Date Night on a Dime
Yes we are saving money, and in the last post I gave you our huge debt payoff goals for 2018, but one thing that is really important to us is putting aside time and money for dates!
Just to give you all an idea of our weekly budget for dates while we are paying off debt; we put in a line item of $80 per week to spend for our entertainment. Most weeks we don't even use half of this money, but it is there for us to enjoy one another during this journey to being debt free. Here are some ways that we are stretching our weekly date night dollars.
1. If people ever ask you all what you want for a gift ask for restaurant gift cards! We have gone on so many dates with these gift cards. We got several as wedding presents that came in handy during our first year of marriage. We also got a few as Christmas and birthday presents. We use these throughout the year for those nights that we don't want to cook, or we just want to connect with one another outside of our normal routine.
2. Secret Shop! We just did this one last night! We got paid to try out a new restaurant that was on our list to try, and bonus it was in walking distance to where we live! We used the iSecretShop app. (this is not an advertisement by the way) Most of the jobs pay you at least a flat fee, and some even reimburse you for your food, and pay you which is a win win! We will be incorporating more of these shops into our date nights!
3. Half off movies on Tuesdays! Date night is not just for the weekends! We have recently tried to mix it up with some week night dates, and we stumbled upon this one! Instead of paying $26 for us to both go to the movies it was $13! Now Tuesday nights are the official night for us to see newly released movies in theaters!
4. Look at houses you can't afford today! Like most newlywed couples we are obsessed with HGTV. We can spend an entire weekend watching renovations, and people looking for their dream home. We want to be home owners someday so we love going to look at houses that we find on some of the housing apps. We have also just randomly stopped in open houses that we may see after church. I remember one Sunday we toured this condo that was gorgeous, and way out of our price range today, but it was nice to dream and visualize where we can be in a few years. If you can believe it you can achieve it!
5. Go to events at your local church! I love our church! We attend The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, and their couples fellowship every month has been such a blessing to our marriage plus many of these events are free! Plus if you have kids they watch them so that you and your spouse can connect uninterrupted. The church also has several other events throughout the year that are a great date night from concerts to plays and everything in between. Check out your local church for similar events.
6. Go for a run/ walk! We have found that this is a fun activity for us to get out and about in our neighborhood and see what's around. We are also able to talk which I love talking so its a win win :-)
7. Volunteer together! This one is a huge initiative for us in 2018. Our first volunteer event for the year is to pick up the wreaths from Christmas at Arlington Cemetery. We also want to get more involved with our community in general. We live by to whom much is given much is expected, and we know that we have an obligation to give back to the community that we are a part of.
8. Netflix and Chill! You can interpret this one however you want, but it's free...
9. Actually use your wedding gifts! Pull out the waffle maker or the pretzel maker that you were dying to have when you registered for it. Now, read the instructions and actually use it! We use almost all of our wedding gifts on the regular basis, and they are really cool kitchen gadgets. Our favorite is our popcorn maker!
10. Read a book together and discuss it! Buy two copies of the same book or better yet rent them from your local library and read them. After you both get through a chapter or so discuss what you read. The first book that we read together before we even started dating is When God Writes Your Love Story. This was a great way to get us talking to one another about a common topic outside of the day to day stuff.
So if you are married or dating there is no reason to go broke spending all of your money on dates. There are some ways to have a good time and not spend a lot, but the goal of spending time together and connecting as a couple is reached! Not only that but your financial goals as well! What are some other affordable date night ideas that you all have?
Bonus Date Night Idea: You and your significant other can create your own list of affordable date ideas. Once you have that list write each date idea down on a strip of paper, and then draw one of the strips of paper when you are stuck and don't know what to do for your date night!
Just to give you all an idea of our weekly budget for dates while we are paying off debt; we put in a line item of $80 per week to spend for our entertainment. Most weeks we don't even use half of this money, but it is there for us to enjoy one another during this journey to being debt free. Here are some ways that we are stretching our weekly date night dollars.
1. If people ever ask you all what you want for a gift ask for restaurant gift cards! We have gone on so many dates with these gift cards. We got several as wedding presents that came in handy during our first year of marriage. We also got a few as Christmas and birthday presents. We use these throughout the year for those nights that we don't want to cook, or we just want to connect with one another outside of our normal routine.
2. Secret Shop! We just did this one last night! We got paid to try out a new restaurant that was on our list to try, and bonus it was in walking distance to where we live! We used the iSecretShop app. (this is not an advertisement by the way) Most of the jobs pay you at least a flat fee, and some even reimburse you for your food, and pay you which is a win win! We will be incorporating more of these shops into our date nights!
3. Half off movies on Tuesdays! Date night is not just for the weekends! We have recently tried to mix it up with some week night dates, and we stumbled upon this one! Instead of paying $26 for us to both go to the movies it was $13! Now Tuesday nights are the official night for us to see newly released movies in theaters!
4. Look at houses you can't afford today! Like most newlywed couples we are obsessed with HGTV. We can spend an entire weekend watching renovations, and people looking for their dream home. We want to be home owners someday so we love going to look at houses that we find on some of the housing apps. We have also just randomly stopped in open houses that we may see after church. I remember one Sunday we toured this condo that was gorgeous, and way out of our price range today, but it was nice to dream and visualize where we can be in a few years. If you can believe it you can achieve it!
5. Go to events at your local church! I love our church! We attend The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, and their couples fellowship every month has been such a blessing to our marriage plus many of these events are free! Plus if you have kids they watch them so that you and your spouse can connect uninterrupted. The church also has several other events throughout the year that are a great date night from concerts to plays and everything in between. Check out your local church for similar events.
6. Go for a run/ walk! We have found that this is a fun activity for us to get out and about in our neighborhood and see what's around. We are also able to talk which I love talking so its a win win :-)
7. Volunteer together! This one is a huge initiative for us in 2018. Our first volunteer event for the year is to pick up the wreaths from Christmas at Arlington Cemetery. We also want to get more involved with our community in general. We live by to whom much is given much is expected, and we know that we have an obligation to give back to the community that we are a part of.
8. Netflix and Chill! You can interpret this one however you want, but it's free...
9. Actually use your wedding gifts! Pull out the waffle maker or the pretzel maker that you were dying to have when you registered for it. Now, read the instructions and actually use it! We use almost all of our wedding gifts on the regular basis, and they are really cool kitchen gadgets. Our favorite is our popcorn maker!
10. Read a book together and discuss it! Buy two copies of the same book or better yet rent them from your local library and read them. After you both get through a chapter or so discuss what you read. The first book that we read together before we even started dating is When God Writes Your Love Story. This was a great way to get us talking to one another about a common topic outside of the day to day stuff.
So if you are married or dating there is no reason to go broke spending all of your money on dates. There are some ways to have a good time and not spend a lot, but the goal of spending time together and connecting as a couple is reached! Not only that but your financial goals as well! What are some other affordable date night ideas that you all have?
Bonus Date Night Idea: You and your significant other can create your own list of affordable date ideas. Once you have that list write each date idea down on a strip of paper, and then draw one of the strips of paper when you are stuck and don't know what to do for your date night!
Here is a picture of us on our Honeymoon in the Dominican Republic!!
This is one of our first dates as a married couple :-)
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