Cheap Date Ideas for Parents

As a parent, you spend most of your waking moments (and many of your should-be sleeping ones) nurturing and caring for your kids. In the process of providing for and raising a family, it's often easy to let adult relationships slide. Whether you are new parents, a single parent in a relationship, or a seasoned married couple with children, spending quality time alone is vital to your relationship as a couple and as a family unit. Not to mention your sanity!

Raising a family often means extra spending cash is scarce or that extra money needs to be spent to meet the needs of your children. Little or no money often leads to no more date nights. It doesn't have to. Planning a date doesn't have to break your budget.

My husband and I discovered a few years ago how little time we were devoting to each other in the midst of raising our girls. We started a practice which has now become a regular occurrence in our home - date night for Mommy and Daddy. Occasionally we hire a babysitter and go out on the town for an evening. More often, though, we prepare while the kids are awake, tuck in them into bed, pray they stay in bed, and enjoy the evening together at home. Sometimes it's as simple as eating dinner together in a candlelit room and relishing the silence. Other time we spend more time planning, come up with a theme night, and dress the part. Date night has become such a tradition in our home, now the kids beg to have date nights too.

The main thing is to find ways to enjoy time together and focus on your relationship. Tap into your creativity, add a little preparation, and plan a memorable get-together with your sweetheart. Here are a few creative ideas for cheap, fun date ideas to get you started:

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #1 - Thrift Store Fun
Visit the local thrift store. Decide on a budget and split up to shop. Buy something for each other. Take your time and put some thought into the purchase. It can be a sentimental or humorous gift. You might be surprised at the gifts you'll find in a thrift store!

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #2 - Play Dress Up
A fun twist on the thrift store idea is to use the money to buy an outfit for your date. Take the items home and wash them ahead of time. Plan an inexpensive outing or a date at home on which you both must come wearing the chosen outfits. Be sure to bring your sense of humor with you on the date.

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #3 - Go Picking
Spend a sunny day with your date at a local berry patch, fruit stand, or open-air market. Pick a few baskets. Then take them back home and have fun making a special dessert together. Sharing a cup of coffee and a fresh-fruit desert is a relaxing and inexpensive way to spend special time together.

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #4 - Flip a Coin
Arrange for a babysitter to watch your children, and then begin this spontaneous date where there are plenty of historical sites or other places to see. Start walking and flip a coin to see where it leads you at each intersection. Designate directions for both sides of the coin, such as 'heads' means left and 'tails' means right. You never know where this date may take you!

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #5 - Have a Spa Night
Who needs a fancy spa to unwind? Instead, stay in and treat each to a night of pampering. Light the candles, add the romantic tunes playing in the background, run a hot bubble bath for two, and crack a nice bottle of wine. Afterwards, take turns giving each other full-body massages, and settle in for a night of relaxation and romance.

Cheap Date Ideas for Parents #6 - Get Physical
Go ice-skating, roller-skating, sledding, skiing, hiking, bike riding, or workout together. Most of these activities cost little to no money to do and can be done at a time that is convenient for you. What's the added bonus? According to Livestrong.com, exercise, especially cardio exercise, improves sex drive by releasing endorphins, and also improves flexibility, stamina, and self esteem. So, getting more active together may lead to getting sweaty in more ways than one!

Just remember. Limited finances don't mean less romantic dates. In fact, cheap date ideas such as these require more creativity. Imagination leads to great fun and romance.

You may also enjoy:
"5 Tips to Add Romance in the Bedroom" by Jo Brielyn

Resources:
"Free or Inexpensive Date Ideas" by New Life on a Homestead
Diana Vilibert, "50 Cheap Date Ideas", Marie Claire
"43 Date Night Ideas" by Redbook
"3 Ways to Boost Sex Drive With Exercise" by Livestrong.com