Hopefully, dating will always be a part of your life. Not the awkward, first date kind of dating, but the connecting and reconnecting dates that keep husbands and wives close!
One potential hazard to the marital dating scene is finances. To some, budget and finance are two of the dirtiest words in the English language, while others love a good budget and could speak in financial lingo all day.
Whether you love the idea of a budget or hate it, the day may come when you find yourselves a little short on cash. The loss of a job, the birth of triplets (surprise!), medical bills – we never know what life may throw at us, so learning to live with less is a great skill for any of us to develop!
The Lonely $10 Bill
Take a $10 bill out of your wallet and look at it. It does not look like much, does it? What can it buy you? A pizza? A digital music album? Cereal and milk? These days, a $10 bill is not worth much, but it may be all you need for a great date with your special someone. ~smile~
What are some ways can you dazzle your date for $10 or less? It may seem impossible, but I bet you can think of at least ten ideas in less than ten minutes. Ready, set, go!
Do You Need a lot of Money for a Great Date?
Remember the purpose of dating. It isn’t to impress your love interest (although most of us hope we will). Dating is a means of getting to know someone. Every date may not end in romance – and that is even good. Expectations for romance in each encounter together is not a realistic expectation a couple can maintain long-term.
Since dating is meant to be a vehicle for knowing and understanding each other better, it does not have cost you an arm and a leg. Sure, occasionally it is nice to go to a fine dining restaurant, or take in a live show; but, on a regular night, the simple treats in life such as a cool breeze, the salty sea air, and beautiful stars are all you need to have an amazing date.
One of my super amazing dorm mates in college went on a hiking date with her boyfriend (now husband), and as they stood on top of a mountain she jovially said, “We could be at the Dollar Theater right now” (the local dollar theater allows broke college kids to see new[ish] movies for a dollar or two). Instead, they let God’s beautiful creation pick up the tab for that special date!
Some $10 or Less Date Ideas to Consider
Since I told you that you could think of ten $10 dates in ten minutes, I will take the challenge as well. Here goes:
- Enjoy coffee and a card game. A handful of people I know enjoyed bonding with their sweeties over card games in a local coffee shop. As long as you are quiet, courteous, and purchasing coffee, most coffee shops won’t mind you hanging out and sharpening your Phase 10 skills. ~smile~
- Take a bicycle ride down a trail or in the park. If you don’t own a bike, see if you can borrow or rent bikes for just a few dollars each. Find a scenic area and enjoy a leisurely bike ride together. Riding when it’s sixty to seventy-five degrees outside is ideal for me! How about you?
- Cook with random ingredients you have lying around the house. Have you ever seen Chopped on the Food Network? Each contestant is given four random ingredients, and they are expected to transform those ingredients into an amazing dish. If they don’t, they get chopped from the competition. Do your own version of Chopped, but without the rejection or $10,000 prize. ~smile~ Most pantries end up full of forgotten ingredients. Save these ingredients from going bad by creating a meal with what you find in the dark corners of your cabinets. You may discover a new favorite dish and develop some money saving skills along the way!
- Skip rocks and splash around in a local watering hole. Do you have a river, lake, or pond nearby? Roll up your pants leg and get your feet wet (if it’s safe, of course), and skip rocks like it’s 1955! Bodies of water make every date better. ~smile~
- Organize a date night for couples with kids. You may even make money on this date! You can do it for pay, or as a favor to the moms and dads in your life. You can charge them a little for snacks and entertainment, and then turn the children’s wing of your church into a babysitting center (with permission, of course). It is nice to allow other couples the chance to reconnect without having to pay a babysitter more than the cost of their date.
- Pack some cool drinks and a bag of your sweetie’s favorite candy, and sit out under the stars! Drink in the evening breeze!Who needs to pay to see something amazing when we sleep under something extraordinary every night? Study up on the stars and then enjoy picking them out together on a clear evening!
- Play video games together! If you are a formidable opponent, playing videos games with your sweetie can be a lot of fun. Since I am no match for Eric, we don’t play together; but, I give him a run for his money when we play card and board games – at least I like to think so. He still wins most of the time, just not as easily. ~smile~
- Visit your local retirement home and spread some cheer! After you live your life, make your contribution to society, and grow old, do you want to be forgotten? Neither do the precious souls living in nursing homes all around us. Though it can be awkward at first, it is such a blessing to them when people take time to listen and show an interest in them. You may even hear some amazing stories! And if you want, you can spend your $10 on some reading materials, tasty treats (if they can have them), flowers, or something else that would lift their spirits!
- Drive to a local landmark and take silly pictures! What makes your town famous? I grew up in the birthplace of Pepsi. Now I live in “The Hill City,” which, I recently read, is the only city in Virginia that did not fall to the union before the end of the Civil War. Every town has something that makes them “famous.” Go to your local landmarks and take some fun, or silly, pictures together. And if any of these landmarks happen to be downtown, walk through the local shops and maybe even split an ice cream soda. ~wink~
- Visit local museums that are free or almost free. We tend to take our local history and attractions for granted, but I would encourage you to learn about the history of your area and experience your local museums together. Interestingly, a highlighted attraction in my town is a graveyard. Don’t you want to come visit me? ~smile~
Whew! I made it! ~smile~ Did we have any of the same ideas?
Sit down with your sweetie and think of at least ten low budget date ideas you can enjoy when the wallet is thin, or for no specific reason at all! If you look online, I’m sure you can find several unique ideas as well!
What are some of your favorite low budget date ideas?