After the holidays we like to be a little more frugal, and with Valentines Day coming up we still like to stay on this trend! While some couples like to splurge a little and treat themselves on February 14th, some others like to take it easy and try to keep it as inexpensive as possible. We usually like to keep it simple with a dinner date, but this year we wanted to think a little outside of the box to spend some time together. We’ve come up with a list of 9 ‘Cheap Dates’ for you and your significant other!
1. Cooking at home together
While I cook daily at home, it’s not normally an activity that we take on together. You can keep it simple by cooking a classic dish you both love. You can learn together and cook a brand new dish that you’ve never made before. My preference? Keep it creative and make some homemade pizzas or a taco bar! You can get a bunch of your own toppings and make a few different versions of these classic meals! Need something to satisfy your sweet tooth? Bake something as well! You can’t go wrong with brownies in this household.
2. Ordering in at home
If you really just want to take the night off and kick your feet up, forget cooking altogether and order in! Sit back, relax and enjoy your night while others cook for you. Whether it may be pizza, pasta, burgers, sushi etc. Whatever your palette is yearning for for Valentines Day, really go for it and treat yourselves! If you’re ordering in, don’t forget a little something sweet, cause it’s not V-Day without some chocolate! Crack open a bottle of wine, a couple of beers or a bottle of gin and enjoy your date night in!
3. Bowling
Ok seriously though who doesn’t still enjoy a good game of bowling?? We definitely do! Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition with your significant other! Many bowling alleys also serve food and alcohol as well if that is of interest!
4. Outdoor skating
It’s a winter wonderland (and a polar vortex for some…)! So why not take advantage of this weather while we can and make a snowy date of it! If there is only indoor skating available to you, it’s still a fun activity to do together. However if you do have an outdoor rink nearby, or even an ice skating trail, take the day to have a fun outdoor date! For us, we rarely go skating so our skills are a little rough, so we can take a couple of spills and look like fools together!
5. Wine tasting
If you and your beau are a couple of wine lovers, this is a perfect way to spend your Valentines Day! And wine tasting is a lot cheaper than one might think. Some wineries have free tastings and some do it for a small fee of $5 or less. However normally if you buy a bottle of wine during your tasting, the fee is completely waived! You get to taste around 5 wines, both red and white, and they range from dry to sweet, bold to easy drinking. If you think you might taste a little more wine than anticipated, there are always tours that can drive you around, and weather dependent, you can rent bikes to travel from winery to winery!
6. Brewery/ Board Game cafe
If you want to go out but also want to keep it low key, how about a game night! There are a few cafes, and even a brewery in our town, that provide tons of board games and sets of cards for you guys to get strategic while having a couple of drinks! You can even grab a bite to eat; share an appy while you crush your beau in a competitive game of Monopoly! If you decide you want to stay in and be comfy in some pjs, game night is great spent at home as well. Playing board games at a brewery or cafe just gives a nice mix of going out while keeping it relaxed!
7. Winter Hike
I don’t know about you guys but both us and our significant others love to stay active. If this is something you and your partner love to do together, then why not do it together on the most romantic day of the year! Maybe do one of your favourite hikes, or a new hike you’ve never done before! I know for sure that we’d bring our fur children with us to make it a family event! Sounds like a pretty ideal day to me!
8. At Home Spa Night
What is more relaxing than a night at the spa? Set the mood with some dim lighting and some candles, maybe some wine and some relaxing music! There are plenty of spa like activities you can recreate in the comfort of your own home! You can make some DIY face masks, perhaps some manis or pedis, self care isn’t just for the ladies!! Then you can move on to the more romantic and relaxing activities. Get a soothing bath going for the two of you, maybe with some bath bombs or essential oils, or some chocolate covered strawberries you whipped up earlier 😉 Lastly, finish off the night with a relaxing couples massage, taking turns helping to de-stress your partner. You’ve pretty much set yourselves up for a good nights sleep.
9. Netflix and Chill
Sure you could go out and spend money on a movie and the popcorn and drinks that go along with it, but why not do the same in the comfort of your own home? It’s a cheaper option and you’re also not tied down to only a few movie and food choices. Plus you can snuggle and drink all the wine you want! Maybe there are certain movies or shows the two of you have been meaning to binge watch. Now’s the perfect time! Just make sure you break out the junk food while you do it!
Tell us what you have planned for Valentines day!
