2018 at 6:53 PM

    Great tips! Date night with my fiance tend to be homemade dinners by candlelight, and if it’s warm outside we sit by the fire and look at the stars.

    Reply
  11. Deanna Frazee says

    March 9, 2018 at 10:27 PM

    Great ideas. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Nancy Burgess says

    March 10, 2018 at 12:07 PM

    Great ideas thanks for sharing them.

    Reply
  13. Ashley says

    March 11, 2018 at 12:53 AM

    Now I just need to budget time for date night lol

    Reply
  14. Linda Yip says

    March 11, 2018 at 1:39 PM

    Date night doesn’t happen esp since we have our first baby. It’s family date night I guess u can say hehe

    Reply
  15. Sarh S says

    March 13, 2018 at 11:45 AM

    I love date nights that don’t always involve the same ol’, dinner and a movie at the theatre. It’s more relaxing to stay in sometimes.

    Reply
  16. Sun says

    March 15, 2018 at 2:32 AM

    You have great ideas! We often take advantage of date night at home but want to go out more too.

    Reply
  17. Jackie says

    March 19, 2018 at 1:39 AM

    I love playing outside!

    Reply
  18. Kirsten says

    March 19, 2018 at 2:57 PM

    My husband and I make frequent trips to the beach by our home. It’s peaceful, romantic and free. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Rubyann A says

    March 21, 2018 at 4:10 PM

    Love budget saving tips, especially when cultivating family/marriage relationships

    Reply
  20. denise low says

    March 21, 2018 at 4:45 PM

    Thank you for sharing. We have to live on a budget at our house. So this sounds great.

    Reply
  21. Nancy Burgess says

    March 23, 2018 at 6:17 PM

    Thanks for the great ideas.

    Reply
  22. Linda Davidson says

    March 24, 2018 at 10:03 PM

    What wonderful ideas.

    Reply
  23. Jodi Hunter says

    March 26, 2018 at 10:20 AM

    Incredible Post.

    Reply
  24. Alicia a Leslie says

    March 26, 2018 at 5:50 PM

    Always need these.

    Reply
  25. Shannon Gilchrist says

    March 26, 2018 at 9:01 PM

    We are not married, but my boyfriend and I always find a way to find time for one another, even if it’s just snuggling together watching TV

    Reply
  26. Camilla says

    March 28, 2018 at 11:43 AM

    I love the idea of breakfast then chores. I usually do breakfast at home then head to the office or beach with my husband!

    Reply
  27. Casey Garvey says

    March 30, 2018 at 12:57 AM

    our problem isnt that we dont spend time together but that the time we spend is not happy or quality time. We need to connect again.

    Reply
  28. Amber Hensley says

    March 30, 2018 at 9:06 AM

    Date nights can get expensive. I learned great tips from this article!!

    Reply
  29. Jay Jackson says

    March 30, 2018 at 6:43 PM

    Neat ideas, thanks for sharing.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 15 Fun Inexpensive Date Ideas for Dating your Spouse says:
    October 24, 2018 at 1:26 PM

    […] don’t always need to include dinner and a movie, it’s incredibly freeing to find fun budget-friendly dates you both […]

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