Simple, sweet date night ideas with free and low-cost activities you can do with your significant other even when your money is low or time is short!
Every week Tramel and I try to schedule a date night so that we can reconnect with each other and unwind. My parents live nearby and they watch the girls overnight, while our baby boy stays with us. The girls love it because they get to have their “sleepover” with Grandma and Papa, and with only one of three kids at home, we can squeeze in much more quality time as a couple. It has been a huge blessing for us!
Usually we keep our date nights simple for a few reasons:
1) We have the baby with us
2) We are trying to save money
3) We are tired!
One day I’m sure we will go out and do fancy stuff, but until then…these are some of our go-to free and low-cost date night activities. Our date nights are still fun and sweet even without the extravagance. Most importantly, they help our marriage get refreshed in the midst of the stress that life can bring.
1) Movie Night
Movie night is the cliché date night activity and it’s our default when we don’t plan out something else. We make it low-cost by watching movies at home instead of going to the theater. We don’t mind waiting until movies are on DVD, we actually prefer it. That way we can hit pause whenever we want and have our random discussions without interrupting anyone. We keep a list of movie recommendations from friends so we can easily pick something on date nights. If the movie is a new release, we rent it from Redbox. It costs about $2 to rent a movie for one day (the Redbox Rewards program sometimes gives us promo codes for free rentals). If the movie has been out for a while, we check Netflix. Netflix has a large movie selection that frequently changes. If they don’t have the movie we’re looking for, it’s easy to find a substitute.
A very awesome family member paid for our Netflix subscription. If you don’t have Netflix, another good place to get movies is the library. Our local libraries have lots of DVDs, including new releases. It’s completely free and we can check out movies for a week at a time. Our library also offers free movies online. You just log-on to the website with your library card. The online movies are usually older than the ones in the library, but there are some good options in the mix. Check and see if your library has this program. You might find something you like!
2) Romantic Outdoor Outing
When the weather is nice, we like to change things up and head outside for date night. Our location of choice is anywhere with water. We both love the peace we experience sitting in front of a lake, river, or ocean. Sadly, the oceanfront is three hours away, but we do have nice parks nearby with river views. Some are free parks and others are state parks that charge an entrance fee. They don’t cost much, usually $5-$10 per vehicle as you enter. You can check https://www.stateparks.org/find-a-park/ for a list of state parks near you.
If you don’t have natural bodies of water nearby, then a big community water fountain or duck pond with benches around it could work too. Get creative! Or, if water is not your thing, check out town centers and malls for romantic spots. They usually have nice outdoor seating areas where you can relax and enjoy each other’s company for free.
3) Have a Picnic
This is an extension of the romantic outdoor outing activity because if you sit outside enjoying each other long enough, you’re going to get hungry. Might as well take some food out there with you! For a low-cost dinner, make your meal at home and pack it up to take outside. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can do easy picnic food like sandwiches, chips, fruit, etc. Find a table at the park and enjoy! You could even stay home and eat outside in your backyard or on the balcony of your apartment. If the weather isn’t great, spread a blanket out on the living room floor and have an indoor picnic. The main idea is to switch up your normal routine and make some memories together.
Some nights when we were short on time, we packed up our dinner and just sat out in the car to eat. Picnics in the car are not our first choice, and they’re a little awkward, but it was fun and it’s something we still laugh about. You can make the most out of whatever locations are available to you.
4) Review Wedding Photos/Family Photos
We don’t do this often, but a few times a year we like to spend our date night going through pictures from our wedding or other big events, like the births of our children. It’s fun to talk about the way we were feeling throughout the day and the little details we remember. Since we don’t see the pictures all the time, we always run across something great that we had forgotten about. If you’re not married yet, you can go through pictures from past outings together. Reminisce on the story of how you met, what you first thought about each other, and how you got to the point you’re at now.
Make sure to take advantage of family members’ photo collections too! Our parents and grandparents have the best (& funniest) childhood pictures and videos of us. We sometimes squeeze in a date night when we’re away from home visiting family, and it’s a great time to check out their photo albums. We always get a good laugh and learn even more about each other as we flip through the pages.
5) Song Listening Party
Occasionally, we like to take turns playing love songs for each other. We go back and forth, picking songs that remind us of each other or that we’ve liked for a long time. Sometimes the song lyrics express our feelings better than we can ourselves. Playing songs doesn’t take up the entire night, but it’s a fun activity to incorporate. We also do this when we’re on road trips (the few times when we don’t have the kids with us) because anytime is a good time to remind your spouse of the reasons why you love them!
6) Eat-Out for Free/Cheap
Yes, this date night activity is just going out to eat, but it’s better because you can do it for free! It does take some preplanning and it’s easiest during your birthday month since many restaurants’ rewards programs include a birthday treat. At least a month before your birthday, sign up for the rewards programs and as your birthday nears, you’ll receive email or in-app offers for free and highly discounted food (Side note: you will get lots of marketing emails too, so use a junk email address if you have one). On date night, you can pick a restaurant offering a buy one get one free meal and dine-in at a discount. Or, you can order free food “to-go” from a few different restaurants then split it up at home. Read the fine print on each offer to see if a purchase is required before redeeming your reward.
In the past our birthday treats have included the following and more:
- AMC Theaters – Free Large Bucket of Popcorn (https://www.amctheatres.com/amcstubs)
- Arby’s – Free Shake & Fries w/Sandwich Purchase (https://arbys.com/get-deals)
- Chick-fil-a – Free Cookie (https://www.chick-fil-a.com/one)
- Famous Dave’s – Free Dessert (https://www.famousdaves.com/rewards)
- Firehouse Subs – Free Sub (https://www.firehousesubs.com/firehouse-rewards/)
- Golden Corral – Buy One Get One Free Buffet (https://www.goldencorral.com/good-as-gold-club/)
- IHOP – Free Pancakes (https://www.ihop.com/en/myhop)
- Moe’s – Free Burrito (https://www.moes.com/rewards)
- Old Country Buffet – Buy One Get One Free Buffet (http://www.oldcountrybuffet.com/offers/)
- Olive Garden – Free Dessert (https://www.olivegarden.com/rewards)
- Panera – Free Cookie (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/company/meet-mypanera.html)
- Papa John’s – Free Brownies or Cookie Pie (https://www.papajohns.com/order/papa-rewards)
- P.F. Chang’s – Free Appetizer or Dessert (https://www.pfchangs.com/rewards)
- Red Robin – Free Burger, Fries, & Sundae (https://www.redrobin.com/royalty/user-registration.html)
Outside of your birthday, pay attention to the receipt every time you visit a restaurant. Some places (especially fast food restaurants) give free food in exchange for filling out a survey. Instructions are on the receipt. We like to save these rewards and redeem them on date nights.
Mystery shopping is another way to get free food on date night. Mystery shopping companies will pay you to eat at all types of restaurants, from fast food to fine dining. A few times we have scheduled shops on date night. They covered the cost of our dinner in exchange for a brief report about our experience at the restaurant. We paid out of pocket up front but once our report was approved, they fully reimbursed us. Plus, they paid us a little extra for doing the shop.
Usually the fancier the restaurant, the more work you have to do. Check out the specific requirements for each job before signing up so you don’t end up working too hard on date night. If your report is incomplete, or you don’t submit it on time, you won’t get reimbursed for your meal. On date nights, we’ve only done mystery shops that required little effort – only a few observations needed and 15 minutes or less to complete the report.
In our area, there are usually restaurant shops available with these companies:
- Marketforce (https://www.marketforce.com/become-a-mystery-shopper)
- A Closer Look (https://insight.a-closer-look.com/IndependentContractorInquiry.aspx)
- IntelliShop (https://www.sassieshop.com/sassie/SassieShopperSignup/Signup.php?EmsID=qESXvlfNf4k%3D)
- The Source (https://www.thesourceagents.com/index.aspx)
- RBG (https://www.realitybasedgroup.com/shoppers-corner/mystery-shopping-with-rbg/)
Don’t get scammed trying to get a free meal! Don’t pay any money to sign up as a mystery shopper. Only shop with companies that are members of the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA). You can find more companies here: https://mspa-americas.org/search
7) Visit Free Museums & Exhibits
We live near Washington, DC so there are lots of free museums and exhibits in the area. If you don’t live near a big city or don’t want to deal with the traffic, try doing a Google search for your town’s community calendar. There might be a free festival, concert, art exhibit, etc. going on that you can check out on date night. Also, the keep the library in mind for free activities. Our local libraries have activities throughout the week for all ages. They host everything from book clubs, to cooking lessons, to escape room adventures. All for free!
***Disclaimer***
We tried these next few date night ideas, but they didn’t work out so well for us. They felt like a little more “work” than we wanted to do on date night, but they are good ideas (I think?) and they might be fun for somebody (hopefully!)
8) Puzzles and Conversation
I think puzzles and conversation have the potential to make a nice date night, but the one time we tried, it was a complete flop. At first, we weren’t sure what went wrong because we both like puzzles. We later realized that our conversation was the problem! I don’t remember what we talked about, but whatever it was quickly got us irritated and we gave up on the puzzle.
If you do a puzzle for date night or, for that matter, any activity where talking is involved, try to keep the conversation light & fluffy! Or if you talk about deep stuff, make sure it’s something that brings joy to both of you. Don’t use date night to tell your partner what they did that got on your nerves during the week or you’ll probably end up like we did, frustrated and puzzled (ha!)
9) Cook Together
Plan an easy dinner you both like, play some music to set the mood, and chef-it-up together in the kitchen. Remember to give yourselves enough time to finish cooking so that dinner’s ready around your usual eating time. We know from experience that being “hangry” is a great way to ruin date night.
10) Window Shopping
Take a walk through the mall or a department store and have a mini-adventure. Pick out crazy outfits to try on, test out floor model items like back massagers, check out electronic devices, play with stuff in the toy department, sniff all the candles & perfumes, or whatever floats your boat. Just have fun! While you’re there, point out stuff you like to each other too. It can give you good gift ideas for the future. But don’t forget that you are just “window shopping” if you want to keep your date low-cost.
Having a weekly date night has been a huge benefit to our marriage. As we read marriage books, the experts also discuss the importance of staying connected through regular date nights. It’s not always easy, especially if you don’t have a babysitter, have a busy work schedule, or don’t have much money to spend on dates. But be encouraged! Something is better than nothing! You can watch a movie at home after the kids go to sleep, take a little while to look through wedding photos before/after work, or head to a free concert in your area. Whatever you can do to connect and get some quality time together is good. When your situation changes, you can definitely upgrade your plans, but we hope you try some of these simple ideas in the meantime. Happy dating!
Do you have some other ideas for a free or low-cost date night? Please share in the comments!
Nancy says
I was searching for a good red cabbage recipe using vinegar, garlic, oil, crushed red peppers and I found this. My significant other asked me to cook it for him with these ingredients. I plan to supprise him with your recipe but using red cabbabe (purple). Your website is the most beautiful website I ever came across. I especially love the powerful statement “the power of prayer in marriage”. That is so true. May Ggiod Bless all of you.
Dianna says
Aww thank you so much Nancy! That is so kind of you to say! I hope you enjoy the recipe! I have only tried it with green cabbage, but I’ll have to check it out with purple cabbage sometime. Thank you for your encouragement and God bless you as well!💗