Marriage Mondays: Top 10 Tips to Have Date Night on the Cheap {& Link Up}

By Paula Rollo on Monday, June 3, 2013

Date-Night-on-a-Dime

Did you know we have a Date Nights section on the new Happy Wives Club site?  We sure do and you can find great articles like this one from HWC contributor, Paula Rollo.

Enjoy and today is Marriage Mondays so don’t forget to scroll down and link up! 

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

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Finances can often be a huge hindrance for couples wanting to have a consistent date night. The desire may be there, but that doesn’t mean it is always do-able financially!

I don’t work outside of the home and we have 2 young kids, so my husband and I have definitely learned to get creative when it comes to making date night work for us.

Here are my top 10 tips to have date night on the cheap:

  1. Share an entree.  This isn’t only a great way to get a meal for less, it’ll help you watch your figure.
  2. Skip the pricey beverages and order water.  This will also help you reach that often elusive goal of drinking 8 glasses each day.
  3. Dress up like you are going to a 5-star restaurant, but eat at a local deli instead.  A night on the town doesn’t need to come with an $100 tab at the end of the night.
  4. Stay home and play board games.  Put the kids down early and let them know mommy and daddy are having a special night.  Incentivize them to stay in their room if need be.
  5. Go on a romantic nature walk.  If you live in the city, this may be a bit tricky.  But there are generally beautiful walking paths (most off the beaten path) almost anywhere you go.
  6. Add date night into your monthly budget. Some couples create a “date night” savings account they add to (and usually drain) monthly.  Some put it in a jar or envelope.  The important thing is to set money aside for this express purpose.
  7. Save a few dollars each week until you have enough for a fancy dinner date. If “fancy” is important to you, save toward it.  But don’t wait until you’ve saved enough money before enjoying a date night (see tip #3).
  8. Swap free babysitting and date night weekends with another couple.  You never know how easy this can be until you try.
  9. Have dinner out but rent a movie instead of going to a theater.  With theater prices going through the roof, it may be time to stay under your own roof.
  10. Go to a movie earlier in the day to get cheaper tickets.  Can everyone say “matinee”?!  If there is a movie you just “must see” while in the theaters, enjoy it for a little less.

QUESTION: What inexpensive date night tips do you have?  Share them in the comments section.

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Paula Rollo

Paula Rollo: Paula & her hubby have been happily married for 4 years. They decided to tie the knot after knowing each other for just 35 days! They now have 2 rambunctious kiddos known as Little Man (2) and The Princess (7 mos). The family resides in Texas in a small but lively apartment. Paula and her hubby love to play board games, take long walks with the kids and they both LOVE the Texas heat! Paula also has a passion for writing. Her compositions have been featured many places around the web, including her own blog Beauty Through Imperfection where she writes about motherhood and strives to be an encourager through her writing.

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  • Spouse Dates

    I love that you talk about making a date night part of your budget. Our checkbook and our calendar reflect our truest values so…. Here’s a date idea: On a warm night, organize a backyard picnic. Spread a blanket on the ground and enjoy some snacks, chocolates and champagne.

    • http://www.happywivesclub.com/ Fawn Weaver

      LOVE this! We’ve never done this but I’m certain my hubby would absolutely love it. Thanks for the tip :) .

    • http://www.modernmarried.com/ Maggie Reyes

      oh my gosh, I love this idea! We have a terrace area and once had breakfast outside on a Sunday and it felt so “plush” somehow. A candle lit dinner would be AMAZING! Great tip!!

  • http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/ Nan

    Great tips! We, too, would go to the early movies to same money, but more often than that we would just rent a movie and then watch it after the kids were in bed. Sometimes we would go into the city and walk around and look at all the shops or go to the beach and walk around, then stop and have an ice cream cone!
    Thanks so much for hosting today!

    • http://www.happywivesclub.com/ Fawn Weaver

      Nice! Great idea.

  • http://www.toodarnhappy.com/ Kim Hall

    Fun and frugal suggestions, Paula. My husband and I tend toward the simple things, like the movie nights or nature walks. As you said, it’s important to set aside the money to spend quality time together (although money isn’t always needed). As Dave Ramsey reminded us in Financial Peace: If you want to see what the priorities are in someone’s life, just go through the checkbook.

    • http://www.happywivesclub.com/ Fawn Weaver

      Yes! Love Dave Ramsey and it’s so true you can easily see our priorities when looking at our checkbooks. We are big on nature walks too and fortunate to live right next to the Los Angeles coastline so walking along the water is something we do every week.

  • Crystal

    I love to check groupon and other “deal” sites, I live in CT so ctnow.com has deals similar to groupon. I get movie tickets and popcorn for 2 for $12 pretty regularly, plus you can find dinner deals and even weekend getaways (if you have a sitter for the children of course). I really feel like making my husband and my relationship a priority is showing our children what a marriage is supposed to look like.

    • http://www.happywivesclub.com/ Fawn @ Happy Wives Club

      Oh, that’s a great idea! Hadn’t thought about that one but you could really find great two-for-one dinners, etc. on those sites.