A rose given with love is better than a diamond bought with indifference. Dating doesn’t have to be lavish, extravagant and fancy.
The thing that really matters is having a good time with the person you love. Whether that happens in your backyard or in Hawaii is irrelevant.
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Often, we find ourselves so caught up with everyday tasks that romance goes to the bottom of the list. You might have budget constraints a few years into your marriage.
You might be a college student drowning in debt. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. These free dating ideas will give you the chance to awaken your dying romance.
Table of Contents
Free Indoor Date Ideas
- Have a cozy night in. Trade embarrassing photos of each other. If you’re still with them after seeing them all, you know the love is real.
- Get a karaoke app on one of your phones. Choose songs for each other. Hear your partner singing high notes even they didn’t know they could hit.
- Have a game night. Now we’re not talking about a serious game of chess. Spice things up with a round of cards against humanity. Or play a game of poker. Loser has to take you out for dessert.
- Have an indoor camping trip. Think of this as glamping on steroids. Set up a pillow fort, grab a bag of marshmallows and roast them with a cigarette lighter.
- Round up items you want to do away with. Challenge each other to see who can sell it all online first. Use the money for a special romantic evening.
- If you both love to cook, head on into the kitchen. Prep a 3-course meal using whatever you find in the kitchen.
- Set up a fake vacation at home. Take photos standing in front of the Disney castle or surfing in the Maldives.
- Learn an instrument from a YouTube tutorial. A romantic violin instrumental can really get you in the mood for some fun.
- Project a milky way on your ceiling. Spend the night stargazing and cuddling indoors.
- If you have a decent view from your window, put it to good use. Enjoy breakfast for two at sunrise.
- If you’re not a morning person, make that breakfast and evening dessert while watching the sunset.
- Project a movie against the wall of your house. Have a romantic date at your own, in-home cinema.
Free Outdoor Date Ideas
- Kayaking or paddle boating is fun. And it’s okay if you get a little wet. It’s all part of the fun.
- Dress up and head out for a night on the town. Go to the grocery store or a local club and show off your great looks. Don’t forget to take plenty of pictures!
- Start an impromptu tour of your city. Find tourists to accompany you and show them around.
- If you love being around people, arrange a flash mob. Hand secret cards to complete strangers and when the time is right, let your feet do the talking.
- Find a free yoga class at the park. Help each other find your inner peace
- Have a pop-up yard sale. Use your earnings to treat yourselves to a fancy meal.
- If you’re history and art lovers, visit local, free museums. To make it more romantic, go at night.
- Live on the edge. Get the car of your dreams for a day and drive wherever you want. Make sure you sound convincing or you won’t get that free ride!
- Relive the ‘70s, put on your poodle skirt and go rollerblading!
- If you live somewhere really cold, look for a frozen lake and get out ice skates. Follow it up with a cup of hot chocolate.
- Camp in your own backyard. Set up a makeshift tent, borrow a barbecue grill from a friend and you’re set.
- If you’re feeling lazy and the sun is shining, sunbathe together. Lie down on lawn chairs in your background, put sunscreen on each other and relax.
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Master the skills to Build A Stronger Relationship
Free Simple Date Ideas
- Drive to nowhere. Explore the city or drive out into the countryside. It doesn’t matter where you’re headed. Put on some music and get going.
- Look for free concerts in a nearby park. Find a tree all to yourselves and enjoy the music together.
- Go rock-climbing. If your partner isn’t annoyed by the million breaks you take, then you know the love is real.
- Take a hike. Explore the woods and enjoy some good weather and even better company.
- If you’re both outdoorsy, a camping trip is also a great idea. What’s more romantic than snuggling up in a tent?
- Have a romantic dinner for two with grocery store food samples.
- Look for ghosts together. Nothing is more romantic for thrill seekers than going to a haunted house.
- Put on your best sunhat and go to the farmer’s market. You’ll get some fresh, free samples and you’ll have a fun time exploring through the stalls.
- If the two of you are always up for a laugh, get creative. Paste googly eyes on random objects all over town.
- Go to a local lake or swimming pool and relax in the heat.
- Recreate your favorite romance novel and spend a day at the beach. End the date with a romantic campfire.
- Relive your childhood and go on the children’s swings at the playground. Make sure to go after dark when there aren’t kids around. You don’t want to be bumped off the seesaw by an upset toddler!
Free Date Ideas for Married Couples
- Dress up in costumes and take pictures. You don’t have to wait for Halloween for this. Head on into the town and greet people in your getups. You never know. Some people might even end up paying to get a picture taken with you! Talk about a night to remember.
- If you haven’t had the time to work out, make it a couple’s activity. Go for a morning jog by the beach, encourage each other to work harder.
- Have a paint and grape evening at home.
- Get away from the daily hustle and bustle of life. Go to the park or a quite hilly area and just watch the clouds roll by.
- Build a massive sand castle at the beach. If the waves swallow it up, just sit by the water and let the waves brush your feet.
- Go window shopping. Try on clothes, jewelry, anything and glam it up for one night.
- Sometimes you just want to sit and relax. Have a knitting date and just have a quiet evening in.
- Watch a local high school or middle school game. It’s free, and if you get bored you can just go behind the bleachers and have some fun of your own.
- After so many years together, you don’t really need conversation. Have a quiet day fishing together and then make a meal out of your catch.
- So many years, so many memories. Put it all together in a scrapbook and relive all the good times you’ve had.
- Recreate your first meal together. If it was a fancy dinner, try and do something similar at home. You’ll be surprised by what you can achieve with some simple kitchen candles and basic groceries.
Free Date Ideas for Bored Couples
- If you’ve been married for years, you might even have forgotten your wedding by now. Crash a wedding and dance with the new couple. Not to mention, you’ll get a great meal out of it!
- If you feel like the excitement is gone it’s up to you to rekindle it. Have a water balloon fight in your backyard.
- If you’re desperate for change, make it a couple’s activity. Rearrange the furniture and think of it as a fresh start.
- Relive all your firsts. From the first park you went together to the first movie you watched together, try each one on every date night.
- If your schedules are hectic and you both work, find time for yourselves at night. Give each other massages and have a nice relaxing evening.
- Take out your old wedding albums. Put on your wedding song and start dancing.
- Invite your favorite couple over for a couple’s game night. Find out how well you’ve come to understand each other’s gestures and words. Play a game of charades and see how strong your non-verbal communication is.
- Go to fancy open houses. Make plans for the future and feel young again.
- Tour your old university. Regale your spouse with fun stories from your college days.
- If you already see each other too much, think outside the box. Sit in different rooms and Skype with each other. Once you’re in the mood, go to their room.
- Renew your vows. If you’ve been married for a long time and you feel like things are slowing down, start over.
- Have blind tastings at home. It’ll be even better if you’ve got aphrodisiacs like chocolate in the house.
Related Article: 17 Safe Dating Tips For Young Women
Free First Date Ideas
- Take a trial dance class. Whether it’s jazz, waltz or square dancing, find out how compatible you two are.
- Go to a comedy club or an open mike night. If you still like them after you’ve heard them sing, you’re ready for date #2.
- If you’re broke college students, even a midnight stroll on campus grounds can be romantic.
- Have a scavenger hunt. Use the clues to find out more about each other. Who knows? You might even find ideas for your second date.
- Home Depot and similar places offer free pottery classes. Sculpt something beautiful to commemorate your first date.
- Walk anywhere and everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you’re headed (just stay away from any shady alleys or streets). Take the time to get to know your date and maybe plan what activities you can do next time you meet.
- Start your own YouTube channel. If you get 1000 views on your first date, go on a second one. Make each date more exciting by asking your viewers for ideas.
- Impress your date by making dessert for them. Nothing gets the mood going like some dark chocolate truffles or some intense, airy mousse.
- If you’ve been single for a while, it might be time to try something new. Go to local bars and pubs and find dates for each other. Think of this as a pre-date for your first date.
- Part of the fun of dating is the thrill of the chase. Make your first date digital and create a ‘snapstreak’. The length of your snapstreak can even be a symbol of how compatible you two really are.
- If you met through a dating site which arranges meetups, go to their events. Spend the event trying to get to know each other.
Free Date Ideas for New Couples
- The mystery of new found love is exciting. Have envelopes with secret date ideas and pick one every time you’re going out.
- Go window furniture-shopping. This’ll help you find out more about your partner and their tastes and interests.
- Take your dog for a walk. Whether you’re at a park or the beach, animals make everything fun.
- Volunteer at an animal rescue or local soup kitchen. Giving back to the community will make the two of you feel closer too.
- Relive the iconic scene from “The Notebook” and dance in the middle of an empty road.
- Play a game of basketball and release your competitive side. If you’re still in love when the game is over, you know it’s real.
- Have a bicycle race. Loser has to buy the other one a snow cone.
- Sit at a train or bus station and just observe the people going by. Make up stories for random strangers.
- Go to a local book reading. If you start to get bored, just sneak behind the bookshelves for some alone time.
- Have a mixer for new couples. Make it a potluck so you won’t even need to worry about the food.
- Take a mini trip to Italy in your kitchen. Make your own pizza. It’s okay if one of you likes pineapple pizza. You won’t have to eat it!
- If you’re interested in history and archaeology, get digging. Go to a local site or free land and start searching for buried treasure. You never know what you might find.
- Go to a nearby park and watch the birds. Entertain your partner with bird calls.
Free Crazy Date Ideas
- The experimental phase of every relationship is always an adventure. You don’t need to go to a fancy water park. Have an exciting evening and hop through random sprinklers. Whether they’re in a park or behind a museum, go crazy.
- Go to a local bar and bartend for the night in exchange for a free meal.
- Crash a frat party or a prom. You’re young and ready for adventure and a night of partying is just what you need.
- Many bars and restaurants offer free crackers. Go on cracker crawl and explore local pubs. Make sure you’re quick. You don’t want a romantic evening to end with a police fine!
- If one of you has a backyard, dig your own swimming pool. It’s crazy but you’ll definitely have a good time.
- Go to a local bar mitzvah. Make fake Jewish names and get a romantic dinner for two out of it!
- Get rich and romantic at the same time! Launch your own business together. Whether it’s a cute lemonade stand or a real idea like refurbished furniture, be as creative as you like. This will also help you find things in common.
- Make a trip to Wal-Mart special. Unleash your inner child and get your partner to wheel you around in the cart.
Related Article: 24 Ways To Spice Up Love Making In Your Relationship
Free Date Ideas for Millennials
- If you don’t know where to go, ask for options on your Instagram story. If the two of you find an idea you like, do it and post the results.
- Play video games together. If things get out of control, you can always pull the controller out of your spouse’s hand and win!
- Have a dance party at one of your houses. It’ll be totally free and fun and you can even charge an entry fee!
- You’re young and free to go anywhere and do anything. Find a few friends, pile up in their car and go on a road trip. It doesn’t matter where. When you all get together, some crazy things are bound to happen.
- If you’re about to graduate, you might be on a job hunt. Dress in your best suits and crash a corporate dinner. Network, socialize and have a good time.
- Find a rich friend with a pool in their house. Plan a pool party and head on over. Make sure to pack your best swimsuit!
- Have a silent dancing night at home. You might be listening to different music in your headphones but you’ll be dancing to each other’s rhythm.
- If you’re young and don’t have too much money, you can even just have a romantic evening at a local library. Find a nice, quiet spot and huddle up.
- Explore thrift shops together. You’ll discover the most interesting items. And if you like something, it’ll actually be super easy to buy!
- The classic option: Netflix and chill. Grab your favorite snacks, drinks and cuddled up on the couch with your favorite movies.
Conclusion
The list of free date ideas is exhaustive. It doesn’t matter if you stay in or go out. The important thing is to have fun with each other.
Whether it’s feeding pigeons at the park or just chilling on the sidewalk, make sure you’re with the person you love. If the two of you really like each other, even a Skype date will be more romantic than a trip on a private cruise.
