It’s no secret coming up with cheap, creative, and fun date night ideas can be tough. This is probably your third (or thirteenth) blog post about affordable date night ideas at home.
Well, first, I’m happy you found me! Second, I hope these date night ideas are extremely helpful for you!
I met my now-husband when we were 13! Although we didn’t get married until we were 24, it’s safe to say we’ve been on A LOT of dates. Now that we have two kids, finding time to date has been even more challenging. While there’s nothing wrong with Netflix and Chill, it’s still nice to have some fun activities to look forward to and spend quality time with your partner. Continuing to “date” your partner is the number one piece of advice we received before we got married.
This blog post is about 20 date night ideas for you and your partner.
1. Wine Tasting at Home
Wine tasting is so much fun! My favorite part about wine tasting with others is how different everyone’s reaction is to the different types of wine. Some like sweet, some like dry, some like bubbles, some taste chocolate or tobacco, others taste fruit or flowers. Plus, an evening filled with a bunch of different wines and cheese is always a good night, right?
Related Posts: Wine Tasting At Home
2. Dinner and a movie
Classic date night. And it’s classic for a reason! When my husband and I first started dating, dinner and a movie sounded so simple it was almost boring. Now, as a married couple with a toddler, finding uninterrupted time to sit down and have a nice meal and watch a movie is glorious! I know this idea isn’t the most creative, but I still wanted to include it because it is a simple favorite of mine.
Here are some ideas to make your dinner and a movie a more unique date night ideas:
- Make your movie area super cozy and phone-free.
- Create themed drinks or cocktails to go with the movie!
- Have a dress code, are you wearing loungewear and casual clothes or going comfy pj style? You can even wear movie-themed costumes/outfits!
- Appetizers and snacks are a must. Make popcorn, grab candy, nachos, finger foods, or order takeout.
If you’re going with the traditional popcorn movie snack, spice it up with this seasoning variety pack! It’s an awesome mix of sweet and savory and the containers are even magnetic!
Delicious Popcorn Seasoning – Movie Snack:
3. Dessert Bar
Make a dessert bar! Gather up any and all toppings you can think of and a variety of different ice cream flavors and get creative! If you’re looking for dessert bar inspiration, check out some of these awesome images below. If you really want to spice things up, pair up your desserts with alcohol!
Dessert and alcohol pairings can create an amazing harmony of flavors.
Try some of these classic desert and alcohol pairings:
- Chocolate Desserts with Red Wine, Port Wine, Brandy, or Stout Beer.
- Fruit Desserts with Champagne, Prosecco, Moscato, Riesling, or Sweet White Wine
- Cheesecake with Dessert Wines, Bourbon, or Cognac
- Tiramisu with Coffee Liqueur, Espresso Martini, or Amaretto
- Apple Pie with Crown Apple, Burbon, Sparkling Cider, or Chardonnay
- Vanilla Ice Cream with Sherry, Bourbon, Irish Cream Liqueur
- Key Lime Pie with Margarita, Mojito, Gin and Tonic, Tequila
- Pecan Pie with Bourbon, Scotch Whisky, Amaretto, Dark Beer
4. Indoor Concert
My husband and I LOVE blasting music (maybe I should say “blasting”. We do have a toddler which serves as an effective form of volume control). Here is what we do:
- Clear the living room of toys, end tables, and anything else that could get in our way while dancing.
- Get dressed up. It’s a concert, people!
- Pick the artist or genre of the night and use our Amazon Echo Dot.
- Turn off the lights. Sometimes we even hang white Christmas lights to bring the concert vibe!
- We dance and dance and sing and dance …it’s a blast!
Amazon Echo Dot for your indoor concert:
5. Create Vision Boards
This idea is for the hands-on couple looking to do an activity on their date. Vision boards are so inspiring and so much fun! They’re a great way for you to express your goals for the future and spark excellent conversation.
Here’s what you’ll need for your vision board for this date night ideas:
- Posterboard – grab it at Target. You can even check your local thrift store!
- Magazines – again, thrift store! They sell old magazines for pennies!
- Scissors
- Glue/Tape
- Markers, Pens, and Pencils
Before you start, take some time to reflect on your goals and intentions. What do you want to achieve in various areas of your life, such as career, relationships, health, and personal growth? Clarify your vision.
Look through magazines, newspapers, and online sources for images, words, and phrases that resonate with your goals. Choose visuals that spark inspiration and align with your aspirations. For this step, Pinterest is my go-to!
Finally, create! Share your creation with your partner. Talk about what you chose and why.
6. Wine and Paint
I am a terrible painter, but this is still one of my favorite date night ideas! There’s something about freehand drawing with a paintbrush and a canvas that is so relaxing and freeing. Again, this is a hands-on activity and allows for plenty of time to chat with your partner while getting your Picasso on. If free-hand painting isn’t your thing, here are some great templates you can purchase! Don’t forget the wine 🙂
Wine and Paint Canvas:
7. Plant Party – DIY Terrarium
For this date night idea create your own terrariums!
Terrariums are low-maintenance indoor plants, and it’s so much fun to make. Terraniums can be small and compact so they’re suitable for small spaces and offices. You can your partner can express your creativity with this date night ideas which is low-cost, budget-friendly, and will be kept on display for months (hopefully years!) to come.
Here is a terrarium kit to get you started:
8. S’mores
I listed s’ more separately from the dessert bar, but making s’ more can hold down a date night idea completely on its own! You know the classic: graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolate. For this date night, switch it up! Add other fun chocolate candy like Reese’s, Twix, white chocolate. I’ve recently tried s’ mores with Oreo cookies instead of graham crackers. GAME CHANGER! Of course, s’ mores are traditionally done over the fire, but if you don’t have a fire pit you can use your stove, microwave, or a culinary torch.
Indoor Smores Kit:
9. Puzzle Competition
This is such an easy and fun idea. In my family, puzzles are a big deal. Puzzles bring out the best competition in us. Why? Whoever finishes putting together the puzzle the fastest wins a prize! We typically purchase a few $1 puzzles from the Dollar Tree and use that for the competition. It’s so much fun. The puzzles are usually 100 pieces or less so they’re easy to put together even if puzzles “aren’t your thing”. Choose your puzzle design, set the timer, and go!
10. Backyard camping
I’ll admit, I’m more of a glamper than a camper, however, this date night is still one worth sharing. Don’t want to leave the house and travel to a campsite? Bring camping home with you! You may be missing the unique views and the road trip to your campsite, but it’s such a fun way to get outdoors and enjoy nature, even in your backyard.
11. Spa Night
Did someone say his and hers massages? Maybe facials are more your style? Whatever the case, a spa night is a perfect date idea for you and your partner. What’s even better? You’re killing two birds with one stone. You’re not only committing time to self-care, but you’re also spending devoted time with your partner. Here are some tips to plan the perfect, romantic spa night.
- Give each other a massage
- Give each other a Mani/Pedi
- Soak your feet
- Take a bath together
- Give yourselves facials
Related Post: Super Simple and Relaxing At-Home Spa Date Night Idea
12. Build a tent inside
This is a fun one! Building tents as a kid was so much fun. Why not be a big kid with this date idea? Build a tent and enjoy some cozy snuggles with your partner. Add some white string lights for some mood lighting!
13. Charades
Charades always bring out the laughs. If you’re looking for a hilarious date night idea, this one’s for you!
14. Scattergories
I had to list this idea because Scattergories is selfishly one of my favorites. Here are the rules and categories to make your own scattergories at home. If DIY isn’t your thing, you can
This is definitely a different list of date night ideas. Need to try them out now
Awesome! Thank you! Try them all lol.
This was a much needed post!! I love all these ideas and sent them to my husband. We have two toddlers and maybe go in a date every other year 😬
Yay! I’m so happy this resonated with you! Remembering to date your spouse when you have toddlers can be tough. Glad these ideas are helpful!
These are great suggestions…I love the dessert bar!
Thank you! Glad they were helpful.
I love wine & paint! One of my faves!
Yes! Same here!
Back yard camping sounds like a great date night! I will admit that my husband and I need to try some new things!
I understand! My husband and I so easily fall into the habit of binge watching Netflix and Hulu. We have to remind ourselves to think outside the box and try new ideas!
These are great ideas! I love Scattergories and haven’t played in years.
Thank you! Yes, scattegories is so much fun! Oldie, but goodie for sure.