Date Night on a Dime

Fun doesn’t have to equal lots of dollars. Here are 15 date night ideas for a tight budget that I found on the Nest.com.

1. Go to the movies for cheap. There are ways to do movie dates on a budget: Find second-run theaters. They cost about $2 per person per show. Or go to a matinee of a current movie. Ocala even has a drive-in theater and you can bring your own snacks/drinks/dinner picnic!
2. Make it a lunch date. Order from the lunch menu -- it's cheaper than dinner and the portions aren't that much smaller.
3. Go to a cooking class. Go to Williams-Sonoma and attend one of their cooking demos. You'll have some new recipes to try instead of going to a restaurant, so you'll save even more money.
4. Rethink tool time. Cooking stores aren't the only places with free how-tos: Hardware stores like Lowe's and The Home Depot have DIY seminars. You can both learn to fix things, and it's fun and free!
5. Make a reservation -- for dessert. Cook dinner at home and then head to an ice cream shop for dessert. Drive around or go for a walk for good conversation time. Valentine's Day is coming up and the Melting Pot is a really popular choice but also very expensive. Consider just doing dessert there for your special occasion.

6. Have a Wii night. You've already invested in a Wii, now use it for date night. Have date-night Wii tourneys and make some interesting bets to spice things up. Anything goes, from doing dishes to sexual favors. **We also like to play dirty word Scrabble. You can play words that get you fired up for later :)
7. Hit the links. A really fun date is going to the golf course and playing just nine holes. I did that recently with my husband. Even if you guys aren't good, it's still fun.
8. Volunteer together. For a feel-great date: Volunteer together somewhere. Serve at a local food pantry or help Habitat for Humanity build something. It's a great bonding experience and is practically free.
9. Step up to the plate. Take a bat and a ball to a local school or community park and play around. Get into it with knee-high socks, baseball hats or even your favorite team's jersey. **Ian and I played on a team for a softball charity event I organized last year. It was a lot of fun!
10. Get crafty with your home improvements. Decorate and date! **This might work for some - BEWARE household projects can be stressful on a couple so remember to take it easy and don't be critical of each other during this process.
11. Go on a field trip. Soak up culture free of charge: Our neighborhood library has free passes to local museums. You can check out the passes like a library book.
12. Read all about it. If you look in any local paper, you can usually find an entertainment section full of cheap activities in the next few days. Stick to your own neighborhood so you won't have to use extra gas or waste travel time. **Speaking of reading, read a book together! We are going to hike the Appalachian Trail this year and we received a book about the trail for Christmas. We plan on reading it together :)
13. Pack a picnic in the park. Pack a picnic basket: blanket, bottle of wine, cheese, fruit, etc. Head down to a lake or park and enjoy. **We did this on our honeymoon by a lake and actually fell asleep on our picnic blanket. It was very romantic.
14. Take a staycation. You don't even have to leave the city limits: There is a lot to do in your hometown, I'm sure. **Marion County has a horse racetrack, canyon ziplining, cave diving/"splunking", antique stores, hiking trails, rivers for tubing and canoing, the possibilities are endless!
15. Have a theme night. Schedule a theme dinner and movie night at home. Create a menu based on the movie you're watching. For example - the movie Sabrina and cook a French dish from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking! **Ian just got me this cookbook so this is definately on my list for theme night!