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| 20 Affordable Date-Night Ideas |
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| The economy might be in a bit of a bind, but your love life needn’t be! Here are 20 fresh date ideas to keep the romance cooking — without a lot of dough.
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1. House swap with another couple for the weekend. Trade houses with out-of-town friends and enjoy a weekend getaway without paying for a B&B.
2. Go fishing. If you live in a warmer climate, fishing is a relaxing, inexpensive way to spend the day. For the brave at heart, try ice fishing.
3. Tour local landmarks. Drop by your local visitors bureau (or its Web site) for a brochure about local historic landmarks and other sites of interest, and then make a day of touring.
4. Visit a museum. Is there a new exhibit in town, or perhaps a museum you haven’t yet explored? Let your inner artists mingle.
5. Relax in a coffee shop together. Play board games and get goofy. Or show off your smarts by reading and discussing the newspaper together.
6. Indulge in a home spa for two. Create ambience with candles, music and scented oils.
7. Ride bikes. Enjoy the simple pleasure of a casual bike ride. Find a local wooded, riverfront or lakefront bike path and travel with your sweetheart.
8. Take a cruise. Not the tropical kind, the steamboat kind! If you live near a river, a cruise on your local historic steamboat offers something fun and different.
9. Go to a park and share your passions. Is one of you an artist? The other can sit for a portrait. A musician? Serenade your sweetheart. Or take turns reading classic romantic poetry by Lord Byron or Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
10. See a play at your community theater. These shows are usually less expensive and the seating is more intimate (perfect for snuggling).
11. Attend amateur night at a comedy club. Laughing together brings you closer. So why not enjoy some stand-up during amateur night?
12. Wander around a farmers' market or street fair. Hold hands and stroll as you enjoy a relaxing afternoon of new sights, smells, flavors and sounds.
13. Go to the zoo. It’s fun. It’s different. And often, that’s all it takes to make a good date.
14. Play disc golf. Disc golf courses usually are in lovely wooded parks. And all you need to play is a disc-golf disc (available at many sports stores).
15. Stargaze. A cold, clear night can offer the brightest stars. Find a dark field, snuggle up on a big blanket and share some hot chocolate.
16. Share a giant banana split. This date evokes sentiments of the 1950s soda shop. (Besides, you’d probably never get to eat a banana split alone!)
17. Volunteer together. Helping others often opens our own hearts in the process, making volunteering an intimacy booster. So pick a cause you both care about and make an afternoon of it.
18. Attend a lecture or book reading. Lectures and readings often are free, and can stimulate conversations later over coffee.
19. Take a mystery drive. Hop in the car and pop in some happy tunes. Then start driving, taking only left turns. Where the two of you will end up is a mystery!
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