If you’re looking for cheap ideas for a date night at home, you’re at the right place. My husband and I have become experts at having cheap date nights at home because we live so far out in the country. It’s so much easier and more relaxing some days to just stay in. Not only is it easier, but sometimes it’s more fun and cheaper to DIY a home date night.
Cheap Valentine’s Date Ideas
Our favorite time of the year to chill at home is Valentine’s. Seriously. Valentine’s Day dates can go from romantic to dreadful in just a few minutes. Fighting the Valentine’s Day crowds at restaurants (even the weekend before or after) can turn a great evening out into a boring uncomfortable evening with slow service and cold food. So, we’re always on the lookout for cheap Valentine’s dates.
Plus, sometimes, we like to get up and do something! Going out for dinner and a movie can be fun if you don’t get to go out often, but after years of dinner and a movie out, I think I’ve decided that I just like having date nights to spend quality time with my love. Even watching a movie at home feels like better quality time since we snuggle during the movie or we can pause the movie to chat or laugh about something.
Home Date Night Ideas
Here are some awesome cheap date night ideas at home to keep you on budget and that spark alive in your relationship or marriage.
Rent a movie and have popcorn in your jammies
Dressing up is nice sometimes but so is dressing down. Especially if you work outside the home all week and just want to chill in your jammies. Plus, you can have all the popcorn you want for about 50 cents instead of $50.
Work a puzzle of a destination you’d both like to visit
My husband and I love to dream together. So, working on a puzzle is great for relaxing and brain power, but it’s also awesome for dreaming. Choose a puzzle of a place you want to visit (like Italy or the beach) or a goal (like to fly in a hot air balloon one day).
Make a sweet treat together
You could make your favorite dessert. Just one, or one for each other. Bonus if it’s heart shaped! You may need one of these for cake or these for chocolates or candy.
Take turns watching fun videos on YouTube
You never know what kind of awesome things you can find on YouTube!! We love watching silly stuff or educational videos on YouTube. Definitely a cheap and easy way to spend time and connect with each other sharing favorites.
Take a walking tour of a favorite place on YouTube
My husband and I went to Rome this weekend without even putting on our shoes! We’ve been there before and this video was just like being there without having to try to speak Italian! But we did miss out on the authentic Italian food!
Take an online marriage class
If you’re struggling in your marriage, take a few minutes to learn some new skills to help. I remember early in our relationship, we were seriously struggling. We both wanted it to work, but we didn’t have the skills. Until I learned a few simple things to do or not do in a relationship. Just those few simple things turned us around completely and I couldn’t imagine a stronger relationship than the one I have now. Even though I haven’t taken it, I’ve heard great things about this course.
Plan out a year of dates together and put them on the calendar
Find some cool local events (Facebook is my favorite place to find these) and put them on the calendar so you don’t miss out. It’s easy to let life get busy without actually living life. Take an evening to find things you’d both like to do and put them on the calendar now before you miss out.
Build something together
It’s a great way to work together and get some quality time in for a date night at home. We’re building garden beds next month as our stay at home date!
Dream up your favorite life together and save the ideas to Pinterest
You never know how many of those dreams will actually come to be!! Imagine how fun it will be to look back and see how much you’ve accomplished toward your goals in a few years from now.
Buy some Nerf guns and have a dart gun war in your house
I got Nerf guns (I got these and these) for Christmas and we have the absolute best time having dart gun wars in the house. It’s a family affair for us, but my husband and I played while we were dating and it was fun back then, too. Plus, it’s great exercise! If you have a dot sight on your gun, you can even play with the lights off for more challenge.
Have a kid’s contest
Kids have a lot of things figured out. One thing they know how to do is to play and hang out together. Something grown-ups aren’t always good at. Be a kid again and see who can build the farthest flying paper airplane or tallest tower of cards.
Do some star gazing with an app or telescope
What’s more romantic than gazing at the stars and contemplating the universe together? I’m not sure. A telescope could help though. Or an app. We love finding constellations together with our Star Map apps.
Eat dinner outside on the back porch or patio
Set up some amazing ambiance with string lights and a romantic dinner out on the patio or porch. I did this DIY date night idea about 10 years ago before we had kids and my husband loved it. Even though it was a little bit cheesy, the steak got cold, and it was cold outside. The lights made all the difference. Haha.
Play board games or card games
Time just seems to slow down and conversations start happening when the board games and card games come out. When it’s just the two of us, we like to play Rummy with regular cards, Uno, Skipbo or Set.
Cook breakfast for dinner together
It’s the small things, right? Like breakfast for dinner. It’s a special treat at our house to have breakfast for dinner. You could even cook it together. This is one of those dates my husband and I have in the middle of life. And it happens on Saturday mornings. He cooks the bacon and I make the biscuits or pancakes. We chat and catch up. For a special date night, I’d probably make heart-shaped pancakes and berries with whipped cream to make it extra special.
Paint a piece of furniture together
When I was pregnant, my husband and I painted a dresser together. It was a fun project and we learned a lot together. Painting that dresser actually prodded me to start flipping furniture at an antique store (so. much. fun!). We still have the dresser and it’s a fun memory of dreaming together about our first little one.
Teach each other something
My husband is an expert at what he does. And I pretty much know everything else. Haha. Just kidding. But we all learn something whether we realize it or not. He teaches me about what he’s learning in his audiobooks and I teach him about blogging and marketing. It’s a win-win. Not only are we learning something new, but we also find new reasons to respect each other.
Learn something new on TED or YouTube
TED Talks are awesome. If you haven’t discovered them yet, put that on your todo list. But you can find amazing things out there to learn together on TED or YouTube. Learn how to fight fair and strengthen your relationship. Or learn how to tile a bathroom. Or…
Share stories of your favorite dates together
It’s fun recount the same event from both of your perspectives and memories. You never know what the other side looks like until you hear the story. There are lots of details I never would have remembered if my husband didn’t tell me his side of the story.
Play video games
Okay. I’ll let you in on a secret. If you met me on the street, you’d never think I play video games. But, in my past life (aka before I became a mom), I played my fair share of video games. Now, on special occasions, my husband and I will play together. It’s so much fun to be on the same team or going against each other (even if he kicks my butt every time!). If one of you is much better than the other, you can play a different type of game to level the playing field.
Go for a walk or run together
Nothing clears your mind more than fresh air. When you need to let the worries of your week fall away and really get away to connect, you can head out for a walk or a run for your home date night.
Have a picnic in the back yard
This is such a fun thing to do. Grab some sandwiches or bread + cheese + wine and have a picnic out in the back yard. Spread out a blanket and watch the clouds float by, gaze at some stars if it’s dark, or snuggle up on the porch in a blanket with yoru snacks and watch the snow fall if it’s winter. You will probably create a memory you won’t forget for a long while.
Make a fancy hot chocolate or deluxe coffee
Oh yeah. I’m not talking about just any ol’ coffee or hot chocolate. I’m talking the super deluxe kind. Cinnamon, cream, marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel, Irish whiskey. Whatever suits your fancy. Then snuggle up and enjoy your drinks together.
Scavenge around the house for things you could list for sale on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist
Y’all. It doesn’t sound like fun or exciting, but this is one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes, I don’t want to pull out a pile of his stuff to sell just to find out he wants to keep all of it. So, we go through the house and find things together that we aren’t using any more. I will often forget something is there until he says something about it. We list it for sale on Friday night and usually by Saturday or Sunday morning, it’s gone and I have cash in my hand! So. much. fun.
Write letters to each other with a secret code they have to decipher
Do you remember those? They were so much fun in elementary school. When you get close enough you can start guessing or solve the whole thing. Don’t forget to give them the code to decipher your message!
Bake a pizza together from scratch
When is the last time you had a fresh pizza? We love making pizzas together because we can make the crust together then customize our side of the pizza to be whatever we want. So yummy and a fun thing to do together.
Cheap Date Nights At Home
No matter if you’re going out or plan to have a date night at home, your relationship needs that time with your loved one. Life is hard and it gets busy. You need time to put life on pause and reconnect. And if you’re on a really tight budget without a babysitter, you don’t have any more excuses, even for Valentine’s date nights!
Don’t forget to pin this and come back to it later!
