Inexpensive Date Night Ideas

My husband and I have been married for 24 years. For 18 of those he was in the Air Force. We have never had a lot of money and often look for cheap date ideas so we can have some quality time together without breaking our budget. Here are some of our favorite “cheap” dates (not all for night time but hey, take a weekend afternoon and enjoy yourselves!!):

Bookstores – especially book superstores, like Barnes and Noble. It’s fun to browse our favorite sections, read snippets of funny books to each other, and put on the headphones and listen to some music we haven’t heard before. Also, there’s usually a small cafe’ attached where we can pick up a hot chocolate afterward.

Movie Matinees – You can get a really great deal on a movie matinee, especially if you are willing to wait until a movie has been out for awhile and it is shown at a bargain theater on a matinee. Sometimes you can get in for just a few dollars a person!! Just be sure to bring your own snacks.

Homemade picnic – This one is so much fun and so easy!! Sometimes we just make sandwiches and pack some chips, fruit and sodas and a blanket. Then we go to our favorite park and eat and talk and just relax together. This one can be fun at night, if you bring a picnic dessert and a flashlight.

Pumpkin Patch – it’s that time of year. Pumpkins are not that expensive, and often pumpkin patches have other free or cheap activities, like corn mazes, silly picture taking, etc. Take your time picking out your favorite squash, then go home and decorate it together (without the kids).

Open Houses – You don’t have to be in the market for a new house to enjoy an open house. Put on some nice clothes and hit some open houses in the neighborhoods you’ve always wanted to live in. You can even pick out a new persona (jobs, economic status, etc.) and enjoy “acting” with the realtor.

What are some of your favorite inexpensive date night ideas?

About the Author:Teressa Morris won an award in the sixth grade for her short story, “The Perils of the Periwinkle People”. She continued writing all through high school and into college where she majored in journalism and English. In 1987 she dropped out of school to live her dream of becoming a full-time wife and stay-at-home mom.

Teressa homeschooled her children for a total of 11 years, then went on to help her husband, a retired Air Force electronics technician, start a successful retail golf business.

After the golf shop failed in 2009, due to the downturn in the economy, Teressa turned the bookkeeping she had learned for the business into a part-time job. Her husband struggled to get hired in the new economic environment, and Teressa became the primary breadwinner for the family, along with being an avid couponer and deal seeker. She has also learned the ins and outs of unemployment, Medi-Cal and various other California assistance programs.

With so much responsibility on her plate, Teressa started looking for a creative outlet. Her oldest child suggested she return to her passion for writing. She started blogging one day a week, first about things she had gleaned from Bible studies, then about her family’s struggles with bullying, depression and insomnia.

Teressa now blogs 3-5 days a week, about topics as varied as recipes, book and product reviews, and giveaways, as well as continuing to discuss subjects that are dear to her heart. She recently published a Kindle short story and is working on a comprehensive resource book on bullying prevention.

In 2011, her oldest child came out as transgendered. This is a new subject that Teressa is trying to learn about so she can support her child and help to educate others.

If you read her blog, Window on the World, she would love it if you left a comment. Let her know if you like her eclectic style.

You can send Teressa an email at tmorris@teressamorris.com