April Showers and May Flowers
The stiffness of winter has officially given way to deep greens and vivid flowers poking their way through. Hopefully where you live, you’ve gotten some warm days with sunshine to enjoy! Recently, my husband and I found ourselves with some warm evenings and a babysitter. Normally, we just go out to eat somewhere and call it good, but that turns into a “date-night-rut” really quickly. Plus, we’ve put ourselves on a strict budget this year to meet some savings goals and simply don’t have the money to eat at restaurants every time. With that being said, we’ve rounded up a big list of budget-friendly date ideas that are perfect for enjoying the beautiful spring weather and connecting with your significant other.
- Picnic
- You knew this was coming! But think outside the box, this doesn’t have to be a Pinterest-worthy basket with cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles. You can take whatever yummy dinner you’ve prepared, put it in some tupperware and take it to a local pond, park, or lake to eat together. Bonus points for sunset watching!
- Outdoor Activities
- Whether it’s walking, riding bikes, fishing or playing pickleball, getting outdoors is a great way to switch things up. Don’t feel like this takes away from important conversations either, walks are actually a great way to discuss touchy subjects! There’s less eye contact, and it’s more acceptable to be silent for a time and truly reflect before speaking. Walks are a great way to decompress and re-connect!
- Fun Internet Challenges
- I’m sure you’ve seen some of these, but my most recent favorite is the “paint your spouse” challenge. All you need is a blank canvas and some paints. The objective is to paint your spouse as best you can and reveal at the end. This is great for families as well. If laughter is medicine for the soul, this is a good way to receive a dose.
- Drive Through Fancy Neighborhoods
- If you’re prone to being discontent, this may not be the date for you. LOL. But driving through the million-dollar neighborhoods in your town can be a fun way to dream and polish up your architecture critiquing skills.
- Museums
- Not everyone is a museum person, but if you have access to an art or history museum and one of you enjoys it, keep you eyes peeled for student discounts or other ways to get a discounted ticket and make a date of it!
- Breakfast Dates
- Dinner out can get pricey very quickly, even at cheap fast food places. Breakfast can be a cheaper option, or even a pastry and coffee at a local coffee shop can be enough to fill you up, and you’ll get time together. Again, bonus points if there’s a sunrise involved!
- Explore Your City
- Some of us live in smaller towns where this may not apply as much, but any city with a downtown area near you can be a really fun date! What new restaurants does the city have? Any boutiques or cool stores they’ve added? You can take it further and do a quick internet search for things to do in your area. A lot of times these pages that list activities will also have coupons! No shame in the coupon game.
- Sam’s or Costco Date
- We’re really getting to the penny-pincher section with this one, but it’s tried and true and I’ll stand by it! The cafe has food that’s filling and cheap AND you get to people-watch for free.
- Play Board Games
- When you pick up groceries, make sure to get you and your spouse’s favorite drink or dessert. Bust them out along with Monopoly or any other game you prefer and enjoy the fun!
- Tulip Farms & Berry Picking
- This varies by area, but tulip farms are becoming more and more popular. You can visit these places and score some delicious fruit or pretty blooms!
