Date nights don’t have to be expensive. In fact, they don’t even have to happen outside of your home to be incredibly romantic. This year our family has decided to go on a strict budget but we refuse to let that stop us from having a ton of fun. If you’re finding yourself in the same boat, or even if you’re just looking for a new set of date night ideas, this list includes 25 inexpensive ways you and your spouse can enjoy each other’s company right at home!
- Candlelit Dinner– Work together creating a special meal together and enjoy it by the candlelight. As an added bonus, write each other love letters and exchange them before you sit down to eat.
- Themed Movie Night– Pick a theme, like 90’s movies, rom-coms, or even action & adventure. Tailor the snacks and drinks to meet the theme and even add some decor if you want! Feeling froggy? Make it a themed movie MARATHON night and watch a few of your favorite film series.
- Cook-Off Challenge– Each one of you can pick a dish that you’d like to prepare. Having fun experimenting with ingredients. Taste test each other’s dish and vote on whose was better.
- Karaoke Night– This one is fun for those couples who already love to sing together in the car on the way to their dates. You can purchase a Karaoke machine with mic’s, or you can just run to YouTube and find your favorite songs with lyric videos.
- Paint and Sip– Paint each other’s portraits, paint your favorite artwork, pant a random picture and have some wine as you chat and make art together. Not into alcoholic beverages? Make mocktails or grab you favorite juice or soda!
- DIY Escape Room– This one is fun and each of you can be involved creating puzzles for the other to solve. For inspiration and tips on how to create you DIY escape room, check out this video!
- Puzzle or Lego Challenge– You can put a puzzle together with each other, or you can each get your own puzzle and race to see who finishes first. For the Lego challenge you can either follow a set of instructions and build a set together, or you each build your own design and vote on whose is more impressive.
- Virtual Dance Lessons– A few years ago for Christmas I bought an entire series of virtual dance lessons for my husband and I to learn at home. We had so much fun learning each move and laughing as we tried to figure out the steps. You can also look up different dance styles and dance lessons on YouTube.
- Backyard or Living Room Picnic– You can pair this with the candlelit dinner idea. Make yourselves a meal, set up a blanket, light some candles and enjoy your dinner in an unconventional place.
- Board or Card Game Night– Some of our favorite games include Yahtzee, Uno, Chess, Mancala and so many more! Check out this list of games for more ideas to add to your family game closet!
- Create a Scrapbook Together– Have a lot of old photos, notes, tickets, or movie stubs lying around that you just can’t seem to toss? Grab some supplies from your local craft store and create a scrapbook of your memories together. This one would be awesome for an anniversary and you recap the last several years of your relationship together.
- DIY Pizza Night– Make homemade pizza crusts and add your choices of cheese and toppings. Make fun shapes and get creative with your pizza. Vote on whose pizza looked more fun and whose pizza tasted better.
- Indoor Fort Building or Camping in the Backyard– Weather nice enough to camp out in the backyard? Grab a tent and a few sleeping bags and pretend you’re somewhere in the middle of the woods. Too cold or wet to be outside? No problem. Make a cozy place to hangout in the living room with pillows and blankets, grab a projector and a white sheet and have a move night indoors!
- Trivia Night– Quiz each other on random topics and see who is more “in the know.” You can pick a theme (politics, pop culture, movies and TV shows, etc.) and use an app, simply quiz each other on random topics, or grab a version of Trivial Pursuit and ask each other the questions on the cards.
- Breakfast for Dinner– Make pancakes, fry up some bacon, put together a spectacular omelet and have some mimosas for dinner!
- Dream Vacation Planning– If money were of no consequence, where would you go? What would you do? Plan out your dream vacation together in detail. Really be specific. Can’t agree on a place to go? Create PowerPoint presentation’s and “pitch” your dream vacation idea to your spouse!
- Travel Night At Home– Pick a country that you’ve always wanted to visit and find an authentic recipe from that region. Make an entire meal with side dishes and appetizers.
- Taste Test Challenge– Take turns blindfolding each other and tasting different foods and beverages.
- Make a Time Capsule– Write notes, include small items that you find significant of the time and your relationship, and plan to open it in a year.
- DIY Spa Night– Make up a charcuterie board, grab some comfy robes and have a spa night in! Do face masks and take turns giving each other massages.
- Write a Story Together– Go back and forth with each person writing a paragraph. Decide ahead of time about how long you’d like your story to be if you’d like to have a clear ending point, or write to your hearts content and see what you come up with!
- Play a Two-Player Video Game– This one is for the Xbox and PC lovers! Play one of your favorite video games together while snacking on your favorite foods.
- Recreate Your First Date– Wear the same thing (or something similar) to what you wore on your first date. Recreate the meal or outing (as best you can) and talk about your first impressions of each other.
- Do a Crossword Puzzle Together– Work together on completing a crossword ALL the way through!
- Homemade Cocktail Hour– Create homemade cocktails (or mocktails) with each other and get really creative with what you make.