There are so many ways to plan a date night without breaking the bank. I’m sharing some fantastic date night ideas while on a budget.
Whether you’re in a new relationship or have been together for a while, it’s important to never stop dating each other. It’s a great way to keep those stomach butterflies fluttering!
After we graduated college, my boyfriend and I both realized how busy our schedules were. So, it became a priority to go on dates that allowed us to keep getting to know each other.
I can proudly say that after ten years of dating, we’ve learned so much about each other, and we have yet to learn more. That’s why prioritizing the time we spend together is so important.
Of course as we both matured throughout college, our idea of adventurous dates evolved throughout the years. If there’s one thing we both agree on, it’s that we like to laugh and have fun on our dates.
Keep scrolling to explore fun date night ideas that will help you and your significant other connect while on a budget.
1. Classic Game Night
I don’t think my man realized how competitive I was until our first game night. I mean, I was really fighting to stay ahead of the game. Maybe I’m just a bad strategist or have poor luck, but he manages to win games relentlessly.
A night full of classic and old school games can be a lot of fun if you’re not a sore loser. It challenges us intellectually, and a little competition is healthy.
We’re both fans of classic games, so we own a large collection of card and board games. We also travel with a lot of them so we can play with friends and family. Some great games to stock up on are:
- Scrabble
- Dutch Bliss (our current favorite)
- Uno Flip
- Five Crowns
- Live, Laugh, Lose
- Monopoly Deal (much faster than Monopoly!)
- Checkers
- Incohearant
- Deal or No Deal
- Mancala
- Twister
- Watch Ya Mouth (absolutely hilarious!)
2. Blanket Fort
There’s nothing like awakening your inner child with a grown-up blanket fort. We did this one night and it was actually so cute and cozy. All we needed were a few blankets, chairs, string lights, and pillows to create a three-sided fort in front of the TV.
We prepped a bunch of snacks, popcorn, and ice cream, and watched some old Disney movies. It was the perfect pause from the stress of adulting. Plus, we learned some more about each other’s childhoods that night.
3. New Recipe Night
I am a big foodie and my boyfriend would say the same. When I really like a dish at a restaurant, I always say, “We’re going to learn how to make this”.
It’s always fun to try a new recipe, but it’s even more fun when you conquer it together. Pinterest is full of recipe ideas that are perfect to try on a date.
Make a list of items you need, head down to the grocery store, and get busy cooking up that new recipe. You’ll be so proud of yourselves by the end. Or, you’ll royally mess it up and end up ordering a pizza. Either way, it’s a great team adventure that’ll taste delicious!
If you’re up for more of a challenge, try creating a new drink recipe that both of you would enjoy. Test out your bartending skills and you might end up with a new signature drink. Cheers!
4. Paint and Sip Night
I love this idea for two reasons. One, we both suck at painting (I’d say him more than me), but it’s so funny to see us try. Two, we get to drink while painting!
Just know that the strength of your drink might be the opposite strength of your painted masterpiece. If you start seeing blurry lines on your artwork, I’d say put the drink down.
There’s a few paint and sip businesses around us that are very popular and serve great drinks. It’s staffed with a teacher that helps guide you through your painting. This a great idea for a night on the town with your boo.
You can also create your own paint and sip at home. This way, you don’t have to worry about needing a sober driver, and it’s more affordable over time. My boyfriend got us an acrylic paint set along with some canvases to create an at-home paint-and-sip night.
It’s an innovative way to have a paint date and save money on drinks. Just spread some newspaper out on a table, get your favorite drink, and have fun painting inanimate objects. If you want an even funnier challenge, try painting each other!
5. Drive-In Movie
It definitely seems like Drive-in movies are starting to trend again. Although they’re not as popular as they were in the 60’s, there’s still a few of them around.
It’s really giving…your favorite couple in Grease.
We’ve visited a few and it’s a really chill experience.
If you have an SUV or pickup truck, I recommend popping the trunk and setting up blankets in the back. You can bring a portable radio to tune into the movie. That way, you can watch the movie under the stars. SOOOO ROMANTIC!
If you want more privacy or relief from bugs, then you can stay in the front seats and tune in from your car’s stereo. It’s a timeless date that’s transcends decades. It doesn’t get more romantic than that!
6. Internet Challenge Night
I’m always amazed by how many challenges end up trending all over the internet. Some are insane, some are adorable, and some are stupidly dangerous. I highly advise that you DO NOT attempt any dangerous challenges.
But there are a some harmless challenges that you can try from the comfort of your own home. You can also record the whole thing for your own personal archives. That way, y’all can look back at these silly memories and laugh.
Viral Internet Challenges:
- Tortilla Slap Challenge– This is a hysterical challenge solely because of the sound the tortilla makes when it hits your face. For this challenge, you both start out with some water in your mouth. Play a round of rock-paper-scissor. Whoever wins gets to slap the other person with a soft tortilla. The extra challenge is trying to keep the water in your mouth without laughing.
- Read My Lips– In this challenge, one person listens to music on a pair of headphones. The music should be just loud enough that they cannot hear the other person speaking quietly. The speaker says a phrase and the person wearing the headphones has to guess what the phrase was. This game is so funny because they will ALWAYS guess the phrase loudly and incorrectly.
- Dad Jokes Challenge– In this game, each player comes up with a list of corny dad jokes. They take turns telling their joke. If either of them laugh within ten seconds, then the other person gets a point. The first player to reach 20 points wins.
- Alphabet Challenge– In this challenge, you both take turns saying a sentence to tell a story. The first person starts their sentence with the letter “A”. The next player starts the next line of the story with the letter “B”. The story continues until you reach the end of the alphabet.
- Viral Dance Challenge– For this challenge, you first need to research some viral dances. Once you both find one that you like, spend the night trying to recreate the dance yourselves. Once you’ve got it down, film yourselves dancing and rewatch it for more laughs. If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and post it on your social media.
- IKYFL Challenge– If you’re familiar with the Terrell show, he plays a game called IKYFL (I Know You F***ing Lyin’). Basically, you pick a category and bet how many items each of you can guess correctly. If you don’t believe their bet, you can challenge them by saying, “I know you f***ing lying”. The person who bet now has 30 seconds to name those items. If they lose, they take a shot (WARNING: YOU MUST BE 21 YEARS OLD OR OLDER IF CONSUMING ALCOHOL). If they succeed, the challenger has to take a shot. The shot doesn’t have to be alcohol; it could be something like hot sauce. For example, if the category is to name foods that start with the letter “S”, then one person says “I can name 2 foods,” and your partner can say “I can name 3 foods”. Do this until the other person calls you out and then begin rapid-firing those items.
- Starbucks Challenge– This challenge requires driving to Starbucks. You need to research some popular Starbucks drink combos, and order a few of them to try. Some delicious combinations include the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pink Drink, Strawberry Lemonade Açaí Refresher, Iced White Mocha, and The Joboi.
7. Karaoke Night
If you’ve ever been to a karaoke bar, you understand that it’s not necessary to be a singer to participate. You and your significant other can attend and just sing along with the crowd.
If you’re feeling brave, go up there and sing a duet. Or encourage one another to sing their heart out to their favorite song. Karaoke night isn’t about skill, but about being each other’s ultimate hype man. YOU BETTER SANG!
8. Random Movie Night
Write down different movie genres on several small pieces of paper, then throw them in a bowl. One of you should blindly reach into the bowl and pick a genre. This will be the genre that you stick with for your movie night.
Some popular genres include action, romcoms, romance, thriller, 90’s, comedy, fantasy, horror, war, international, and documentaries.
If you want to get more specific, put in the names of different movies you both like into the bowl. Pick one out and commit to watching it.
I ship this idea so hard because my boyfriend and I have very different tastes in movies. It can take us hours just to find a movie we both want to watch. This has made our movie nights so much easier.
9. Arcade Night
Dave and Buster’s is our go-to place for an adult arcade night. They have good food, drinks, and a huge arcade. It’s a fun place to bring out your inner child.
The crowd scene is mostly young adult to adult. There’s also happy hour and they stay open late.
It’s easy to get lost in there for a few hours of pure fun. I could definitely beat my man in one-on-one basketball there!
10. City Date Night
Although this type of date might get a little pricey, indulging in the thrills of a city is an exhilarating thing to do every once in a while.
Spending the day in a big city provides so many entertaining options. There’s museums, plays, jazz clubs, festivals, restaurants, and so much more. It’ll never be a boring day, trust me.
Our favorite things to do in the big city including seeing plays and attending jazz or neo-soul concerts. I get excited just thinking about it!
11. Video Game Night
My boyfriend will tell you that video game night is one of his favorites. He is an expert on all thing PlayStation, Xbox, Madden, and all that other stuff.
Me, not so much. I mean, he’s on PlayStation 5 while I still use my PS2 and Wii console.
But every once in a while, we’ll play together and it’s actually pretty fun. We definitely just danced our hearts out to California Girls in the Just Dance game LOL.
No matter how old you are, they make many video games date-night friendly. Consider it an at-home arcade night.
12.Trivia Night
A lot of small and local bars will offer competitive trivia nights. Sometimes, there is a prize to win at the end, such as a gift card or free meal.
It’s a great place to take your significant other if you enjoy all things trivia. I’ll admit, this is more of an intellectual date and requires more brain power under pressure.
If you don’t want all of that, an alternative is to stay in and watch Jeopardy. This isn’t just grandma and grandpa’s game. Anybody can learn something from Jeopardy. It’s also an interesting way to find out if your partner’s a walking encyclopedia.
13. Backyard Picnic
If you live in a home or have a large balcony, a backyard picnic is a super cute way to spend time with each other.
It’s easy to decorate your backyard using your own touch. Add lights, cute pillows, and whatever else you need to make it more festive. Enjoy good food and conversation for hours.
But you don’t have to be limited to your own backyard. The two of you can lay out a blanket at a local park or garden to enjoy some food and sunshine. Some parks offer live music events, creating a relaxing vibe for the both of you.
We personally enjoy going to flower conservancy parks. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, especially when the flowers are in full bloom. Plus, these parks create amazing photos.
14. Photoshoot
Two of our friends recently took up a viral internet challenge called the JCPenney photoshoot challenge and it was seriously the best thing ever. They got dressed up and headed to the store’s photo center to get intentionally awkward portraits. The whole adventure was so much fun for them and we are here for it!
At their wedding, the awkward portraits were put on a large display for everyone to see!
There’s nothing like letting loose and being goofy with your partner. Laughter is the best medicine so why not have silly adventures with the one you love? It’s a fantastic way to keep that spark alive and to never lose your inner child.
If you want a more serious or scenic photoshoot, it’s a good idea to get photographed out in nature, like at a park or beach. Later on, you can reminisce at your pictures and scrapbook them for endless memories.
15. Comedy Club
I love to laugh and be goofy with my boyfriend. One of our favorite things to do on a weekend is attending a comedy show.
There are a lot of underrated comedians out there that can make any crowd laugh. We’ve gone to see some celebrities for a really good price compared to bigger shows at the casinos or amphitheaters.
Lately we’ve seen Tony Rock, Chris Porter, Michael Blackson, David Koechner, Gary Owen, Karlous Miller, and Godfrey. All of them were hilarious and we can’t wait to see our next one.
16. Volunteer Together
There are A LOT of volunteer opportunities out there like clothing drives, school supply donations, toy donations, park cleanups, and food pantries. You’ll never find a shortage for these needs.
Volunteering together is a selfless way to give back to your community while connecting with each other on a deeper level.
17. Amusement Park
If you’re not a rollercoaster enthusiast, this is probably not for you.
Going to an amusement park is a thrilling way to let loose for the day and scream your worries away. Literally. Spend the day riding small and big rides, or lounge out in the water park. This is definitely a long-day adventure, so come prepared.
18. Spa Day
Pampering yourself and your partner is relaxing and fun at the same time. Getting a couples massage or facial is a unique way to relax while connecting with each other.
You can also prepare an at-home spa day by making your own face masks, scrubs, and massage oils. Take turns pampering each other for the ultimate relaxation day.
19. The Fair
OMG, the food is what we’re here for. I’m convinced that food at the fair just tastes better because of the cardboard tray it comes in.
The fair is also a creative place to take a polaroid camera and take gorgeous nighttime pictures.
A local fair is the perfect daytime or nighttime activity to attend with your boo. Eat some food, play some games, and call it a night well spent.
20. Poetry Slam
Poetry is a beautiful art form that people don’t think about too much when it comes to date night.
A lot of cities will have poetry slam competitions that are really amazing. The passion and power that comes with poetry art is underrated.
Some local coffee shops will also host poetry nights. In case you don’t feel like going out to find one, then stay in and perform for each other. It’s an incredibly intimate way to connect through words. Poetry doesn’t get more romantic than that.