Romantic and Cheap Dates Ideas

$20 Date Night
This date works no matter what budget you are on, simply because there is thought behind it and fun. We are allotted $20 to plan a date and execute it, but the other does not know what is in store. This weekend it’s my turn to plan our date night. For our date I will get strawberries from a local fresh produce stand ($2), candy bars and soda from the dollar store ($5), a bottle of wine that was given to me from a trade show I was at, and movie tickets from the dollar theater ($2). We are now up to $9 for preparation. We will go to the movie with snacks (dollar store) then go to a local fast food place for burgers and fries from the $1 menu (total is now at $14). Then we’re off to the local donut shop for dessert. We’ll watch the donuts get made which will result in free donuts. Then we’ll go to the park for wine and strawberries (covered in chocolate from the dollar store) on a blanket. After that, we’ll go to the local adult store, where he gets to choose the sample flavor oils (remaining $6). We then go back home and I will secretly place the flavors on various parts of my body and he gets to find them without using his hands.
--submitted by Jeri

A Fun Day For Your Loved One
My girlfriend goes to college, so I decided to send her on a "treasure hunt" on our anniversary. I bought several small things(stuffed animals, etc.)and went to her school. I had a little notepad and wrote a note to her and placed it in her car, telling her to first check her car, then go to a certain destination(in this case the swings at a park that we'd frequented). I gave specific instructions on where to look, and there placed another gift and note to her. I continued this until I finally reached her house. I bought an outfit just for the occasion, cooked her dinner, and had a painting that i made for her hiding somewhere in the house. Later that night I fixed her a bath with lavender tea candles and lavender bath crystals. Total cost was around $50 and it was a night neither of us forgot.
--submitted by David

A Message In A Bottle Surprise
I bought a decorative small colorful bottle with a cork. Wrote a nice love letter on a piece of paper with burnt corners. Rolled the paper, put it in the bottle, inserted the cork and threw it into a bath, full of water, essential oils and bubbles. My darling was surprised not only by the bath, prepared for him, but also for a letter.
--submitted by Yanika

A Night On The Beach
My boyfriend was scheduled to leave on a plane for a wedding and was going to be away for a week. It was the dawn of a new relationship for the both of us so we didn't want to leave each other's sight. However, the night before his plane was leaving, he bought a bottle of wine and took me for a sensual talk and stroll on the beach. Afterwards, we went back to the parking lot and continued our conversation until the day began to break, where we fell asleep holding one another in the backseat of his car. It was a very romantic, intimate and inexpensive date, enjoyed by both of us.
--submitted by Audrey

A Photographed Weekend
My boyfriend and I were living 10 hours away from each other during our summer break from college. We only got to see each other once a month due to our work schedules. One weekend when we got to see each other, we wanted to do activities we have never really done before using the most minimal amount of money as possible. We decided to purchase the cheapest disposable camera there was and take tons of pictures of our activities, which included hiking up mountains and trails, going to the lake, and driving around the town looking at houses and dreaming about our future home together. Our weekend was full of laughter, kisses, fun and we always will remember it due to our photos. The total cost was $10 for the camera and developing the film and gas, but the weekend photos and memories were priceless.
--submitted by Nicole

A Rare Night Together
My boyfriend and I don’t get a lot of time alone so when we finally got a night alone you wouldn’t believe how happy I was. We made dinner together and while I was fixing part of it he went in and set up the room with candles and music. It was the best night of my life!
--submitted by Anonymous

A Romantic Date On A Budget
My Boyfriend and I decided to have our first "real" dinner date. He was a little short on cash but we made do. We traveled to a dine-in restaurant with an inexpensive cheap buffet. Tip: Don't over indulge yourself with food! Un-known to me, when we arrived home he had a tape of both slow and fast love songs that he had made himself. He took the comforter off of his bed and laid it on the floor. He took the one candle he owned and lit it and put it at the top end of the blanket. The first song was slow and his actions reflected the music. He slowly touched me and kissed me as if for the first time. The evening went on from there. Fortunately the tape had two sides full. It was the most romantic thing he had ever done for me.
--submitted by Theresa

A Small Ritual
My husband and I, for the first five years of our marriage, would get together every Wednesday that the weather was nice, and buy Chinese food to eat in the park. The park was just a ways down from our house and the Chinese restaurant was in-between. The total trip was right around $10 every week. It was a great building block to our relationship. Even when we were arguing over something, we would stop, and go get Chinese to eat and just watch the breeze in the trees and silently enjoy each other's company. The silent time usually broke our arguments and when we were getting along great (we don't argue much) it was a great time to escape reality and temporarily forget about work, and all of life's problems.
--submitted by Jade

A Walk in the Park
My boyfriend and I love to do this when we're broke (we're both in college so that's quite often). We drive to a county park located near our houses and walk along the hiking trails. It’s a great way to get to know each other better and to discover some really beautiful things like hidden waterfalls and amazing views. After walking the trails we generally head to an open field and play Frisbee or some other fun game. Best of all, the only cost is that of the gas needed to get there!
--submitted by Nicole

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