Frugal Fridays: Free dates
My apologies for skipping Frugal Fridays here last week. I was out of town and meant to post a notice that we were taking the week off and completely forgot. Can I blame that on preggo brain?
Good marriages don't just happen; they must constantly be worked at, worked on, and encouraged along. One thing which I strongly believe helps keep a marriage strong and healthy is regular times of refreshment - times to just enjoy one another, have fun, talk, share your hearts and dreams and struggles, and just be together away from the normal hustle and bustle of life.
Oftentimes, when someone thinks of a date with their spouse, you imagine it costing $25 or more. And if you want to have a weekly date, those $25 occasions can really start adding up. However, it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg to have weekly or monthly dates. In fact, if you're really creative, it doesn't have to cost you anything. Here are some cheap date ideas we've used to save ourselves hundreds of dollars while still keeping the spark alive in our marriage...
Eliminate babysitting expenses - This can be one of the most expensive costs of all when it comes to planning a date night. Start thinking outside the box when it comes to babysitting and you'll soon find you might not ever need to pay a babysitter again. How about swapping babysitting with a few families you are close with, each of babysitting once a month or so for another family and, in exchange, receiving babysitting services for your own children once a month. Or, how about bartering for babysitting? Maybe you could teach a young lady from your church a skill you know in exchange for her being willing to babysit for you. One of my favorite options and one we often do, is to put Kathrynne to bed early and then we'll have a few hours set aside for a "date" at home. This won't work too well if you have older children, but by then, hopefully they'll be able to babysit for you and then you'll never need paid babysitters again anyway!
**If I can just make a sidenote here to those of you who are unmarried - Have you considered the gift you can give to married couples of babysitting their children free of charge so they can have a date night? I often babysat when I was younger and one of my policies was that I never accepted pay for a couple to have a date night. It was payment enough to see the refreshed faces of a couple who came home to a clean house and sleeping children after a few hours out together.
Utilize free forms of "entertainment" - One of our favorite dates is a library date or a bookstore date. We head to the library or bookstore and just peruse the shelves and stop to read for awhile. Often, the books we're browsing will serve as a great springboard for a wonderful discussion. For the past few years, I've been a member of MyPoints - a free program which awards you points for reading emails, online purchases, and some surveys. I rarely purchase anything online, but I can take a few minutes per week to earn points reading emails - this is something easy to do when you're on the phone or otherwise multi-tasking. In a few month's time, I can have enough points earned to buy a $5 gift card to a local bookstore such as Barnes and Nobles. We'll use that for a special treat - buy a coffee or latte to share while we browse the books. A free $5 card can last for two dates this way!
Fun free "dates" for colder months - Go to the mall and just browse. Don't bring any money or credit/debit cards and you won't be tempted to buy! Check out an old movie at the library, put the children to bed early, pop some popcorn or bake cookies with frozen cookie dough, make some tea or cocoa, and snuggle on the couch together and enjoy the movie. Take turns reading aloud from a book while sipping fresh-brewed coffee. Bake cookies together and then clean up the kitchen. Play a board game or card game. (Jesse and I spent many fun evenings playing Phase 10 when we were first married. We also tried chess, but he got so good that he started beating me at it, so we had to give that up!)
Fun free dates for warmer months - Go to the park and just walk and talk and enjoy breathing in the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Pack a picnic or bring some freshly-made lemonade and watermelon. Take a bike ride. Play catch. Learn how to play tennis together.
Become a mystery shopper - This is something which has provided us many a great free date. We've gotten paid to eat at many restaurants - from casual to fine dining - in addition to getting two great meals and often drinks, appetizers, and a dessert - all complimentary! All I had to do was make sure and pay close attention to details while at the restaurant and record our experiences later. Since I'm a fairly attentive and detailed person, this is not hard for me to do and I can still enjoy our all-expenses-paid date night to boot! For more information on mystery shopping, check out my article on it here.
I could go on and on with ideas, these are just a few things we've enjoyed. I'd love to hear your ideas for cheap or free dates, too! Add to my list!
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To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
posted by Crystal Paine at 2:56 PM
13 Comments:
Thanks for hosting this each week. I always get great ideas!
Jennifer
Great date night tips! We haven't had a "date" in quite a while... I think I'll start planning something :D
Such good ideas! Reading them makes me eager for a date night...
I hope I did that right, Crystal. I'm still trying to figure out the details of blogging. :^) Thanks.
These are good ideas Crystal!
...also, local museums and especially art museums are wonderful places for free (or nearly free) dates.
Our dates usually consist of a little more special dinner at home and watching a movie we already own! We love to picnic, so we do that often. Occasionally we will go out for lunch or breakfast and that isn't as expensive and we usually have a buy 1, get 1 free coupon. Even if we stay home for a date, I try to make it special in some way and a little different and I try not to do any work around the house for the evening. I find it hard to just sit and when I resist the urge to do something and spend time with my husband instead, he loves that! My sister-in-law has 3 small kids and their dates are usually take-out and a rented video after they put the kids to bed early.
Before we had children I would babysit my sister and sister-in-law's kids for them for free, now they watch mine for free for me when I need them. I am proud to say that my kids have only stayed with family since I stopped working parttime :) I love your tips!
I didn't put a note as to what my frugal notes were on my blog but it's about reusing prescription pill bottles.
I also wanted to comment on a free date my husband and I like to go on. We both adore animals and so we like to go to the pet shops and look at the fish, birds, reptiles, bunnies....My son quite enjoys it too! It's like a free trip to the zoo.
If any of you live in Va. Beach the best store is Animal Jungle. Since I've moved recently I haven't found one in my area near central Virginia.
Thanks for hosting this, Crystal! Glad to be a part!
Crystal, I had to reenter my post information into the Mr. Widget thing and so I have it as "Mama Russell" and "Mama Russell (Easy Garlic Bread". Is it possible to erase the first one? Thanks!
We all enjoy special "date" times with our beloveds but as "a few" wedding anniversaries have passed and after talking with so many that have watched their spouse pass to the next life, just riding in the car together talking or not to run an errand OR doing a project around the home OR reading the paper together OR doing a handcraft while hubby drifts off to a nap OR having hubby come home from work and adjust the covers on me OR him coming home with a special treat shared at work saved for me OR my doing something others may consider small and not so significant for him OR "insert anything here you please including staying up with the babies" are also great dates to me! It's those oneness moments that are the best regardless of the circumstances, yes?
Great ideas!
Another one we take advantage of is stargazing. We take blankets and a picnic snack out under the stars. The kids are asleep in the house and we are easily available if there is a problem. We've even made dates to watch meteor showers from the bed of the pick up truck in our own driveway! We live out in the country so it works for us. :)
Babysitting: $0
Gas: $0
Restaurant Bill: $0
Romance factor: 11 out of 10!
Crystal, I don't have your e-mail address so this is my only way to tell you my results with couponing. I followed your tips and last week I bought $359.99 worth of groceries for only $50.03. That includes 20 items that were FREE. I am HOOKED! I just want to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for taking your free time to sharing with others. I posted a link to your site on my blog and hope it will catch the eyes of others. God Bless! -Malina www.oldfashionedheart.com (malina1973@aol.com)
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