Tag Archives: frugal date night ideas

At Home Date Night On a Budget

When my husband and I were newly married, we received some wonderful advice from a great couple.

They told us that they’d been having a weekly date night for 20+ years of marriage. As newlyweds, we decided to be intentional about a weekly date night.

After we became parents, my mom was more than happy to babysit for a couple of hours each Friday night so we could continue the tradition.

So, for our first 7+ years of marriage, we have had a date night every single week!

Then, we moved away from my hometown. We’re now 2 hours from one set of grandparents, nearly 6 from the other. No more easy babysitter! Couple that with a tight budget, and we knew we needed to get creative!

This is why I invented the no-prep, at-home, low-cost date – that I affectionately call the “Dessert Date”. Thinking it was a great idea, I wanted to share it with you!

Everything for this date can be done within about 5-10 minutes.

I thought it would be fun to make this a surprise for my hubby. So, I waited until the boys were in bed and hubby was in the shower, and then got to work.

The first thing I did was to lay out some nice clothes for him on the bed, with a handwritten note saying, “Put these on, and meet me in the kitchen.” Next, I put on some nice clothes myself and dusted on some make up.

I found the champagne glasses from our wedding, along with a couple of napkins, and a copy of the invitation from that day. If you don’t have glasses from your wedding, substitute what you do have.

You could also use a nice quote about love or marriage printed out, instead of your invitation. We don’t drink alchohol, so I bought some sparkling grape juice to go in the glasses.

I prepared my super quick, super yummy strawberry cream desserts.

Finally, I found the mix of love songs that played during our wedding reception.

Honestly, because of the effort put into it, this felt much more like a “real” date, than some of our out-to-eat, followed by a stop at Walmart “dates.”

We had a lovely time staring into each others eyes like newlyweds.

The entire prep for this date happened during the short time that my hubby was in the shower, making it a very low-stress date. It was also very inexpensive – around $5 or so. And between the fancy plated desserts, the champagne glasses, candle light, and all of our wedding reminders, it was very romantic.

We both remember it fondly as one of our favorite dates ever — going out included.

If you’re needing some alone time with your husband, but don’t have the resources or babysitter for a night out, I would encourage you to get creative!

You can make great memories right where you are.

What’s your favorite date night?

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.

4 Fun Summer Date Nights

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There is something about the summer sun that makes me feel at home and happy.

On the first day of summer I welcome in with a happy heart the heat, the bbqs, the swimming, the vacation time.

But, what I look forward to most is spending the warm summer evenings hanging out with my husband. There is little else that brings my heart so much joy.

Summer is a time when you can forget the traditional date night of heading to a restaurant.

It is the time when you can get creative, head outdoors and enjoy the lingering summer sun with the one you love.

Here are some ideas for fun summer dates to spend with your sweetie.

Go To A Drive In
A drive in movie is, without a doubt nostalgic and romantic. And, there is something undeniably tender about snuggling next to your sweetie under the summer night sky and sharing a box of Milk Duds.

Revisit your youth and pack up the car with chairs, blankets, pillows and sweets and take your spouse to a good old fashioned drive in theater.

Do an online search to find a drive in near you. No drive in theaters around? Check event listings in your area. Many cities offer movies in the park for a similar experience.

Dance at an Outdoor Concert
There is nothing quite like an outdoor concert. But, going to a big expensive concert isn’t necessary in order to take your sweetie on this fun date. Many towns offer concerts in the park with local bands.

Pack up some fold up chairs and buy some take out and sit back and enjoy the local culture. Hear a song you like? Ask your spouse to dance. Summer air, good food, music and your sweetie? Now those are the ingredients of a great date!

Go For a Drive
For as long as I have known my husband he has loved to put together a summer playlist of music. Back in the day that meant making a mixed cassette tape. Now it is as simple as dragging and dropping our favorite songs in ITunes.

For a great summer date, make a playlist that your spouse would like and hit the open road. Go for a drive with the windows down, the music on and sing out loud together. See where the road and the music takes you.

Watch a Meteor Shower
One of my favorite date memories is when Husband and I drove up to the mountains and laid in the bed of the truck watching a meteor shower. Talk about romantic.

This summer, head out past the city lights between August 10th and August 13th to catch the Perseid Meteor Shower. Grab some blankets, pillows, wine and dessert and have a romantic night among the stars.

Whatever it is that you do for date night, get out and enjoy the summer air. The freedom and hope that summer brings comes and goes so quickly. Don’t let it fly by without taking some time to enjoy it with the one you love most.

Listening Night

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You know the old saying “opposites attract”? In many ways, that was true for my husband and I. While we certainly have our similarities, there are many ways in which we are opposite.

My husband, for example is and extrovert and kind of a genius. He taught himself to read Greek in less than a year, and his idea of a relaxing afternoon is studying his tremendously thick C++ computer programming book.

I’m an introvert that would rather spend my time working on my blog, writing books or reading a young adult novel. And for the record, I can’t understand computer programming to save my own life.

Needless to say, sometimes each of us are more than a little bit bored by the other’s interests.

My husband can drone on for hours about the intricacies of his latest computer program that he’s designing. Not a topic I’m particularly interested in, but then we also have the times when I’m babbling non-stop about blog stats or social media algorithms and he’s as lost in that conversation as I am when he discusses Greek with me!

That’s why listening night, is important to us. And no, we don’t call it that, it’s nothing official, it’s just taking the time, to really, truly listen.

Usually when my husband jabbers on about something I don’t understand I give a half-hearted “mmmhmmm” and move on to something else. It’s okay, because he gives me a tired “that’s great honey” when I talk about my blog and after a bit he tends to change the topic too. We both understand, because these aren’t our shared passions, and they don’t have to be.

But sometimes, it’s still good to take the time to truly listen. To ask questions and do your best to comprehend the other’s interests. Even when they are completely beyond your realm of understanding, like my husband’s are to me.

When I do this it’s my way of saying “I love you” to him in that moment, as I try to understand whatever has his smart brain intrigued for today. I hear the “love you” back from him as he grins and cheers with me when I break a blogging milestone or tell him about a novel that had me in tears.

Listening night doesn’t have to be something official, (although it can be). It’s just the simple decision to put aside phones, and switch off the tv, to look each other in the eye and truly try to understand what your spouse is fascinated with, even when it doesn’t also fascinate you.

Comment Below: When was the last time you and your hubby had a listening night? Do you have opposite hobbies like we do, or are all of your interests similar?

Do You Really Need a Date Night?

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I recently attended a marriage conference. A woman with grown children talked about how important it is to have a date night, and I nodded my head in agreement.

But then she went on. “It needs to be something good. You need to get out of the house, and going to Walmart together doesn’t count.”

When someone mentioned date night at home, she emphatically shook her head.

I could feel the spirit of defeat in the room.

So, I just want to say, You do not need a “date night.” At least, not in the traditional sense.

Having a date night isn’t about an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fun sometimes. But for some of us, it just isn’t possible. We have no money and/or no babysitter.

If you’re in that season of life where a traditional weekly date night just isn’t possible, take heart! It’s not about the date, it’s about the time spent together.

You don’t need a fancy restaurant. You do need quality time together with your spouse. Here are a few ways that my husband and I connect.

Read the Bible Together. Each night after our boys are tucked in bed, my husband and I read a chapter from our Bible and pray together. Spending time in the word is an excellent way to connect with God and each other, and it also gives us a perfect opportunity to talk about what God is doing in our lives, what He is showing us and where He is leading us.

Talk. This is so simple, yet so important. Make time to spend with your husband, just talking–about something other than disciplining the children and paying bills! In my book, Intentional Marriage, I include a list of 101 conversation questions that you can use to have some fun conversations with your spouse.

Watch a favorite TV show or movie together. Pop some popcorn and snuggle up on the couch. If you’re watching a tv show, mute the commercials and spend that time chatting.

Go to bed at the same time. This has always been important to me. Sometimes, the busyness of the day makes it hard to find time to spend together. Going to bed at the same time is an excellent way to be sure that you have time to connect as a couple.

Do chores together. Now, this might seem like the opposite of spending quality time together, and it can be. Chores can be a drudgery. And if I go into it focusing on that, I might just have a bad attitude. But if I go into it purposing that I’m going to enjoy spending time with my husband, no matter what we’re doing, my entire outlook changes.

In addition to these daily things, there are plenty of “dates” you can have with your husband right at home and on a low budget. Check out the date night section right here at Happy Wives Club.

I also have a free printable with over 50 date night idea cards. Most of these ideas are free and many can be done at home!

What is your favorite way to connect with your husband?

Christmas Date Night

All you need is:

Your car (unless you are willing to walk in the cold!)
Mugs of Hot Chocolate
A Notebook
Each other!

Whip up some hot chocolate and go for a drive (or walk) together. Find the fanciest neighborhoods in your town and look at the beautiful light displays that they have in their yards.

Try to find the most extravagant decorations and come up with awards for the houses based on their decorating charm, or beauty, or even cheesiness!

“Most Traditional” or “Master of the Inflatable Machine” etc. Be sure to take notes on which houses are receiving what title so you don’t duplicate an award.

Have fun getting creative with the titles!!!

If you want to add a bit of competitive fun, you could try seeing who can spot the most Santas or snowmen, or even make it a “double date” with another couple, competing to see which husband & wife team can find the most exciting lights throughout the night.

This is sure to be a fun date night that you will not soon forget!

Free Date Night Idea: The Today Show Date

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My personal date-night challenge was this: come up with either a cheap or free date night idea. Preferably something free, fun, and that parents with small children could do easily – no baby sitter needed.

I started thinking about what my favorite things to do with my hubby are. Number one on my list is talking and cuddling. Any variation of talking and cuddling will *always* make me happy.

I had the idea for this blog post and then was thrilled to see a conversation on the Happy Wives Club Facebook page where HWC members repeatedly agreed that “talking and cuddling” is where it’s at as far as our favorite bonding activity with our hubbies.

So here it is, super simple and I discovered it totally by accident. We had recorded the Today Show and when I turned it on the big headline was that the government was monitoring our cell phone usage. Remember the day, when that story broke?

Well as it turns out, my husband had very strong feelings about it, as he is in IT, and understands the nuts and bolts of *how* the monitoring would work. I had very strong opinions too and asked him a ton of questions.

I found out things I didn’t know about him, just by asking him a question from the news story on the Today Show.

Then I realized he is my favorite person. I want to know what he thinks about everything. So I asked him to stay and watch the show with me and if we could pause on different segments and discuss. He is used to my zany suggestions and said yes.

We laughed, we debated, and we watched Martha Stewart using Match.com to find a date. We found that both gripping and hilarious at the same time. We talked about how having cameras following you around is probably not conducive to opening up your soul.

I could not get over how much Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie look alike. My hubby laughed, highly amused at my observations.

In the end we fast forwarded through some segments (latest and greatest makeup on sale) and had long, thoughtful discussions about others (what is our expectation of privacy in this digital-shareable world?) and overall had a great time.

This is so easy to do, I had to share.

Record the show. Watch together. Discuss. (If you have little kids, you can totally do this once they are asleep at night.)

Disclaimer: I am not associated with the Today Show in any way, other than watching it. I took the pictures on my camera at home and I hope the team at the Today Show thinks this is a really GREAT idea! – Maggie

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

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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!

____________

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:

Share an entree. This isn’t only a great way to get a meal for less, it’ll help you watch your figure.
Skip the pricey beverages and order water. This will also help you reach that often elusive goal of drinking 8 glasses each day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Swap free babysitting and date night weekends with another couple. You never know how easy this can be until you try.
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.
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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