25 Dates Under $10

Remember those days before Mr. & Mrs.? After you said "I do", you lived happily ever after...until you realized that you get up in the morning, go to work, clean the house, pay the bills, fix the car, say goodnight and do it all over again. It truly is wonderful because you are together and the details of daily life lived side-by-side make your life complete. Still, the importance of specially planned times (dates) together often gets forgotten in the middle of the budget and schedules and kids. We seem to think we can't afford it and we don't have time to plan all the details like we used to. The truth is, you don't always need bouquets of flowers, love letters, fancy restaurants and special surprises. Of course they are nice, but generally you just need fun times together. So my husband and I have come up with this list of simple, but fun and inexpensive, things we like to do together. Once in a while we will save up and splurge on a nice restaurant or weekend getaway. But mostly, we realize it's about being together, not about how much it costs. You may not find all of these fun, so go make your own list!

1. Share a drink at your favorite coffee shop. (Remember you used to think sharing was romantic!)
2. Spend the morning strolling through your local farmer's market.
3. Find a new outdoor place to walk or hike.
4. Have a library date: learn about something new together, pick up some free old movies, find your favorite childhood books...
5. Cook a "gourmet" meal together with whatever you can find in your fridge and pantry. Don't forget candles on the table!
6. Go shopping for fun little things to put into a "care package" for someone you know.
7. Treat yourselves to some ice-cream cones and take a stroll through town.
8. Museum day: Find out if your city's museums have any free days or times. (Ours are free after 4pm on Tuesdays!)
9. Shop at Plato's Closet for a fun piece of clothing for each...this can definitely be done for under $10 at this awesome place!
10. Create your own home-made pizza and get a dollar movie...or watch free shows at Hulu.com.
11. Find a used book store and hunt for a good bargain. (We have found some of our favorite books this way!)
12. Picnic! Even if it's just the backyard...it's fun to eat outside.
13. On a rainy, cozy day, pick a book you want to read together and take turns reading outloud.
14. Have a game and snacks night...checkers, chess, cards, whatever...
15. Find the nearest public tennis courts and sharpen your tennis skills. If you're no good at it, like me, at least you get some good laughs in!
16. Re-visit some of the places you had your first dates...or re-create them as closely as you can.
17. Star-gazing at midnight.
18. Skip rocks and dip your feet at a lake.
19. Have a timed Sudoku contest. Winner gets a foot rub.
20. Share a giant chocolate cupcake at Barnes & Noble and look at picture books of places you hope to visit someday.
21. Go play darts or mini-golf.
22. Drink an old-fashioned malt with two straws.
23. Candlelight dinner and dance in the kitchen.
24. Make your own smoothies and look at old pictures.
25. Watch the sunrise or sunset while reminiscing about your first year of marriage and sharing your dreams for the future.

If you have any other ideas, do share!