51 Cheap Date Ideas for Parents

As you can imagine, as parents, getting out without the kids is not always easy. Sure, it helps to have teens as home. We can easily bargain with them to babysit the younger three. We trade off really… that way they have a decent social life and we get some time alone. Although, even then, our date nights are often limited by our budget. We have to get creative and think outside the box. But we consider the time together important to our relationship… so we make the time and work things so that the budget works. Our marriage thrives because of it and it is essential to keeping the spark alive even as parents.

Cheap Date Ideas

Even if you have to settle for cheap date ideas, that does not mean they can not be fun and full of craziness. In fact, I think they make everything better. More spontaneity and spunk only improve the relationship, right? So, think outside the box. Explore new ideas. New possibilities. You may discover some great activities you never thought you would enjoy.

1. Attend a local high school or theater group performance
2. Go geocaching
3. Spend a night stargazing under the stars
4. Walk through a Nature Preserve
5. Scavenger hunt through a local mall or town square
6. Cheer at a local sporting event
7. Find a perfect location for watching the sunset
8. Camp out in your backyard
9. Share a conversation over a cup of coffee
10. Attend a local karaoke night
11. Dollar Date: Each person gets $1 to spend at a store on the other person
12. Go visit model homes in a new community
13. Set up a projector and watch a movie under the stars in your backyard
14. Take a test drive in a new car you dream of owning one day
15. Go roller-skating… and hold hands during couple skate
16. Take a drive around town
17. Visit a local park and enjoying playing together
18. Take in a dollar movie and split a popcorn
19. Spend some time at a local beach or pool
20. Find free events in your area such as concerts, market days, street fairs
21. Bury a time capsule together
22. Take a dance class at a community center
23. Find a nearby film festival to attend
24. Volunteer together
25. Sit in the food court of the mall and people watch
26. Build a blanket fort in your room and enjoy the space afterwards
27. Take a bubble bath together after the kids are in bed
28. Have a progressive meal: each course at a different restaurant
29. Go dancing
30. Take a drive down memory lane
31. Lay in the grass and find cloud animals
32. Take out the crayons and coloring back and color a picture for each other
33. Have a pillow fight
34. Lip sync a movie: watch a movie with no sound while you become the character’s voices
35. Take random pictures of you both at different spots throughout the city
36. Walk through the botanical gardens holding hands
37. Jump on Priceline and find a budget-friendly room
38. Dig out gift cards and use them
39. Look up local deals on a phone app
40. Lock your bedroom door and play truth or dare
41. Have a board game tournament
42. Catch up on a tv series together
43. Play Frisbee golf together
44. Get your kids involved: Have them serve you dinner restaurant-style
45. Recreate your first date
46. Have an in-home spa night and pamper each other
47. Take a historic tour of your city
48. Play a game of hide-and-seek
49. Check Restaurant.com for a new local dining experience
50. Attend an amateur comedy show
51. Personal drive-in: grab a tablet or laptop, popcorn and drinks, and set in your car in the driveway watching a movie

And now… more to add to my list of reasons I still love my husband:

26. He thinks of me… often. I know by the surprise treats he brings me when he is out.
27. He finds happiness in the little things. And this makes things easier for me.
28. He makes the best cup of coffee… which is important to my shear existence every night.
29. When necessary, he is open to constructive criticism. This is helpful since I tend to give it more than I should.
30. The kids adore him… and that alone makes him the sexiest man. Nothing better than watching him be an amazing daddy to our children.

Join me as I link up with the Happy Wives Club by clicking on the image below!

What are your cheap date ideas for parents? What is your biggest dating your spouse challenge?