Eight Frugal Date Ideas for Husbands and Wives

Just because you are married doesn’t mean you can’t ask your wife out on a date.  And since you are married, it’s acceptable to make it a frugal occasion unlike the dates you had during courtship.  Here are a few frugal date ideas for husbands and wives.

1. Movie marathon night.  Get the kids in bed early, and stay up late watching a couple favorite old movies.  Make some homemade popcorn or nachos for a midnight snack.  Flip a coin to decide who gets up early with the kids!

2. Photo shoot. Head outside to your favorite scenic spot dressed in your spouse’s favorite outfit.  Bring along your digital camera and take turns photographing each other in a variety of poses (keep it clean folks–remember, you are outdoors!).

3. Look for your dream house.  Even if you aren’t in the market for a new home, take a drive through exclusive neighborhoods and pretend you are shopping for your dream home.  Talk about things you like or dislike about each home.  My wife and I did this often early in our marriage, and then decided the thing both of us disliked about each “dream” home was the “nightmarish” mortgage payment!

4. Challenge to a game of H-O-R-S-E.  Get your mind out of the gutter, people.  You remember H-O-R-S-E don’t you?  The classic driveway basketball challenge where you have to match your opponent shot for shot or you pick up the next letter in the word “HORSE.”  Actually, playing any sport together is great for building closeness.

5. Do a little vacation planning. Even if you have nine months until your annual, summer vacation, it can be fun to start planning together now.  Talk about where you would like to take the family this year.  Order a few brochures, visit websites and go to the library to look for a few books on your destination. 

6. Go camping. Leave the laptops behind and plan a weekend of camping in a rustic setting far enough from home that the temptation is not too great to come home during the middle of the night.  Nothing is more romantic than sitting under the stars roasting marshmallows on a campfire. 

7. Dinner and dancing at home. Cook a romantic dinner for two at home and enjoy it by candlelight, then retire to the living room for some after-dinner dancing to a few of your favorite slow songs.  Men, score bonus points by cooking the dinner and/or cleaning up without help.

8. Recreate your first date. Do you remember your first date?  Dinner and a movie?  Coffee and dessert?  A sporting event?  Try to recreate elements of that first date, but in a more creative way.  I recently read the story of a couple who met at their opposing high schools’ homecoming game.  They hit it off, dated through college, and eventually got married.  For one anniversary date, they returned to their hometown and attended the annual homecoming game surrounded by teenagers.  Fun stuff!

Photo courtesy of innuendo