Economical Dating Ideas 5

Looking for a cheap dating idea. Here is one for you. I have not tried it but it may be something to look into. Find a old bed sheet and use a black marker to write down anything you want. Example poems you have heard or write down one word and make many words from it. --Mark

I live out in the country, so this works well. My boyfriend parked his truck out in the middle of nowhere (in a field somewhere), threw a sleeping bag in the bed of the truck, and we just laid there for hours looking at the stars and talking. It was the best date ever! --Rita

There is always one Mom out of all your friends that likes to feed you and have everyone over. Ask how they have kept he romance going. I was over at my friend Megan's house last night, and her parents are very much so in love. Mom, that is what we call her, is a preschool teacher so she always is doing great fun things. Well during dinner with the family Mom said " I had to stay after school today." Mr. Young said were you a bad girl?" and that got me and the kids to say eww, but laugh nevertheless. A little while later my boyfriend came over to the house and I had to tell him about the dinner conversation. We always share with one another what we think is good in the relationship. We thought that it was good that the kids and Mom could do kid things like a game called Big Booty and not be ashamed or embarrassed to play that with people who are 16 and 17. My point is that to have a good date that is cheap, ask the most functional family you can find, get your friends together, learn about how they have made things work for so many years, then play grade school games and eat fudgecicles I did all of this and today I fell in love all over again. Not only with my boyfriend but with my childhood. - Tanya

Karaoke... fun.. silly... I had my first date with a guy at a Karaoke Bar,,,, we had two for one drinks and a plate of chicken wings. Stairway to Heaven sung after a few beers is hilarious! -Sarah

My friend and I planed an awesome double date. It didn't really turn out the way we wished it had. Our plan was to rent a movie, and go to a campsite at a lake that is about a half hour from our city. This was during the off season for camping, so there wouldn't be a whole lot of people there. I brought a little movie and one of those fire log things, we were going to go to the campsite and start the fire and watch the movie. We were going to use the power outlet at the site. When we got there all the sites were closed. So we decided to sneak around the gate, well we found a good site overlooking the lake and tried to get the TV to work. But the power was turned off. The wind is blowing in off the lake and it is cold. We didn't light the fire because we didn't want to get in trouble for being where we weren't supposed to be. So got back on the main road and drove to a little beach area and put the TV in the front seat and hooked it up in the car (we had an adapter) and watched the movie right there. If you check the weather and make sure the campsites are open, then you will have one awesome date. This was still an awesome date! ~Chris

well I wouldn't really call it a date but it was a good way to spend a few hours. My fiancée took me to one of those furniture stores that have lots of little sections done up as a sample room. It was fun to try out all the couches, beds and chairs for comfort, style etc.. since we are both college students and cant afford any new furniture, it was nice to dream about what we would want in our own house someday. ~Jim

Brenda, oh my God... some of those cheap date ideas are soooo funny. I almost peed myself. (I definitely have to try the tourist date) I have a couple of interesting ideas I think; -go get a very tiny tattoo together in an obscure place. Like a little frog on your toe or something. -hop in the car one Friday night and just start driving east, north, south or west. You can get really far driving for 5 or 6 hours, and road trips at night are fun. Try to find an inexpensive hotel, but bring a couple sleeping bags just in case its a nice night and you find a nice spot to stop. -go to Chinatown and buy a bunch of the wackiest fruit you've ever seen (jack fruit, dragon fruit, prickly pear etc.) and make a fruit salad to feed to each other.~ Ryan

I like to lay on top of my roof with my boyfriend and just look at the stars and talk about the day. Best part, it's free!! --Tanielle

When I feel like getting my boyfriend in a romantic mood, I have him meet me at the local park and he pushes me on the swings. Then we take a walk on a trail and sit down at the picnic tables and talk. I always end up leaving happy and satisfied with a refreshing good night kiss. -Penny

Look for a large outdoor public event. A gross of pencil balloons and a book on balloon tying can make for a very interesting afternoon and the kids will love the results even if they aren't the best.

My husband and I have been together for some time now, but we still have "the magic." Every Wednesday night (we're usually too busy with work, golf, etc., any other days) we have a "date night." We always set that night aside just for each other. We usually go out to dinner at a local restaurant, and come home fairly early to watch a movie. We don't spend a lot of money... that's part of the night, but we get definite quality time together! We also make it a point to begin each day slowly, and take our time getting up, while discussing what we have planned for the day. It may sound corny, but this is the time that we "connect" the most. ~Dawn

I got this idea from my sister, and it seems to work like a charm every time. This idea goes along with the whole picnic scenario, but it's a little different. You're not allowed to bring any food. The goal of the picnic is to eat by means of a scavenger hunt. What you do is you stop by the houses of almost everyone you know, and you ask them for some food item. Say, at one house you ask for a few slices of bread, and at another, you ask for some lunchmeat, and at another, some bananas. Not only does this give you the chance to say "hi" to all your friends, but it also usually yields quite a large amount of food, all of which you paid nothing for... (except the gas to get it) It's usually a fun little thing to do! ~Sean

Dear Brenda, We live in New England and have terrific foliage during the autumn months. Last year, I had my sweetheart prepare for a day outdoors-- all he knew was that we were picnicking. I took gorgeous back roads that showed the leaves off at their best advantage and drove to a dramatic waterfall area. We walked down to the mid waterfall point where we had a perfect view of an old stone bridge with rushing water cascading from underneath it. However, I added a little twist to the excursion and packed a set of watercolouring supplies. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring our artistic talents, laughing and complementing each other in turn. Jessica

my boyfriend, and his friend, surprised me and my best friend one evening. They picked us up, only told us how to dress. Once we were in the car, the guys still would not tell us where we were headed. We ten stopped for dinner at Bravo's, and went on a moonlit carriage ride. Major points for creativity ~Emily

I've got a great idea for a date... but you will have to use your own judgment to see if it is appropriate for a FIRST date. The best date I ever had was when I was kidnapped. My Date picked me up and as soon as I got in the car, he tied a scarf around my eyes. Then he drove around so I had no sense of direction. When we finally stopped, we were at the park where he had a very romantic scene planned. He already had a tablecloth out with wine and glasses, strawberries, cheese, and cream. It was the most memorable time I have ever had with a date. Of course, you will have to do this in a somewhat isolated part of town. Or someone will swipe your stuff before you get her to it. ~Liz

One great idea I have found for a date, that doesn't normally drain your wallet, is to go to putt putt golf. Its a great way to have fun and laugh some. Plus, it doesn't put your date in a nerve racking situation which can be a big turn off.

Here is an Idea that works well on double/triple/group dates. I call it the Toothpick Barter. You partner up into teams of two and each team gets a toothpick. You then split up for a few hours and begin bartering your toothpick by going door to door in different neighborhoods. At each door you tell the owner that you're doing a toothpick barter and ask him if he has anything that he'd like to trade for a toothpick. You then take what he gives you to the next house and so on. Eventually people start unloading all their junk on you and when you meet back at a designated time, each team has the equivalent of a yard sale in wares. You can choose to judge on most unusual objects, most expensive, etc... and then donate what you don't want to goodwill or have a yard sale yourselves. Best thing is, the date only cost the price of a toothpick and a little gas.
-Joshua

Brenda asks: So Joshua, What's the best thing you ever got?

I found a girl that was willing to look past the weirdness of the Toothpick Barter and date me for 2 years. I also ended up with a pair of speakers that I use today. Another team had a burnt out TV and large TV Antenna (the type that sit on top of a house). Next time I do it, my goal is to get a car out of the deal!

Here's another idea that I haven't done, but someday, maybe I'll try... The idea is to get everything you need to set a table: plates, silverware, candles, flowers, napkins, etc.. and then go to McDonald's prior to picking up your date, set a table (You might want to speak with the manager first) and then when you get the food you put it on plates and turn your table into your own private 4 Star McDonald's. It doesn't hurt if you've got a friend who plays the violin as well. This one's a bit weird to, but I'm sure you'll agree it gets points for preparation! Thanks again for this site with some great idea's for dates! Do you know of other sites like yours? -Josh

Here are a few ideas from a resident of a college town ...

1) Go "Dumpster Diving" at the end of the semester. Recycle or resell "good stuff" left when students move. A date and I once reclaimed and cleaned a couch for the homeless shelter.

2) Attend band or symphony dress rehearsals on campus. These are often free ... just quietly slip into the hall or auditorium and sit near the back.

3) Ditto graduate recitals ... these are often free, as are local poetry readings. Even when they're bad, you'll have something to talk about.

4) If you have a junked-up car, get some auto spray paint and go wild! We've gathered leaves in the fall and sprayed over them for interesting leaf patterns.

5) Pick your own fruit or veggies. In the fall, a visit to a working cider mill where you can pick your own apples and then have them made into cider is a pleasant (and inexpensive) way to spend an afternoon.
--Jenny

A good novelty date is to take her to a park that has benches by the road. At a prearranged time, several of your friends drive by one after the other and toss Tupperware containers out at your feet, filled with any shockproof delicacies that you made the day before. It's got good weirdness potential.

If you want to spend a little more money, rent a large Ryder truck and park it so the back doors overlook a particularly nice view. Put a couch or a couple of chairs in it and a table, along with dinner in a coolers and/or one of those battery-powered heaters. Throw in a portable stereo and a couple of candles, and you have a wonderful candlelit dinner with a view you could never afford from your own home. She may be a little thrown when you drive up to this parked truck and open the doors to the back, but if you've done the ambiance inside right it will be a date she'll never forget. And if things progress well, you can just pull the doors to [although you do want to make sure you have access to the cab from the back, in case some Good Samaritan comes along and latches the outside door!]. --Rob

My fav is the 'Trashy Tourist Tour'. Participants put on really bad Hawaiian shirts, black socks, shorts, big hats and cameras and hit all of the really cheesy tourist traps in your area (Wax Museums, Ripley's anything, the local yocal museum, the big ball of rubberbands, the giant house of mud... etc). If she can see the fun in that, then you may have a keeper. If she can't (which is what usually happens) then she is a bore!
Enjoy, Grant

For those of us without easy access to a beach, simply viewing the stars is good, say from a grassy hill or a desert seclusion. You might be surprised at how beautiful the desert is under a starry sky - especially when you get away from the lights of big cities.

I may regret the crowds that I encounter as a result of telling you this but a trip to the park to feed the ducks can be relaxing and romantic. It's especially nice if the park chosen actually has ducks. The 'leftover' heels from bread make ideal duck food and it gives you an excuse not to eat the heels. Store it in the refrigerator so it doesn't spoil while you collect it.

Some food related activities: Feeding each other the simple dinner can be satisfying. I recommend that the participants be naked if it's not finger food. Note - it may be best to avoid the roof while naked. As you might imagine, I enjoy baking cookies with a friend and playing in the dough. A large bowl of whipped cream or even those cans of whipped cream can be simply amazing with a partner. Four hand and a cherry pie! Yes, some of these can be messy.
I like reading to each other but you already have that one.

Washing your lover's hair.

So now you know all of my romantic secrets and I’ll have to think of new ones. Well, there’s always playing cards for slave time but that’s not really a date thing. More of a partner thing. ;> Yours, David