Dating on a Budget From the Comfort of Your Own Home!

Okay, so dating looks different when you’re in your mid 40’s with three kids and three dogs. The ability to go out for dinner or to a movie on a whim isn’t super common. And let’s be honest. You have to sleep budget movie theatre nights since they tend to start after 8 pm… making it so you can’t get to bed until 11 pm or later on a school night that just isn’t happening. Childcare isn’t always available; if it is, it’s expensive, starting at $10 an hour (or so I’m told). 

I’ve gone online multiple times to try and find date night ideas, and they are always a little too out of reach or require booking too far ahead of time. Here are a few date night ideas you can do from home with little planning. Let’s be honest. Even a little planning can earn you some great points and rave reviews.

1. The Great Bake Off. If you are a little competitive, this could be a lot of fun. Decide on something you are both interested in trying and find a recipe. Better yet, pick your favourite restaurant dessert and find a recipe. This works best if neither of you has made it before. Buy enough ingredients for you to double the recipe. Each of you follows the recipe on your own, simultaneously, in the same kitchen. Bake it and see how they turn out. You can decide the prize…
2. Movie Night. If you have a TV in your room, this is perfect. Put up a “do not disturb” sign, lock your bedroom door, light candles, turn off the lights, evacuate the dogs, turn off your phones and set up a smorgasbord of your favorite treats. Place a tablecloth on the bed, and on a serving tray, add drinks, a bowl of freshly popped popcorn, with small dishes of your favourite candies. When choosing a movie, instead of searching Netflix or Disney for a movie that might entice you, splurge a little and head for the apps that include movies that are still in theatres, even if you pay 25 or 30 dollars for them. I also recommend watching the movie naked!
3. A Night at the Spa. This one is WAY cheaper to do at home… and much more intimate. I’m told that if you find intimacy when going to get a professional massage, it might be a little inappropriate. Invest in some good edible massage oil. One bottle can go a long way and be used on multiple occasions. 

         Maybe even invest a little in a hot rock massage kit. Light candles, play erotic music, dim               the lights and get naked. Take turns giving each other massages. Look for them on Amazon!

4. Virtual Travel. If you are both into art museums but cannot fly away to Paris, this one is for you. Thanks to Covid, there are a lot of online art exhibits you can attend right from home. The Smithsonian has produced all kinds of virtual exhibitions for you to enjoy! May borrow a projector from work, create a blank wall in your home, quarantine it from children, cozy up with some takeout and enjoy! https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/top-ten-online-exhibitions-2020-180976655/
5. Dance Class. Okay, I have tried to get friends to join me for years on this one… I am still hopeful that I will get Tamar to do it with me. Did you know that you can take online dance classes? CLI Studio has all kinds of online dance class options. https://www.clistudios.com/You and your partner could brush up on your hip-hop or jazz-funk moves or learn to ballroom dance together right from your living room. If you both love musicals, you could even learn some dance skills that will fit with your favourite Netflix Musical, and you can dance away and embarrass your kids the next time their friends are over. Now, tap dance might not work in our house… but I hope to get tap shoes on Tamar’s feet one day.
6. Recreate a favourite meal from a vacation. Does anyone else find that you are overcome with pure sadness when you have something delicious on vacation and then realize that you may never have it again? … I can’t be the only one… If you google the meal with the restaurant’s name, you may be able to find the recipe or at least something very close to it. This is especially easy when the meal is from a popular restaurant. Buy the ingredients and surprise your partner with your efforts. This should get you major points!  
7. Games you can play in bed. By that, I don’t mean games where you roll dice with various sexual positions. Although you may want to try them, here are a few games we enjoy. If I remember correctly, we played “Conversation Starters for Couples and Friends” on one of our first days together. When we have just a little time, we pull our “Create the Love Cards,” Both games help create intimacy and are great ways to start conversations about topics that don’t usually come up. “Servd. Hers&Hers” can be an ongoing game you play each day. Each player plays one card a day, and the other has to do what it says. One of my favourite games is “OpenMit(y) Love Battleship – A game for Lesbian Fun.”  

These are just a handful of ideas you can try to keep things fresh on a budget. I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have tried anything from this list, I’d love to hear how they went!