I’m having a lot of fun posting every day of February using the prompts I found on The Sway.
You can read my first two prompts here and here.
Today’s prompt……
5 VALENTINE’S DAY DATE IDEAS FOR PEOPLE ON A BUDGET
Being married for almost 32 years and after 6 kids, we’ve been through all different stages of dating, from dates every night B.C. (before children), to no dates when the kids were small, to a date every once in awhile when the older kids could babysit the smaller kids, and now to going on dates about twice a month now that the kids are high school age. I was always told by other married couples how important it was to have quiet time together without the kids. But life being what it is, sometimes it just wasn’t plausible. There were days when my kids were tiny that I was lucky to have brushed my teeth or gotten dressed out of my pajamas. So whatever stage you’re in, a date can be a nap together when the kids are napping. Just being together is wonderful. We take what we can get!
Here are some of the ways we spend time together on a budget.
A Date at Home
When the kids were small, we’d bathe them and put them to bed by 8pm. Then we’d have a nice romantic dinner on a beautifully set table with lit candles and romantic music playing in the background. Sometimes, we’d even print out questions to start some interesting conversations. After dinner, we’d cuddle on the couch in front of a cozy fire (gas) and watch our (my) favorite chick flick movie.
A Date with Coupons
I’ve always enjoyed going out to eat. No meal planning, no cooking, no dishes! You can’t beat that!! So I’m always on the lookout for good deals and coupons. There’s many great sites that provide coupons to many different restaurants. RetailMeNot, Groupon, restaurant.com, Eat Drink Deal$ Get on most of these e-mail lists and you will get notified of great deals.
A Date with Rewards
I have joined many restaurants’ loyalty reward programs so every time you spend money in their establishment, it goes toward a free meal, dessert, or appetizer. (Ex: Fridays, Red Robin, IHOP, Melting Pot, Chili’s, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Moe’s, Noodles & Company just to name a few) Sometimes we’ll just go for a walk to our nearest Panera Bread or Starbucks and have a coffee and a bagel then walk home. We hold hands and talk about everything.
A Date with Burger King
Burger King is one of my favorite fast food places since they built one in my little town 40 years ago. The LOML will pick up 2 whoppers for $6, some onion rings, diet cokes and we’ll have a picnic at our nearest park. Then we take a walk around the park lake.
A Date in an Open House
What is something you absolutely love to do?? We love to look at houses. We can spend a whole day driving around looking at houses for sale, open houses, new construction neighborhoods. We talk about the future, what our plans are after all the kids move out, retirement, will we follow the kids/grandkids wherever they go.
I recommend date nights to encourage communication and romance among the chaos of life. If husband and wife are tight, the rest of the family will follow. Family is the most important thing in our society led by parents who love one another.
Where do you go on dates on a budget? Let me know in the comments.
Tomorrow’s prompt will be “Share the recipe for your favorite Valentine’s Day baked good.” Come back and be inspired!
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Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
Love y’all,
Linda
