Dating on a Budget

I'm a firm believer in dating your spouse so married people this post is for you, too! I was talking with a friend the other day about finances and about how we (along with our dear husbands) don't budget very well. Captain J and I like to avoid staying out of debt so when money is running low our weekly date night tends to suffer. It doesn't have to, though! I decided to use items throughout my house to create a fun way to spend time together. Seriously, I didn't spend any money on this date- just a little planning and crafting on my part. So easy (and fun, too!).

Step One: Send your man a hint (and/or picture) in the middle of the day to his phone or email. Don't be afraid to show a little skin ;) This is the perfect opportunity to flirt!

Next, leave an invite on the door or some place he'll immediately see it as he comes home from work. I decided to make a referee type invitation with a leftover drawstring that fell out of a pair of his shorts while they were in the dryer (I'm a bit of a pack rat, but hey- it comes in handy sometimes!).

*This is too easy to make. I sketched a shirt shape on card stock paper. Then I found black and white paper and cut thin strips to glue on one right next to the other. Repeat until the shirt is full. Then I used my handy dandy Cricut to cut out a letter for the referree shirt. Punch holes at the top to add a drawstring or shoelace (or anything else sporty you may think of) to hang on the door of your home. On the flip side of this invite, I wrote: "Are you up for a game night? Bring it on!"

 

Then you'll want to send him on a trail throughout the house. I decided to only make two pit stops because I wanted our family game night to take place downstairs in the room he enters from the front door so I didn't have much to work with. If you try this date, it might be fun to make a scavenger hunt type deal. 

*This paper is a scrapbook paper square that I cut in half and used as index type cards. Again, I used my cricut to number the cards, but you can use whatever you have available to you. Now, here comes the goofy(iest) part--Get creative on your clues, hints, or instructions. The easiest way to do this is to make it rhyme! On card one, I wrote: "Come on in, Babe-you've got a game to play. Don't you dare ask me, I won't give it away... Head over to the table to find what's waiting there. Feel free to pull up a chair!"

That instruction sent him to card two that said, "Hey Soldier, you think you're tough? Obviously, we haven't played games enough! Take your pick, I'm going to win- over and over and over again! Don your uniform, dude- while I munch on this food."

At this point, he was standing at our kitchen table when I presented him with his attire he was to wear (an Iraqi jersey) while he was surrounded with snacks I had thrown together. I just prepared whatever we had in our cabinets around the kitchen. Also all around him were choices of games: cards, Bananagrams, Scattergories, and Wii options.

Also, what is game night without some beer options?

There had to be a prize up for grabs, too which is why I created this:

Another cool alternative would be to go to a thrift store or goodwill and find old trophies people have donated. When I lived in Cookeville, it was so easy to find a trophy and doctor it up to make it what you wanted it to be. You can pick those up for a few cents. Because I wanted to make this a completely free date, I didn't do that but it would be too easy to do. Just cover up any engraving or writing that doesn't fit your goal with different papers and designs that do!

*To make the above award, imagine those bright orange cones construction workers put on the side of the road. I cut out two of that shape and glued the very tips together. Then I added a star to the top and a "Way To Go" message on the trophy out of regular construction paper. Where it opens at the bottom to hold it up, I wrote: "You're a winner!" 

Captain J and I love game night. It's good for us because I know he's tired after work and sometimes all he wants to do is relax. By playing games together, we get to hang out and lay around the house and be lazy!

This date can easily turn into a couples date night, too. Challenge your couple friends to a game, create a scoreboard, and keep track of who is winning! This will allow you and your spouse (or significant other) to work together as a team to kick some butt! ;) Or you could always do girls versus guys...that's fun,too.

The most important thing is to simply have a good time. I think "date nights" often get a bad rap because they seem to some, one night during the week set aside for doting on your spouse as opposed to doing so all throughout the week. I am from the other school of thought that defines date nights as deliberate time set aside for just the two of you in order to ensure time together. During the week, it's so easy to get caught up in the stress of work, school, or just life in general. Sticking to a plan of spending time together will help strengthen your relationship!

After all the game playing, we decided some smores were in order!

Yum, yum. Oh, and Captain J thought my little trophy I made was a hat. I guess that means I'll just have to try harder next time. I'm not too concerned, though- in all fairness, he didn't get a good look at it. I mean, as soon as I won game night, I snatched it right up! ;)

Happy Dating!