Tag Archives: creative date night ideas

9 Date Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank

Coming up with fresh date ideas when you’re married can be tough. Having to be mindful of a budget can make it even tougher.

But there are a number of things you and your hubby can do together that are fun, exciting and won’t break the bank. All you need is a little ingenuity and an open mind.

Volunteer

Giving back to the community isn’t only fulfilling (both for yourself and others), but it’s a great way to meet and talk to people from different backgrounds who will stimulate your senses and satisfy your entertainment needs.

It’s a great opportunity for you and your husband to spend some time together, while sharing an amazing experience and giving back to your community. It also offers the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about others.

Also, concerts, festivals and other types of events are always looking for volunteers. If you’re into the music scene, this is the perfect solution to getting to hear your favorite tunes while not having to pay for it.

If you don’t quite know where to volunteer or how to get started, try resources like Volunteer Match to find an organization near you.

Play a Game

Okay, this idea may seem a little stale, but you will really be surprised by the number of laughs you and your man will share. It’s the perfect excuse to order a pizza, grab some cheap beer or wine, and break out a game like Scattergories or Life. It can be played as many or as few times as you’re interested in, and the results can be quite hilarious. They also aren’t so competitive that you’ll end up bitter at each other (cough, cough, Monopoly).

Plant a Garden

Growing your own garden isn’t just entertaining, it’s good for the environment and helps you save money, not to mention spruces up your home’s exterior. If you’re a couple that likes being outdoors and active, this is a great way to spend the day together and be productive. Head to your local nursery and pick out a variety of plants and flowers to plant in the ground or for a lesser commitment, in big, beautiful pots.

All-Out Movie Night

For a relaxing and indulgent Friday night after a hectic week, plan a movie night… but not just your regular DVD and microwave popcorn movie night. Get a cheap bottle of wine, make some caramel popcorn, bring bed pillows out to the living room, light some candles and put on your favorite pajamas.

Rather than having to go out to rent a movie or watch one you’ve seen a hundred times, utilize the movies offered by your cable provider or services like Hulu or Netflix. Movies are brand new, well-priced and involve no extra effort to watch. These little details can make a standard movie night into a romantic and relaxing night in.

Flea Market Finds

If your man is game, get up early on a weekend, grab a cup of coffee and head out to your local flea market. The opportunity to find something unique and affordable for your home is something you both will love. Turn it into a contest to see who can find and repurpose the best piece; channel your inner HGTV hosts and see what your imagination is capable of.

Drinks & Dessert

Don’t you hate when you go to a restaurant and at the end of the night they give you the dessert menu and you’re either too full or too money conscious to order one of the decadent treats? Make that a date! Eat a light meal at home, then head out to your favorite restaurant to enjoy a glass of wine and share a fantastic dessert.

Baby/Pet Sitting

Have friends with kids or a dog, but you don’t? Do them a favor and offer to take their kid(s) (either fur or human!) for a few hours on a weekend. Take the kids to a museum, park, or aquarium, or take a hike with their pooch. It’ll give you and your husband a chance to get a glimpse into life with children, while giving your friends a much needed break.

Cook-Off

Do you and your husband have a favorite food show? Try recreating it together, and inviting a friend or two over to be the judge. Make a spending and time limit for both and get to cookin’! You’ll end up with two fabulous meals (great for leftovers!) and the chance to spend time together. If you’re not feeling competitive, assign one of you to the main course and the other to sides and appetizers and collaborate for an awesome meal.

Coupons

Want to do a traditional dinner date, but are afraid of the bill? Check sites like Groupon and Living Social to find deals on restaurants in your area. Many have deals that offer discounts on your entire meal, free appetizers, or coupons that give you double the money (Pay $15, get a $30 gift card). It will also encourage you to try new spots.

Top 20 Stay-At-Home Date Night Ideas

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We all know how important frequent date nights are for keeping the fire burning with our spouse.

But when money is tight, or a babysitter is nowhere to be found, keeping a regular date night can be a challenge. We’re here to help!

We’ve scoured the web, looking for the best, cheapest, most creative stay-at-home date night ideas and compiled a list of the top 20 we found online.

So grab your hubby, put the kids down for the night, and get your date night on!

Iron Chef Chocolate: Make a meal with chocolate featured in every course. Who says chocolate can’t be served as a main course? You can either make a meal together or divide up the courses between each of you and surprise the other with your sweet & savory creations.
Strip Trivia: Make it a hot night with this sizzling bedroom game. Tease each other with one steamy question at a time to set one another on fire!
Make It a Theme Night! Choose a theme and center everything you do around it. For example, if you choose an Italian theme, you could eat spaghetti and gelato, then watch a movie like The Italian Job or Life is Beautiful. Some other fun theme ideas: Mexican, Asian, Christmas, Kid’s theme, 1950′s (or any decade), etcetera.
Living Room Camp-Out : Get anything you have that makes you feel like your camping out and set it up in your living room (i.e. camping chairs, turn off the lights and use flashlights, blanket…). Make tin foil dinners in your oven for the dinner.
Crepes in Paris (no ticket required): Spend an evening in Paris right in your very own home enjoying create-your-own-crepes and creative spouse caricatures. So fun!
Create a DIY Photoshoot: When’s the last time the two of you were in the same photo? Using your tripod or Apple photo booth, snap pics together in various rooms of your home for memories you’ll never forget.
Kid-Free Slumber Party: Make a cozy pallet for you and your spouse on the living room floor [with] lots of blankets, pillows, snacks, and movies. We call it a ‘slumber party.‘ It’s a little silly, but super fun and makes us enjoy the little things in life.
All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Go: Pull out your nicest formal dress from your last cruise or even from your high school or college prom (if yours still fits.. good for you! I’m not even close to fitting into mine), light dozens of tea candles, and have a romantic, fancy dinner.
Out of Character: Dress up as an actor from a movie and pick the character for each other (think Tom Cruise in Risky Business).
Dream Date by Design: Design your own Dream Date with an easy survey! Have your sweetheart do one also, to create two amazing dates!
Turn Your Bedroom Into a Love Nest : I purchased a bed canopy years ago. Occasionally I’ll pull it out, dust it off and put it up for the night. Then I fill the room with candlelight and other sundry romantic items and pretend that Mr. Beguiles and I are tucked away in a sumptuous hotel room or cottage somewhere.
Karaoke Night - oh yeah! Find songs with lyrics on YouTube and sing your heart out. This is funniest if you can find some heart-wrenching ballads to belt out.
Dance the night away: It has all the intimacy of a club without the downside of slipping in spilled drinks. Rehash the days of the high school dance. Turn down the lights, turn up the music and be sure to dance two feet apart. Just kidding! Getting close is the point, and what better way to get close to your spouse than dancing in your own private gala?
Vacation Planning Date: Turn planning your next vacation into a fabulous and fun date night with our great printables!
Get a Taste of Another Culture: Plan out a delish meal of Paella and sangria, prepare it together and then dig in. Love Indian? Make your own Chicken Tikka Masala.
Write out the story of how you met (and fell in love): Better yet- video tape it! Your kids and future posterity will be so grateful and it is so fun to go back and read (or watch) years down the road. It’s amazing how much you will forget!
Wine Bar at Home: Buy a few different bottles of wine (get 20 great picks under $20), make a plate of meats and cheeses, light some candles and load up your iPod with your favorite tunes.
Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue! Celebrate your lifelong commitment to your sweetheart with this “Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue” themed date! This date is a true celebration of love.
Play the Newlywed Game! See how well you really know one another. Have prizes for every correct answer. You can check out some fun questions here.
It’s a Love Match! Create some sparks with your sweetheart with this free printable that puts a romantic spin on the classic game of Memory!

Didn’t find something on this list that floats your boat? Find an endless amount of creative and cheap stay-at-home date nights at my absolute favorite date night site: The Dating Divas. These fabulous ladies love their hubbies and have made a career out of sharing their awesome date night ideas with us.

Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

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THE BOOK: Read the book that inspired the powerful TED talk and prompted author of The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman, PhD., to write the book’s foreword. Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott, bestselling authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts said, “We’ve been counseling couples and writing marriage books for a long time, and we can say with absolute certainty, there has never been a book quite like The Argument-Free Marriage. If you think no such union exists, or if you’ve come to the conclusion that arguments are necessary in marriage, allow Fawn to challenge that notion and set you on a path to creating the greatest partnership in life: your marriage.”

Free Date Idea: Take a Fantasy Tour Around the Globe

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Happy anniversary! Can you believe it’s been a full year since the Happy Wives Club book was released on January 7, 2014. Where did the time go?

Since it is, technically, it’s birthday or anniversary, or whatever celebratory thing you want to call it, how about we create a brand new -and scrumptiously unique- date idea?

Free date ideas are the best kind in my book. With at least 52 potential weekly date nights in a year, you can never have too many ideas to choose from. And if your hubby is like mine and loves variety, it’s a great idea to have a few plans in your back pocket and ready to go.

Today we are combining food, travel, TV, *and* using a little inspiration from the Happy Wives Club book– what’s not to love?

One of my favorite parts of the Happy Wives Club book was feeling like I was seeing, smelling and tasting all the places Fawn went to interview happy couples and learn their secrets to happy marriages.

When I was thinking about a FUN and FREE date night idea, I remembered how much fun The Hubs and I have watching House Hunters International and fantasizing about whether or not we would ever live anywhere but home.

Soooo I thought it would be even more fun to go on a fantasy vacation, inspired by the fabulous locales in the Happy Wives Club Book and approved by the hubby!

What you will need:

1. Laptop or Tablet – to cue up the Travel Channel’s website.

I suggest taking all the links below and opening them in new tabs, that way they are cued up and ready to go so you have the mechanics out of the way and can snuggle and discuss as you go along the tour.

2. Some yummy food – check out great snack ideas inspired by the book (see links to fabulous recipes at the end of every country I’ve listed below.)

3. A little conversation – one of my favorite things to do with the hubby is PAUSE THE TV and DISCUSS. Would we want to go there? What do we want to see? Is it a “must-go-before-we-die-place?” or a “would-be-nice-but-eh-place?”

Ready for the World Tour? (You don’t even need a passport! Score.)

Cape Town, South Africa –

This one is on my own bucket list. I loved this video because I must admit, I was curious to see the South African version of McDonald’s. It does not disappoint.

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/mcfeasting-in-south-africa

The recipes from this fabulous part of the world:

http://www.food.com/recipes/south-african

And who could forget about the red cappuccino’s Fawn raved about, and are only served as espresso’s in South Africa? Well, this may not be identical but I think we found a way to enjoy the taste without needing to take the flight:

http://capepointpress.com/rooibos-cappuccino-latte/

Perth, Australia

When I was a kid Olivia Newton John was one of my idols (thank you, Grease! And yes, it’s still the word.) So Australia has been magical and beautiful since I was 13. When Oprah went during her final season, I fell in love with it all over again.

When I was looking for the most viewed videos on Australia it turned out to be a review of their Superman roller coaster.

That reminded me of one of the things I just love about travel – the way you can plan a thousand details and yet a place will surprise you and the last thing you thought you would ever do there turns out to be your favorite part.

So, here is the link to Superman Down Under -

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/superman-flies-down-under

And a little dive into the Great Barrier Reef –

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/dive-into-the-great-barrier-reef-11550

And a little 5 Star Spa Day to relax after all that exploring!

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/lilianfels-spa-and-resort

And we can’t forget some great local recipes from down under (or what the locals call “Oz”) -

http://www.abc.net.au/perth/recipes/

Mauritius –

Since we are half way around the world already, let’s just hop over to Mauritius for some “Street Eats” and snacks.

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/mauritian-mash-up

Don’t forget to try out some of the fabulous Creole food from Mauritius -

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisine/mauritian

Or you can do what Fawn did when dining with a French couple married more than half a century, enjoy some fabulous (and buttery) French cuisine -

http://www.foodandwine.com/french-recipes

Europe – Rome & London

Let’s wrap up our world tour with some Gladiator school in Rome –

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/gladiator-school-in-rome-11153

a mini tour of Rome neighborhoods -

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/romes-neighborhoods-11156

a look around London -

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/taking-a-look-around-london

and finally, the food!

While in Rome…eat as the Romans do: http://www.aboutroma.com/rome-cuisine.html

While in London, authentic fish and chips are a must: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/english-style-fish-and-chips-recipe.html

Winnipeg, Canada–

According to Fawn, those living in Winnipeg will be the first to tell you there’s not a whole lot to do there other than The Forks. But what they do have and are so proud to share (aside from a beautiful culture and love for family and mastering the art of simplicity): Poutine. It’s so popular, Canadians even tried to make it their official national food.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Gravy-Fries

These are just a few of the 12 countries Fawn visited during her research for the Happy Wives Club book, there’s so much fun to see and learn about.

After this date night, always remember that it doesn’t take a lot of money to travel the world – just an Internet connection and a little creativity.

Where do you and your spouse want to travel next? Please share in the comments.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES® BEST-SELLING BOOK: It’s been described as, “Like Eat, Pray, Love but not down on marriage.” Make sure to check out the Happy Wives Club book. I had the great honor of traveling to 12 countries on 6 continents, interviewing couples happily married 25 years or more, with 1 mission only: to find out what makes marriages happy…and keeps them that way. It’s a marriage book like none other. Guaranteed.

Progressive Dinner for Two!

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Today I mentioned on Facebook that I was looking for some fun and creative date night ideas. To my surprise one of the BEST date night ideas that I’ve ever heard of emerged.

Tricia Callahan, my friend and an awesome blogger over at OnceAMonthMeals.com, gave me permission to share her fabulous date night idea with you.

Have you ever heard of a progressive dinner? It’s a fun dinner that you usually have with friends or neighbors. The way a traditional progressive dinner works is that you have a 3 course meal that is spread out over the course of the night.

The catch is, with a progressive party, you don’t eat the meal all in one place. Each course is served at someone else’s home. For instance, you would have the appetizers at house “A”. Next you’d move down the street to your neighbors home for the main course, which of course will take a couple of hours there. Finally, you go to the last home for dessert.

Well the traditional progressive party has lots of families or couples involved. Tricia’s idea just involves two people, you and your man.

So how does it work?

How to Have a Progressive Dinner for Two Date Night:

Make a list of some of your favorite (or new) restaurants. You’ll need a list of 9 places in the same general area of town. One set of 3 that have great appetizers, another set that has yummy dinners, and the final 3 that have amazing sweet treats. You will let your hubby choose from the list which places you’ll go to (or take turns picking).

Get in you car, and while you are on the way to the appetizer location call in your order for take out! Hop out, go get it, and bring it back to your vehicle. Use your phone wifi to connect your iPad, computer, or phone and watch your favorite Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon movie or series from the comfort (and privacy) of your own ride.

When you are finishing up your appetizer, pick the dinner location from the list, call in your order, pick it up, eat, and have fun watching your next series episode. Then repeat again with the dessert location of your choice.

Variations to the night that I thought of, and weren’t in Tricia’s plan, include having a different activity at each location instead of watching a show. For instance, while you are eating appetizers have a phone game contest, like see who can get the high score on Flappy Birds, or whatever phone craze game is out now. At your dinner location play a 21 questions game, see if you can find out something new about your spouse that you didn’t already know. During dessert you can have on hand your favorite board or card game to play in your vehicle.

Remember you are in your car and you can go anywhere you like. So, a fun idea could be taking your dessert to the beach, or a mountainside to watch the sunset.

The possibilities are endless. Make the night light, creative, delicious, and fun!

Comment Below: What’s will you do on your progressive dinner for two?

5 Ways to Get Ready for the Holidays with Your Hubby

Decorate the House Inside and Out

Nothing puts you more in the holiday spirit than decorating the house. The decorations are a constant reminder of the season. You can’t help but think about it every time you walk by your Christmas tree, in all its glory, or any of the other decorations that are spread throughout your house.

When it comes time to decorate this holiday season, get your husband involved. Don’t banish him outdoors to put up the lights — instead, spend time putting up the tree together. You’ll have a lot of fun reminiscing about past holiday seasons and what you can do to make this year just as great.

Plan a Holiday Party or Event

The holidays are the perfect time to get together with family and friends. This is another place you can use your husband and have fun together as a couple. Even if he’s not too interested in the details, such as invitations and meal ideas, he may still have some really good ideas about when to have the party and what entertainment to plan. Spend a date night deciding what you’re going to do and how you can make it the best party or event ever.

Here are some holiday party ideas to get you started:

Get family and friends to participate in a progressive dinner.
Have everyone bring a white elephant gift and have fun with the exchanges.
Go Christmas caroling or host a holiday karaoke night.
Decorate cookies and other baked goods for neighbors and friends.
Do a service project for less fortunate families in your community.
Watch a classic holiday movie with signature cocktails.

Do Some Charity Work as a Couple

Every community has a need for volunteers, whether it means serving food to the homeless, participating in a “Sub for Santa” project, or just spreading the holiday spirit around your neighborhood. This is an excellent holiday activity to do with your husband, and even with the rest of your family. You have the opportunity to give back to your community, help make the lives of others better, and share the experience together. There are dozens of national and local charities you can get involved in that are either year round or specific to the holiday season. Find one close to your family’s heart and spend the day with your husband giving back.

Make Gifts for Family and Friends

No list on planning for the holidays would be complete without a post about holiday DIY. A great way to spend time with your hubby is to make gifts for the holidays. Plus, it’ll save you money on your holiday budget. Even if your husband isn’t particularly interested in crafts, there are ways to get him involved that may be more in his wheel house, such as painting, building, designing, or anything else you think he might like. You might be surprised how much fun you have together, and having him complete some of the more difficult tasks is certainly a healthy ego boost.

Here are some easy gift ideas you can make as a couple:

Baked goods (ex: peppermint bark, hot coco kit including hot chocolate mix and marshmallows in a mason jar with a mini Bailey’s bottle tied on, homemade doggy treats, or mini pies)
Spruced up spirits (take a wine or champagne bottle, cover in adhesive then roll in glitter)
Custom ornaments (buy glass ornaments and fill with paint and roll around, or fill with glitter or pom poms)
Instagram picture tile coasters (buy bath tiles and use Mod Podge to adhere favorite photos)
Monogrammed wreaths (buy large wooden letters and wrap them in twine, or hot glue ornaments on)
Custom mugs (use Sharpies to decorate mugs then bake them in the oven)

Build a List and Go Shopping

Unfortunately, most people don’t have time to make all the gifts they need for the holidays. Even more unfortunately, it is a necessity for almost everyone to brave the masses and do your gift shopping. To make it more bearable and get some quality time, you can make a shopping list with your hubby so that nobody gets forgotten. Be sure to include alternate gift ideas along with your list just in case you have trouble finding a particular item. Then get in the car and get the shopping done. You can divide and conquer or rely on each other to find great holiday deals and stretch your pennies to the max. Make a day out of hitting the malls, grab coffee and lunch together to break up the crazy crowds and catch up on any other holiday planning you may have.

Don’t let the busy holiday season be a strain on your relationship. There are plenty of things you can do together as a couple to make the holidays memorable and your relationship stronger than ever.

What are your favorite things to do during the holidays and how do you get your husband involved?

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