Frugal Fall Date Ideas by Dorethia Kelly

Whether you’ve been married for some time, or dating for a few months, it’s important to have the occasional private date where you and your partner can share an experience and enjoy some quality time together.

Your first date and the few after should always be amazing and somewhat over the top, but after you’ve been together for a while it starts to become harder and harder to come up with creative date ideas that won’t cost a fortune.

Most people can’t afford to have $100 dinners each week or go on romantic weekend getaways several times throughout the year. Those date ideas sound amazing, but they cost quite a bit. When you’re on a budget or trying to reach other financial goals like paying off debt, building up your emergency fund or saving up for a house, luxurious dates just don’t seem financially reasonable.

However, that doesn’t mean you need to let the romance die down. If you’ve discussed financial goals with your partner, you should both be on the same page and willing to find frugal ways to enjoy a nice date together when money is tight or if it needs to be spent elsewhere.

Here are save fun and frugal date ideas for this fall.

1. Movie Night

Movie nights are the go-to option for couples on a budget. Renting a Redbox movie or pulling one up on Netflix is so simple and cheap. If you and your partner have busy schedules but still love to check out new movies together this is a great option. Instead of dressing up and spending money for movie tickets and overpriced concessions, you can pop some popcorn at home, purchase candy at the dollar store, bake cookies and cuddle up and enjoy a good movie together.

Extra tip: If you really want to get out of the house and catch a movie, see if anywhere in your town shows older movies for a cheaper price. In my area, our local performing arts theatre in the downtown area shows movies on Mondays for $1 per person.

2. Sunset Picnic

Granted the weather in your area is still nice, you can plan an outdoor picnic and watch the sunset together. Grab some finger foods and a bottle of wine and head off to a park or grassy area to talk, catch up and relax.

3. Have a Game Night

Embrace your competitive side and play a couple of games together. Whether it’s your favorite board game or video game, you’ll have a blast.

In my household we’re all about classic board games and video games so games like Super Mario and Monopoly are always on the agenda.

4. Go Fishing

Fishing for sport is a relaxing pastime that you can even make a tradition on weekends if the weather is permitting. Clear your schedule on Saturday morning, pack a lunch, gear up and head out to a local pond to fish for a few hours.

National parks are free and a great opportunity to get some hiking in and just enjoy nature. Most guided tours will cost you money, so if you both are up for a little adventure, grab a map and navigate your way around the park and visit all the major attractions.

Hiking at a national park is a great way to get some quality time together outdoors and get a nice workout in as well.

6. Ride Bikes to Pick up a Sweet Treat

If you want to enjoy the experience of dining out without the hefty bill, try going out for dessert only instead. Cook your favorite meal at home together, or try to cook something new for dinner. There are so many simple recipes to choose from online if you want to try out a delicious new meal.

After dinner, ride bikes or walk over to your favorite dessert shop for a nightly treat. Your local confectionary would be a great option or if you like ice-cream and live near an Oberweis, they always have board games for customers to play while they eat.

7. Visit a Museum or Art Gallery

You can switch things up by visiting a fun museum or new art gallery that interests you. Most museums have free days for state or town residents and small local art galleries shouldn’t cost much.

Want to Prioritize Quality Time Together? Create a Bucket List

Creating a bucket list for a all of things you wish to accomplish before the end of the summer or throughout college is popular. Have you ever thought of creating a bucket list for your date ideas? Dates help strengthen relationships and communication plus they allow you to let off some steam and have fun together. This list is a great starting point, but try to brainstorm additional ideas a create a bucket list of date options that you and your partner can enjoy. You can even be more spontaneous by writing all your date ideas down on strips of paper and mixing them all up in a jar.

When it’s time for a date, pull a slip of paper out of the jar in order to find out what you and your partner will be doing.

Most important, don’t overthink it when it comes to determining what to do for a date. After you’ve already expressed your commitment to each other and your goals, the more frugal your dates are, the better.

©2018 Dorethia Kelly – All Rights Reserved.

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