creative date ideas

8 Outside-the-Box Date Ideas

I was talking to a friend the other day whose sister has a wealthy boyfriend. She said that when they go out on dates they routinely spend around $500. My chin is still bruised from hitting the floor when she said it. I might spend that in a year of dates with my wife. We are obviously on a tighter budget.

Couple time is important to your marriage, especially when life is fast and furious. When you have kids life is always that way. Making some one-on-one time for you and your spouse can be tricky, given the family schedule and if you have a budget like ours. When the traditional dinner and a movie on Saturday night just isn’t going to happen, try one of these economic and creative date ideas.

1. Break a sweat together.

If you can find a neighbor or friend to hang out with the kids for an hour (or two), go for a quick bike ride, run, or walk. The exercise will be a great stress reliever for both of you, and during the cool down, you’ll have a chance to talk.

2. Try breakfast or lunch, instead.

If your work schedule is flexible enough to allow coming in an hour later once in a while, try going out for breakfast after the kids are off to school. You might find that you’re even more tuned in to each other early in the day before fatigue sets in. Or take your lunch break together—the kids are in school (no sitter required) and everyone has to eat lunch, right?

3. Get lost together in a local museum or art gallery.

It’s fun to just wander and take in the exhibits with no particular agenda. What you see will often spark interesting conversation, and reveal more about your spouse and how she sees the world. Plus, many museums and galleries have either no or low admission fees.

4. Take on a project together.

Make sure it’s not too stressful or complex, but something that you can toil away on, side-by-side, often allowing a chance to talk and share along the way. Think planting a new flower bed, doing a jigsaw puzzle, or painting a room.

5. Picnic in the park.

If a sitter is nowhere to be found, there’s no better place to keep the kids at bay while you reconnect than at the park. Take a blanket and picnic, pick a spot where you can see the kids on the playground, and let them go. While they play, you can relax and chat.

6. Tour model houses.

This may seem like a weird one, but it is something my wife and I would do. We would particularly do it when we had zero money. Take a tour through a model house and talk about what you like and don’t like. Ask each other about your favorite rooms and how you would decorate it. My wife and I would talk about what it would be like to live there. It’s a date to hope and dream.

7. Take in the late show at the drive-in.

Drive-ins are making a comeback in some areas, and it’s a great option for parents of small children. Put them in their jammies and let them get comfy in the back seat, and they’ll be asleep before the previews are over. Then slide over next to your sweetie and pretend you’re 18 again. If you’re not a night owl—and more of an early bird—you can catch the matinee, which is also a little cheaper.

8. Take a day off together.

Your kids are at school, and you can hire a babysitter for the afternoon hours so you can just enjoy each other’s company for an entire day.

If you are still looking for more ideas that you can incorporate into your daily life that will improve your relationship with the love of your life, you can incorporate these Marriage Coupons.

Huddle up with your wife and suggest doing one of these ideas this week.