May is actually National Date Your Mate month, how fun is that?! Trevor and I made a commitment this year to intentionally plan two dates a month. He plans an evening the second Friday or Saturday of the month and then it is my turn the the fourth weekend.
This is how I define a date:
Time that we as couple intentionally plan for to reconnect and strengthen our relationship.
Whenever Trevor and I begin to feel as though we are on different pages or our daily interactions seem surface level we can usually agree that it has been too long since we planned for and set aside time to connect. Marriage keeps us together, but dating helps keep us in love.
In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to bring the kids with us for any of those. Time alone is important. But the reality is that some of those planned events end up being family dates mostly because we hate paying for a sitter. But those are fun too, we enjoy the company of our kiddos and with Trevor’s time intensive job he doesn’t always get to do fun things with them so we don’t mind having them around. Most of these date ideas can work for both couple and family dates. Some can be done in the comfort of your own home after getting kids to bed. Want to leave the house without the kids for free too? Find a couple who equally misses date nights and also hates paying for sitters. Pick a weekend a month that you are all free. One couple takes all the kids on Friday while another one takes them on for Saturday.
Okay if you’re really going to get picky, for some of these dates you still have to pay for gas to leave the house and groceries to eat the food…but it sure beats a $30 dollar dinner and $20 movie! And if you don’t mind paying for the sitter then these are great ways to prevent spending any additional hard earned $$$$$ Here it goes!
Get Local
Eventbrite and Facebook events are quick easy ways to find out what is going on in your neck of the woods for free. Summer is the time that every city has some kind of celebration so find out when and where yours will be. Who cares what they’re celebrating it’s free fun! Oftentimes you can even score free stuff and food. Bonus.
Play at the Park
We love yard games. Corn hole, horse shoes, washers, volleyball, pickleball…I could go on. Pack a blanket, picnic and an activity and take off for your favorite park. Sometime this summer we plan to send out a text to all our friends that will say something like this, “Volleyball at _______ park at _____pm. Bring a picnic dinner or don’t…and your game face.” If no one shows up, it doesn’t matter to us because we are still there together and can go play pickleball or something. The point is to do something active. outside. alone.
Couple’s Game Night
The couple could just be you two or you could invite friends who don’t mind paying for their babysitter or whose kids can fall asleep at your house. Pop some popcorn and get your Uno on. There are loads of games that are still fun with just two people. Sequence, Settlers of Catan, Phase 10, Jenga, Twister…feel free to offer more suggestions in the comments below.
Love People. Make them Yummy Food.
The title above is actually one of my life mantras. I really love to bake. But I REALLY love when Trevor does it with me. This is one that can be done after kids go down as well. Choose a three course meal, or maybe just a dessert that is new to both of you and get to work in the kitchen! It’s a great bonding opportunity to attempt something new as a couple. You could also make this into a service activity or a family date idea if you’d like. Make a big batch of cookies or homemade rolls and walk around your neighborhood delivering them. Just make sure to save some for yourselves to indulge in at home.
Dessert to Go Please
Trevor recently did this for my Mother’s Day date and I was impressed with his creativity. We did go out to eat but we got our dessert to go. To not spend the money you can just whip something up at home or grab snacks from there. He parked in front of a pond and we climbed into the back seat and watched a movie on his Ipad while inhaling a delicious slice of carrot cake. He initially had planned to do it on a blanket at the park but it was too cold. It ended up being really fun and memorable.
Left or Right May
Either you know what movie I’m quoting or you don’t. If you don’t, I pity your childhood. For this date, just get in the car and drive. At every turn you flip a coin. Head means left, tails means right. You do that for a previously decided on amount of time and wherever you spend your date. Pack a lunch or dinner and eat wherever you ended up or in the car. If the final destination is nothing to write home about, or is not a great location that doesn’t matter. The fun of the date should have been in getting there. Use this time to catch up as a couple. Discuss your current state of affairs as a person and as a partnership.
Couch Potato Date
Two Rules:
- No one can get off the couch for two hours. So best be prepared with water and snacks. Also use the bathroom first…
- No TV or Devices. So be creative. Give foot rubs and/or massages. Play Uno. Ask one another questions from your childhood. Name your top threes (top three cookies, top three tv shoes.) Make your family’s bucket list together. Plan a vacation. Use this time to talk about the important things you don’t get time to talk about. If all else fails you can always make out like teenagers.
Remember When
Watch your wedding videos and go through your wedding and old family photo albums. Read through old journals together while you eat your favorite snacks (I’m big on food being a requirement.)
Get Fit
The couple who exercises together…looks good naked together? So pick a free fitness activity like biking,hiking, frisbee or tennis and get your blood pumping. You feel better about yourself when you take care of your body and that confidence carries over into your relationships.
S’more Alone Time Please
Have a fire in the backyard after the kids go to bed. Invite neighbors over or just keep it intimate and cozy with the two of you. Sit close and talk about when you first got together. Do Not Forget the Smores…I’ve recently seen that using Reeses instead of Hershey’s is becoming a thing. We’ll have to give that one a try. Kick this date night up a notch and end the evening stargazing or camping out in the backyard!
The website I get a large majority of ideas from is the Dating Divas website. We sit down at the beginning of the year and fill our their Date Night Bucket List. We have endless ideas for dates throughout the year and the printable is FREE so …winning!
What are some of your favorite free or cheap dates? Share in the comments below!
Happy Date Your Mate Month!
Chelsea
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