27 Great Dates Under $30
13. Fondue night
Cost: $10-$20
How can you go wrong with sharing a pot of cheese or chocolate fondue with your sweetheart? There are tons of recipes available online to help you get started, many of which can substitute a sauce pan or crock pot for a potentially pricy fondue pot. Whether savory or sweet, you can have a lot of fun mixing and matching different creative things to dip and taste.
14. Craft beer tasting
Cost: $20-$30
You may not know it, but many pubs and bars offer small cups which can be perfect to sample new beers. By sharing beers, you can hop, not crawl, around town and try something new, like that new lager, stout, ale, or IPA that everyone raves about.
15. Healthier cookie bakeoff
Cost: $10-$20
Who doesn’t love a fresh cookie? Warm and gooey with a glass of milk or crumbled over ice cream, cookies just seem to have the power to soothe. Spend a night in your kitchen challenging each other to whip up healthier versions of this sweet dessert staple. There are a lot of recipes available online for vegan or avocado cookies that are both delicious and contain superfoods.
Fun Nights In
16. Game Night
Cost: $0-$20
Often coupled with a little alcohol, it can be a wonderful blast from the past to spend a night in playing Checkers, Battleship, or Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Most any superstore has a variety of games available in the toy section.
17. Fun foreign movie night
Cost: $0-$10
You can have a great time by watching a foreign film without the subtitles. Try to help each other figure out what’s happening and feel free to narrate along for a few extra laughs.
18. Massage exchange
Cost: $0-$10
Bath stores typically have a great aromatherapy section with essential oils in various scents. Set the mood with a few candles and trade massages to recreate a spa treatment after a stressful week or an especially hard workout. Studies show massages can reduce stress, treat pain, and improve mood.
19. Drive-free Drive-in
Cost: $10-$20
Get some popcorn or trail mix ready, then simply rent or stream a new movie on a laptop. Then cozy up in your yard, at a park, or on a rooftop and enjoy a car and carefree drive-in movie experience.
20. Play bartender
Cost: $20-$30
Rather than head out to a bar some evening, have fun at home with a cocktail contest. See who can whip up the best margaritas or mojitos. There are a ton of specialty drink recipes available on the internet to inspire creativity.
Exploration
21. Discover a new museum
Cost: $0-$20
Do a little research into local museums or art exhibits. Many offer free or discount days so you can cheaply explore ancient Egypt and ponder paintings. A bonus benefit for Bank of
America cardholders is free admission to more than 150 museums nationwide through the “Museums on Us” program.
22. Act like a tourist
Cost: $10-$30
Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted some of the attractions that lure people to the place you live. Spend a day checking out landmarks, parks, and local attractions you’ve never found the time or opportunity for. This is great for bonding with your partner and also gaining a newfound appreciation for what makes your hometown special.
23. Volunteer together
Cost: $0
Free to do and extremely rewarding, I suggest spending a day together helping others. You can spend a day with senior citizens, serving meals at a local food pantry, or just cleaning up a nearby park. Not only is this good for the community, volunteering is scientifically proven to boost happiness.
24. Take a new class together
Cost: $10-$30
Try something new together, like taking a Thai cooking class, or learning about the wonders of web design. Sites like Groupon, Living Social, Feast, and Culination offer a lot of cheap classes. Research shows learning new skills can boost your brainpower.
25. Trivia night
Cost: $10-$20
Is one or the other of you a whiz with pop culture and trivia? Prove it! Trivia games are available at lots of local bars and would give you a chance to team up and show off your beautiful brains.
26. Attend a book reading
Cost: $0
Many coffee shops and local pubs host book readings to showcase novels, short stories, poetry, etc. Sometimes you have the opportunity to hear a lecture or have a Q&A with the author after the reading. Research shows that works of literary fiction can actually help you improve social skills.
27. Scavenger hunt
Cost: $0-$30
Take turns hiding clues that lead the other around a new town or neighborhood and maybe to a hidden gift or treasure. This is growing in popularity to the degree that there are websites available to help as well. Stray Boots, for example, has guides available for pre-arranged quests in 14 U.S. cities.
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