Five Dates for $5 or Less

When is the last time you and your spouse had a date? Yes, I said date. You know, that thing that happens when two married people spend time together with no kids?

It’s a foreign concept for me, too, especially since my husband lost his job. My family is living in safe mode right now. We buy absolutely nothing that we don’t need. When my husband and I sat down yesterday to discuss what we might do together when our son visit his grandparents, we had to get creative. Here are five things we came up with:

1. Spend the Day Outside

Go hiking, biking, swimming or do some other out door activity that doesn’t cost anything. If you live near a lake, go fishing off the bank. Play Frisbee in the park. Fly a kite. When you get hot, go for slushies or another cool beverage from a convenience store.

2. See a Movie

We can rent a movie from Redbox – two or three if I get an e-mail code for $.50 cents a movie over the weekend. Wal-Mart has individual size boxes of movie candy for under a dollar, and we have popcorn at home. We can also head to the dollar movie and take our own snacks.

3. Game Night

When we first met, we would play board games and listen to 70s music. That was the music that was popular when we were growing up. Listening to it brought back all kinds of memories about our upbringing that we could share to learn more about each other. Grab a game out of the closet, put on your favorite music, turn the phones off and enjoy each other’s company.

4. Have a Meal Out

Where can you share a meal for $5? Anywhere, when you cook it at home and bring it with you. Cook an inexpensive pasta dish or casserole and a dessert. Pack it in a basket or cooler with nice plates, linen napkins, real glasses, a table cloth and a favorite beverage. Take it to a nice quiet place away from home to have your meal out. Perhaps there is a quiet, shaded area in a nearby park. Maybe there is a large oak tree somewhere in your town or a gazebo where you can set up a card table and chairs. You might even consider using the patio or deck of friends who are on vacation.

5. Go for ice cream

It may be the last great American treat you can buy two people for under $5. Get it in downtown Dallas, then take a free ride on the McKinney Avenue Trolley or go window shopping.

Bonus Idea

If you have a telescope, set up a tent in your back yard, wait ‘til it gets dark and star gaze.

Dates don’t have to be expensive, as long as you are having fun and spending time together. What are some of your favorite dates that cost little or not money? Leave a comment and let’s continue the discussion.