If you enjoyed the 37 free date ideas yesterday here are 33 more ways to spend time together without spending a bucketload of cash.
Volunteer together
A great way to spend time together is in helping others. If you hear about a clothes drive, soup kitchen, or other way to give to the community, volunteer. There’s something romantic about seeing the person you love helping others while doing the same.
Board/card games
Use whatever you already have. Almost everyone has at least a deck of cards and you can adapt many games into “adult” games with more romantic events and challenges. You can play strip poker, or bet things like a massage or special meal. For more adult fun see my book with 77 sexy games for two on Amazon.
Truth or dare
A fun way to find out more about each other and can be as spicy as you like. Plan out the questions and dares in advance or come up with them as you go.
Puzzles
Doing a puzzle together can be a nice, quiet activity. Since you don’t have to concentrate on much, you have the opportunity to talk, tell stories, or enjoy just being near each other.
Read to each other
Is there a book that you’d both like to read. Why not read it together? Take turns reading to each other. Or take a play, such as a Shakespeare or other favorite playwright and pick characters to read. Add voice intonation to make it more interesting and challenging.
Watch Youtube videos
Start with one topic or particular video and keep clicking on more as you go and find things that interest you both. You can opt for funny movies, parodies, movie clips, or favorite songs. Have a laugh, wander down memory lane or just enjoy the music.
Have a home coffee date
You don’t have to meet at a café to have coffee together. Make a coffee date at home with freshly brewed coffee and maybe a piece of cake or cookie. Act as you would if you were out, sit at the kitchen or living-room table and chat as you would if you met in a café.
Breakfast in bed
Make a special breakfast in bed for an easy morning relaxing together, reading the papers and enjoying anything else you might decide to do…
Dance together at home
You don’t have to go out to go dancing. Turn your home into your own private ballroom or disco. Create a playlist of your favorite songs making sure to add some slow dances for the end!
Go cycling together
Plan a longer tour, or just head out without any particular destination in mind. Take a picnic to enjoy en route.
Pick fruit/berries
Look for seasonal, wild fruits to pick. Eat them while picking or bring them home to make jam or a pie. Enjoy the fresh air and the results!
Walking in the rain
Just because it’s raining, doesn’t mean you have to stay inside or skip the planned date. Instead, go for a walk. If it’s warm enough, you can enjoy splashing through puddles or getting soaked. If it’s a cooler rain, bring jackets, umbrellas and good shoes. Let the romance take over in the downpour.
Take a scenic drive
How often do you get out of your surroundings and just enjoy the scenery near you? Take a drive outside your neighborhood and outside the city to a local beauty spot and enjoy the view.
Look at houses together
Some couples enjoy looking at homes in neighborhoods they would possibly like to live in one day. Older cities and towns often have areas with older buildings that are beautiful to look at, even if it’s not the type you’d want to live in. During certain seasons, neighborhoods light up with Christmas lights, Halloween decorations, or other décor that makes for fun viewing.
Paint a portrait
Draw or paint a picture of each other. It doesn’t matter how bad you are at painting or drawing you can have fun trying and it involves a lot of gazing at your partner and really seeing him or her. You can admire or laugh at the results as appropriate. If you enjoy this, how about taking art classes together or following a course online and improving your skills?
Make a snowman or have a snowball fight
When was the last time you built a snowman with the person you love? It’s not just children who can have fun making Frosty and decorating him with carrots, buttons, and a scarf. With a snowball fight, you can be spontaneous and just start throwing, or you can go all out with barricades, creating a stockpile, and keeping score.
Create something from nature
Head into a meadow or wood and pick wild flowers (making sure they are not a protected species), pieces of bark, foliage and interesting stones. Create a bouquet of flowers or work of art from them to display in your home.
Water balloon fight
This will probably take a little bit of planning, but can be great fun on a hot, summer day. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of getting and filling balloons, just have an old-fashioned water fight with hoses, buckets, cups, anything!
Yard work
Working together in the garden is not only a great bonding experience, your yard will look beautiful afterward and you can save money by doing things yourself! If you don’t have your own yard, offer to help an elderly neighbor or relative, or volunteer for an environmental project.
Rearrange your house
Bored of the way things look at home? Make a date out of switching things about and see if you can create a new look with what you have.
Spring cleaning
Every house needs a good cleaning from time to time. Make it a date and get it done in half the time. Put on your favorite working music, sing and dance along, and have fun making your home look clean, and then celebrate with a meal in your beautiful home and a glass of wine.
Car wash
Again, the chore will be done faster and you can have fun messing around with water and soap suds as well. Be careful, a car wash date is almost begging for a water fight to happen.
“Revisit” your first date
Maybe you went out for dinner or a movie, or even coffee, so reliving it wouldn’t be free. But, if you want, you can always just retrace your steps. Go to the place you first met, walk or drive where you were that day, and most importantly, talk about it – your feelings, small things you both did, etc.
Meditate or do yoga together
If you want a quiet date, meditating or doing some yoga together can be very relaxing. If you’ve been really busy lately, a relaxing, quiet date like this may be just what you need.
Work out
If you’re more the active type, working out together can be great fun. You can go to the gym where you’re already a member, take a free introductory class or use a free day pass offer at a new gym, or just work out at home.
Visit a ranch or farm
Farms and ranches often allow people to look around or take a tour on certain days. Find out if any in your area are hosting an “open day” and go as a couple.
Camp out in your backyard
Set up a tent in your backyard and camp out for a night. Leave all electronics and social media behind and tell each other stories by flashlight.
Make a bonfire
Bonfires can be incredibly romantic at any time of the year. Bring along marshmallows or apples to bake in the fire. Have blankets handy just in case there’s a chill.
Plan a big project together
Think of something big you’d like to do like house remodeling or taking a trip overseas and plan the project for when you have more cash. It costs nothing to gather ideas together or to get information you need online or at the library.
DIY project date
This is a date that costs money (for materials) but it will save cash if you planned to get someone in to do the work and it can be done over several “dates”. Decide on something you’d like to do together such as decorating a whole room or building shelves and spend a few hours together working on your project.
Photoshoot
You can either have fun taking a themed photo shoot, complete with outfits and scenery. Or you can work on self-timed couple photos. Just have fun with this and see where it takes you.
Relive your childhood
Talk about what you loved to do when you were children and then organize a date (or two dates – one for each of you) when you get to try something you loved but haven’t done in a long time.
Paint – in chocolate
Be naughty! Melt some chocolate and then do some chocolate body painting. You’ll find recipes and ideas right here: Have Fun! Homemade Chocolate Body Paint Recipes 🙂
Over to you: I’m out of ideas for now – but if you have more be sure to add them in the comments. And let me know your favorite 🙂
Awesome ideas. Some of these look fun…and some I wonder if I can somehow talk my husband into doing…like spring cleaning. haha
Misty Spears recently posted…Refinishing A Dining Room Table with Paint and Wood Stain
LOL Misty. I did wonder about including that one and the yard work but I thought some guys might be keener than mine. Even so I have to say that when we work together to get a job done like that, it does feel good – at least it does when it’s all over 🙂
Ana recently posted…Dating Dangers: Is He Too Good To Be True?
Great ideas, I really like #50 – taking a scenic drive
Thanks!
Marilyn Thompson recently posted…How to Keep Your Motivation Mojo
Thanks Marilyn. This weekend might be a good time for that drive 🙂
Ana recently posted…One Difference Between Loving And Liking
My husband and I done half of these, but I love the new ideas … thanks so much!
You’re welcome Kathy. Most of them you can use a few times I think. We went to a free photographic exhibition today and I’d definitely do that kind of date again if another one comes to town.
Ana recently posted…Still Single? There’s Nothing Wrong With You
Ooh, you have some great ideas on this list, Ana. I’ve been looking through your blog and I love all the pictures you include. They all match your site so well and look so cute!
Thanks Avery! I wish I could say I was the photographer and took all the pictures, but if I was, the pictures would have no heads or have lampposts growing from their heads LOL I get the pictures from stock photo sites – lots of cute ones there 🙂
Ana recently posted…Is Finding Love More Difficult These Days?
Aww these tips made me feel all warm inside! It’s amazing how many of them me and my boyfriend already do together, I never thought of thinking of them as dates 🙂 Thanks for a new way of looking at dating!
Emma recently posted…When was the last time you surrendered?
Thanks Emma – it’s all about having more fun together whatever you call it 🙂
Ana recently posted…What Are You Missing?