Whether you are just getting to know someone new or you have been married for 40 years, it can be hard work coming up with new and fun date ideas on a small budget. Keeping the spark alive is essential to any relationship, old or new, and it will be a whole lot easier with these budget date ideas that are either free or really really cheap!
SEE ALSO:
- Valentine’s Day gifts you can make
- Valentine’s Day gifts to give your kids
- Why you should go on a babymoon
- School holidays bucket list + free checklist
The Importance of Dating Your Partner
Setting aside time together as a couple is essential to a healthy relationship. It means time to focus on just the two of you, regardless of work, kids, and other responsibilities if you have them.
If you are a couple that has been together for many years, it can become easy to let things like date nights slide. Especially if you have kids. So many married couples stop dating each other and this can have a negative impact on your intimacy, closeness and communication.
Going on dates is great for stress management, for helping us to feel connected and valued. Plus who doesn’t want a little extra fun and adventure in their life!!!
Staying home? Check out 15 ways to make at home date night more fun, even if it means waiting until the kids are in bed first!
Planning Budget Date Ideas
I’ve put together a mega list for you and your partner to find loads of inspiration for affordable date ideas and things to do together. You could do a few of these in one day or pick one a week.
This means 2 years of date ideas together! After all, the most important part is spending time together!! Don’t save all the romance for Valentine’s Day!
Making time to enjoy each others company as a couple is so important, even when you don’t have the funds to make it happen!
101 FREE (OR REALLY CHEAP) DATE IDEAS
- Walk on the beach
- Picnic in the park
- Movie night at home
- Cook dinner together
- Go for a hike/bushwalk
- Eat breakfast together watching the sunrise
- Play a board game – check out these must-have classic board games
- Horse riding
- Get active with a sport like a tennis
- Go on a road trip to somewhere new
- Volunteer together
- Bake cookies
- Give each other a relaxing massage
- Feed the ducks at a park
- Visit a museum that has free entry
- Play a computer game together
- Go to the markets
- Attend a free festival or local event
- Fish and chips by the water
- Have a moonlight picnic in your backyard
- Watch the sunset
- Go swimming at the beach or a lake
- Head to the art gallery
- Have a binge-watching marathon of a favourite TV series
- Teach them your favourite hobby
- Go out just for dessert
- Look through family photos and memorabilia
- Play a 20 questions game to get to know each other better
- Throw a frisbee at the park
- Share your favourite music and listen together
- Borrow a boat and head out on the water
- Watch a local team sport match
- Take a free class together
- Set up a scavenger hunt for your date
- Fly a kite
- Karaoke at a local bar
- Play card games
- Go geocaching in your local areas
- Create a meal together using only ingredients already in the house – here are some recipe ideas
- Take your laptop or portable DVD player and create an outdoor cinema
- Have fun babysitting a family or friend’s child/children
- Dress up and do your own photoshoot
- Go somewhere public and pretend to ‘pick up’ for the first time
- Have a super long make-out session to feel ‘young’ again
- Explore a nearby town or city together
- Build sandcastles at the beach
- Attend a free concert
- Camp in your backyard
- Test drive your dream car
- Try free samples at a foodie festival or market
- Attend a trivia night at a local venue
- Go stargazing
- Make your favourite food for each other
- Head out for a bike ride
- Catch a movie at the drive-in
- Do some people watching at the airport or shopping centre and create amusing stories about strangers
- Learn a new skill from a book or online tutorial
- If you’re lucky enough to live near somewhere that snows have a snowball fight
- Create a combined bucket list
- Go fishing
- Head to your nearest skating rink
- Have a game of ten pin bowling
- Or try barefoot lawn bowls
- Watch street performers in your city
- Go fruit picking at a farm
- Plant a veggie patch together
- Join a dance class
- Help each other do crosswords or puzzles
- Toast marshmallows with a bonfire
- Have a backyard BBQ
- Get soaked with a water pistol fight
- Grab an ice cream and enjoy each others company
- Head to the zoo – there are lots of free or cheap smaller animal reserves to visit
- Spend time planning a holiday or weekend away
- Watch favourite movies from your childhood
- Verse each other at a game of Just Dance or similar to see who has the best moves
- Give each other a pedicure and foot massage
- Have a candlelit dinner at home
- Explore your own city like tourists
- Write a song or poem together
- Complete a DIY project
- Go out dancing
- Check out a local comedy act
- Head to a winery for some free wine tasting
- Birdwatching
- Play truth or dare
- Take a factory or behind the scenes tour
- Make a mini scrapbook of your relationship so far
- Play darts or pool at the local pub
- Write a list of your favourite things about one another
- Play out a scene in a romantic book or movie
- Ride on public transport and get off somewhere interesting
- Race each other at the go-kart track
- Play mini-golf
- Make up exotic backstories and try and stay in character for a night
- Go to the planetarium
- Watch fireworks at a local event
- Walk your dogs together
- Do a fun run
- Take a photography class
- Have a fondue night and feed each other yummy food
There you have it, 101 free date ideas (or at least really affordable date ideas) so you can keep the passion going without worrying about the expensive costs associated with extravagant dates.
And of course, if it happens to be a special occasion, make sure you check out these DIY Valentine’s Day gifts. These simple handmade gifts can be for any special occasion… no not just Valentine’s!
Want more thrifty tips to save money? Check these out
- How to save money when dining out
- Ways to save money on home expenses
- Create your dream bedroom style on a budget
What are your favourite free date ideas you enjoy with your partner?
Wonderful ideas!! I’ll have to try a few (or 10!).
Thanks for doing the hard part (thinking) for me!
Here from Merry Monday.
Hope you have some lovely experiences working through the list. Making memories is the best part of being a couple :)
Great list. I think my hubby and I have done a lot of the things on your list over the last 19 yrs.
That’s lovely Erlene. Just shows you don’t need to spurge to have fun as a couple!
Holly 6 & 21 are the same
Lol late night writing with a newborn isn’t always great.
Love this :) My husband and I have been together for eleven years this year (married for nine), and we still love to go for walks together, have candlelit dinners at home, play video games (our favourite is to do some Halo in co-op mode, but we’ve also played through the Monkey Island games together etc.), and make our own at-home movie nights complete with buttery popcorn and sodas! To the list I would add “write a story together” (can be silly, serious, or “adult” ;) ) and “read aloud to one another.”
I love your story idea! My hubby is probably not one to do that but it would be such a laugh. And co-op Halo is the best. While we don’t do that sort of thing as often now with the kids, some of our best weekends were spent having gaming or moving nights. The simple things since it’s all about the company.
If you are looking for something nice to do as a couple