10 Cheap Date Night Ideas

After being together for a decade, my fiancé and I are always on the search for a cheap date night idea. Going to a fancy dinner is great, but once a week can be a little daunting on the budget. Here are the ways that I’ve discovered you can save money but still have fun on your date nights.

1. Subscribe to a Date Box

Sometimes you don’t even need to leave the house for a fun date night, especially if you just want to relax. There are lots of subscription boxes that are perfect for couples, but Unbox Love is one of the best — it brings date night to you when you’re ready. For just $39 per month, you get a fully planned-out date in a box designed just for couples. Unbox Love boxes can come with a variety of things including snacks, board games, card games, and more.

Subscribe to Unbox Love now and use our coupon code ESL10 to get $10 off your first box!

2. Rent a Movie

Blockbuster and Hastings Entertainment closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rent movies. Between Redbox and online streaming, you have tons of options. If you own a Roku or have a smart TV, you can rent a movie through Fandango or Amazon Prime. You can even talk during the film, which is the best part of the date. If you already have a subscription to Netflix or Hulu, you don’t even have to pay to see a movie, making the date essentially free.

3. Learn a New Skill

As someone who went to college with my significant other, nothing is better than learning something new together. Couples that learn together can form new bonds and discover talents and hobbies that can lead to more time together. Skillshare is a great place to take online classes like knife skills, drawing techniques, photography skills, and hand lettering. Skillshare has over 15,000 classes to choose from, so something is sure to strike your fancy.

Sign up for Skillshare now and use our coupon code EARN1 to get one month free!

4. Have a Picnic at Night

Instead of going to a stuffy restaurant that costs an arm and a leg, take your own dinner to the park at night. Bring a blanket and have a picnic in a field so you can stargaze. Some of the most amazing conversations can happen in the middle of the night in a place that isn’t crowded. Not to mention, you can learn more about each other without five other conversations going on around you. Here are some easy star constellations anyone can spot.

5. Enjoy Local Entertainment

Great bands play all over your state without you knowing it. Local entertainment can be at jazz clubs, bars, and clubs. You can generally tell if there will be live entertainment because there will be a cover fee. Even if they’re bad, you can still joke about how horrible the band played, which can sometimes be more fun than a great band — once, my fiance and I heard a band at a local bar that was sure they were the next Journey, but the lead singer didn’t know he was tone deaf.

6. Play Pool

My fiancé absolutely loves to play pool, and every other Saturday, we’re on our way to the bar to play pool. It may not sound glamorous, but it gives two people plenty of time to talk and learn more about each other in a relaxed environment. It doesn’t matter if you’re bad, and that’s coming from someone who can’t aim for anything.  

7. Play Cards + Board Games

As kids, most of us played tons of board games like Candyland, Snakes & Ladders, and Guess Who. Even though you’ve grown up, you don’t have to stop playing board games. There are tons of card games that are designed for adults like Adult Jenga or Pandemic.

As a huge gamer myself, playing games can promote healthy competition and get the mind working. Playing board games help get away from the TV screen, which naturally encourages people to talk to each other.

8. Attend an Amateur Comedy Night

Couples that laugh together stay together – no really! Time discovered that couples that laugh are happier, meaning amateur comedy night is the perfect low-cost date night option for you and your significant other. Most local comedians have great things to offer and can be just as hilarious as big names like Mike Birbiglia and John Mulaney.

9. Wander Around Your Local Bookstore

Books can tell a lot about a person. Their favorite book can be an insight into their personality, so what’s better than wandering a bookstore? Have each person pick out their favorite book, sit down, and drink coffee while discussing their favorite parts. The best part of knowing someone is seeing how they light up when they’re excited about something. I’d never guess that my fiancé loves sci-fi books, and he’d never guess that I absolutely adore war novels.

10. Cook Dinner Together

Doing cooperative activities can help strengthen a relationship, but you don’t have to visit an Escape Room to work together. Simply making dinner is a cooperative activity both people can get involved in. Split up the tasks and work on it together to create a delicious meal. If you want to take it a step further, you can make an ethnic dish that neither of you has tried! At the end of the meal, both of you can talk about the recipe and be proud that it’s homemade. Personally, my nights go better when my fiancé helps me cook, and I can attest that it does help us communicate better.