Date ideas

[Magpie09]

In the interest of enjoying the last weeks/months/years (or days ) of being a GF do you have any interesting date ideas?

Anything creative that you've come up with on a low cost budget?

I've got the classic movies, dvd nights, walks on the beach, scrabble, sports events (always with lots of junk food)

 

[missy]

I always love outdoor dates. How about going to a botannical garden or outdoor estate garden? Not sure where you live but there might be some good options for this nearby. Or going to the zoo (though not sure how you guys feel about zoos- my dh doesn't like them as he finds them sad) or flea markets. Roller skating, bike riding and picnic are some other good outdoor options.

For indoor options how about a museum where the amount you pay for admission is your choice. There are museums near us that you can pay what you want for admission and then there are some museums that have some nights free. That's always a good rainy day choice.

If you guys like hiking you can find a good hiking trail (usually at a nice sized park if there is one nearby) and work up a good sweat if that's something that appeals to you.


ETA: Another date idea is if you both love animals you can spend an afternoon volunteering at a homeless animal shelter walking and socializing the animals. Of course you need to call ahead to find out if your neighborhood shelter allows this and what criteria you may need to meet to do this. Most shelters I know desperately need volunteers even if it is only for an afternoon of socializing with them.

 

[madelise]

ooh, I'll be watching this thread. We need date ideas! We spend our only date-day of the week studying together . Well. Him babysitting me studying. We need some fun in our lives.

I purchased the Costco bundles of AMC tickets for him for Christmas, so we watch movies. Is movie-dating 'out'? We went to a Friday evening show last week, and the usually packed theater was practically empty!


Hm, I like the garden idea. It makes for some gorgeous photography! Photo shoot time?

 

[missy]

I just thought of another fun date idea if you are game for it. I love house hunting even when I am not in the market. There are some open houses that really are awesome to go to and can make for a great day. Especially if at some point in the future you will be in the market this is a great way to get introduced to what you may and may not like/want in a new home. This is sort of the way we started looking for our new beach house. On a whim at an open house we fell across while cycling one day at the shore. And voila, the rest is history. Anyway, just a thought in case you may feel the same as me. I love looking at beautiful homes! And it can be fun to do with your SO! And free!

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

I'm not sure where you live? But i live relatively close to the water. Some date ideas me and my SO have come up with for the spring/summer...

*Sunset sail in the harbor
*Skydiving
*Walking the cliff walk (it's a nature trail along mansions and on the water)
*Six flags
*Day trip Boston ( we are actually doing this for my bday next week, he's taking me to my fave restaurant!)
*Day trip to NYC
*Walking around a quaint seaside town and going into the little shops, and get food and drinks.
*red sox games
*Comedy shows (kinda hit or miss)
*Picnic in the park on a nice day
*Driving somewhere we haven't been and go discovering

We also like the normal things, like walks on the beach or by the water. Movies when there is something good out. Fire pits with good drinks and good friends. We try to minimize going out to eat to 1x per weekend. But there are tons of outdoor eating, live bands etc in the summer which is always fun too. And of course, i drag him to the beach for a few hours

 

[Phdecorate]

What about a wine tasting or even a cooking class? Beer tasting even?

We also will take a day, pick a place to ride to, could be 30 mins, could be 1.5 hours and we have lunch and walk around, do some shopping/browsing...

Fishing? One of those day trips where everything is provided?

Golf, tennis etc? Picnic in a park?

Anything touristy where you live that you never do because it IS touristy? That could be fun....city tour, local museum, etc?

Apple picking? pumpkin, blueberry, asparagus, strawberry, etc you get the idea.....then go home and make something.

Antiquing/ going to an auction

 

[audball]

I hope the movies aren't out madelise! Andrew and I LOVE the movies and usually go once a week!

missy - I LOVE the house hunting idea! Andrew and I watch House Hunters all.the.time. We're totally going to do this!

 

[Phdecorate]

I hope the movies aren't out madelise! Andrew and I LOVE the movies and usually go once a week!

missy - I LOVE the house hunting idea! Andrew and I watch House Hunters all.the.time. We're totally going to do this!

We watch House Hunters too!! We watched every single night, especially before we bought our house. I drove SO crazy. We still love it. I like the local ones better than the international ones.

My SO hates the movies. I have to try really hard to talk him into it.....

 

[audball]

I hope the movies aren't out madelise! Andrew and I LOVE the movies and usually go once a week!

missy - I LOVE the house hunting idea! Andrew and I watch House Hunters all.the.time. We're totally going to do this!

We watch House Hunters too!! We watched every single night, especially before we bought our house. I drove SO crazy. We still love it. I like the local ones better than the international ones.

My SO hates the movies. I have to try really hard to talk him into it.....

We have our DVR record the new episodes of the local ones only. We don't care for the international ones.

As for the movies, Andrew used to see several alone every week before we started dating. He loves going, and I quite like it too! Too bad your SO doesn't like it My ex didn't like the movies either. He had a giant tv at home and preferred waiting for movies to come out and watch at home. I like doing that too, but not all the time. Sometimes you just need to get OUT.

 

[missy]

I hope the movies aren't out madelise! Andrew and I LOVE the movies and usually go once a week!

missy - I LOVE the house hunting idea! Andrew and I watch House Hunters all.the.time. We're totally going to do this!

We watch House Hunters too!! We watched every single night, especially before we bought our house. I drove SO crazy. We still love it. I like the local ones better than the international ones.

My SO hates the movies. I have to try really hard to talk him into it.....

We watch HGTV as well and just love the shows. My dh loves them a bit less but he enjoys checking out some local open houses. Just this past weekend we were cycling at the shore and passed an amazing open house. It's my dream kitchen for sure with views to die for!!

http://www.kw.com/homes-for-sale/07760/NJ/Sea-Bright/880-OCEAN-AVE/3yd-MOMLSNJ-21212895.html

The only photo of the kitchen they have online doesn't do it justice at all though but here it is. It is all white with custom cabinets and marble countertops and so much space. My dh hates marble because red wine etc will stain it but we met the builder at the open house (that was awesome!) and he explained that it had a special coating that is impervious to stains. Anyway, it was great to see that house with the amazing views. It is more space than we need but perhaps a PSer would be in the market?
The pictures do not do this house justice I promise you. The views are TDF and I am difficult to impress believe me.

 

[audball]

WOW missy! It's beautiful!! Lovely views, and HUGE!

 

[missy]

WOW missy! It's beautiful!! Lovely views, and HUGE!

It really is better in person. The only (but a big one) problem with this house is that it is on a major road but when you are in the house it is very quiet and the back of the house faces the river with lovely views. The builder really built it to maximize the views. And you get complimentary lifetime membership to the beach club across the street!

And they have an awesome roof deck where you can see the ocean on one side and the river on the other side. Not sure why that isn't in the pics they included. It really was an amazing view.

I did get some awesome kitchen remodel ideas (future project many years down the road) and that is one of the things I love about house hunting IRL.

Anyway, just another reason I love this as a day date idea because it is fun (and free) and functional and even romantic if you are just starting out and looking for a home together...

 

[pandabee]

I need to be following this thread! We don't go on many dates, as I work (way too much) and we are usually studying when we're not at school or work. We watch a lot of tv together...our favorite shows are 30 Rock, Rescue Me, and Psych on Netflix, then also Storage Wars and American Pickers when they are on live. Recently he has discovered he likes sushi (which I love) so we've gone on some sushi dates. Other than that we don't do a whole lot...kinda boring haha. Fun ideas are welcome!!

I did see a picture/blog post on pinterest that was to camp out (or at least spend most of the night) in the bed of a truck with blankets and pillows and stargaze. He does have a truck so I told him if we're going to go out to the middle of nowhere (where he's originally from) that we need to do that sometime! I love stars so that would be such an awesome date night.

 

[audball]

We do that too, pandabee. We have lots of shows we both like. But the seasons are coming to an end! And neither of us are taking classes this summer. I think some househunting is in order

 

[pandabee]

We do that too, pandabee. We have lots of shows we both like. But the seasons are coming to an end! And neither of us are taking classes this summer. I think some househunting is in order

ah I know! I don't know what we're going to do when we get to the end of the seasons on Netflix. watching shows/sitcoms on tv just isn't as efficient, and having to sit through commercial breaks!

ooh speaking of househunting. we did drive around one day in one of the nearby neighborhoods after we got some ice cream. it was fun to just look at drive by some of the houses and imagine ourselves living in a nice big home one day. although I don't think I would want a house that's too big to take care of, I just want it to be awesome!!! I told him that when we both have a sunday off we should check out open houses. so that's another good date idea!

 

[madelise]

I just thought of another fun date idea if you are game for it. I love house hunting even when I am not in the market. There are some open houses that really are awesome to go to and can make for a great day. Especially if at some point in the future you will be in the market this is a great way to get introduced to what you may and may not like/want in a new home. This is sort of the way we started looking for our new beach house. On a whim at an open house we fell across while cycling one day at the shore. And voila, the rest is history. Anyway, just a thought in case you may feel the same as me. I love looking at beautiful homes! And it can be fun to do with your SO! And free!

OMG. I'm going to do this. SO asked me to shop online for houses now, even though we aren't buying yet. He wanted me to look around so I get a few different cities down, and get the feel for their areas. GOING IN PERSON SOUNDS BETTER! Zillow wasn't cutting it for me, anyway. IF I get SO onboard this idea, I'll let ya'll know how it goes it'll be so fun!! HAHA. poor home owners.. they'll have to put up with me pretending to buy.. without having a real customer. OOPS!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Tis the season for wine fests!! There are several winery options near us and they always have live music and fun times. FI doesn't drink, but the live music is always a plus for us. Or check out a concert. I was just emailing with my future MIL (LOVE her!) about catching the Avett Brothers concert in two weeks. That kind of music isn't really FI's cup of tea, but I think we'd have a great time. I can't wait to chat with him about it tonight!

I am a HUGE fan of dinner and a movie although not all the time. We just did sushi and The 5 Year Engagement this weekend. It was really funny and not the typical romcom, so we both liked it a lot!

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

LOL you guys are so funny! I like this idea of pretend house hunting. My bf and I alway talk about where we will live when I get matched for residency and where he sees his career going. Luckily, neither of us are into having a big yard or a huge space to manage, and so we're more open to a condominium or large apartment. Walk in closet is a must!

In terms of date ideas, I LOVE looking at livingsocial/groupon deals. At first, my bf couldn't care less about finding deals, and now he looks at these websites pretty frequently for a guy. Most of our more exciting dates have been through these deals, and so far we've spent a weekend in Nantucket, explored tons of different restaurants, went on a fun wine tour, and recently got a deal to go horseback riding this summer. It's fun to mix it up once in a while. We're at this place where we just hang out with each other - he will write and I will study, and our dates have been pretty low key - movie, dinner, hanging out with friends and family, so when a cool fun thing comes along, we milk it for everything it's worth, and we get a great deal!

 

[pandabee]

LOL you guys are so funny! I like this idea of pretend house hunting. My bf and I alway talk about where we will live when I get matched for residency and where he sees his career going. Luckily, neither of us are into having a big yard or a huge space to manage, and so we're more open to a condominium or large apartment. Walk in closet is a must!

In terms of date ideas, I LOVE looking at livingsocial/groupon deals. At first, my bf couldn't care less about finding deals, and now he looks at these websites pretty frequently for a guy. Most of our more exciting dates have been through these deals, and so far we've spent a weekend in Nantucket, explored tons of different restaurants, went on a fun wine tour, and recently got a deal to go horseback riding this summer. It's fun to mix it up once in a while. We're at this place where we just hang out with each other - he will write and I will study, and our dates have been pretty low key - movie, dinner, hanging out with friends and family, so when a cool fun thing comes along, we milk it for everything it's worth, and we get a great deal!

ooh walk in definitely a must. along with a jacuzzi lol. livingsocial/groupon is a good idea...they say that on the tv ads all the time but I've never thought to seriously look into it as a date idea. there's not *too* much to do around here and I usually do skim the daily emails but maybe I should look harder or open my eyes up to some new ideas. it's nice that he is interested in looking for those deals too!!

 

[madelise]

Tis the season for wine fests!! There are several winery options near us and they always have live music and fun times. FI doesn't drink, but the live music is always a plus for us. Or check out a concert. I was just emailing with my future MIL (LOVE her!) about catching the Avett Brothers concert in two weeks. That kind of music isn't really FI's cup of tea, but I think we'd have a great time. I can't wait to chat with him about it tonight!

I am a HUGE fan of dinner and a movie although not all the time. We just did sushi and The 5 Year Engagement this weekend. It was really funny and not the typical romcom, so we both liked it a lot!

5 year engagement was what we watched! I <3ed it! I loved her antique e-ring even if I'm not big on rubies.. the setting was so cute!

 

[madelise]

LOL you guys are so funny! I like this idea of pretend house hunting. My bf and I alway talk about where we will live when I get matched for residency and where he sees his career going. Luckily, neither of us are into having a big yard or a huge space to manage, and so we're more open to a condominium or large apartment. Walk in closet is a must!

In terms of date ideas, I LOVE looking at livingsocial/groupon deals. At first, my bf couldn't care less about finding deals, and now he looks at these websites pretty frequently for a guy. Most of our more exciting dates have been through these deals, and so far we've spent a weekend in Nantucket, explored tons of different restaurants, went on a fun wine tour, and recently got a deal to go horseback riding this summer. It's fun to mix it up once in a while. We're at this place where we just hang out with each other - he will write and I will study, and our dates have been pretty low key - movie, dinner, hanging out with friends and family, so when a cool fun thing comes along, we milk it for everything it's worth, and we get a great deal!

I love LS/Groupon! I went on a winery tour + horseback riding session for $80 for the both of us.. and I posted in another thread that I just bought one for $29 for an hour photoshoot with prints and digital copies! Do they do "Date Options" for your area? I know in our area they have like.. sushi making classes, or pizza making classes or whatever that a restaurant will host for dates. It's also through LS and Groupon.

 

[missy]

Just to be clear, we don't pretend we are interested in buying the home. I always tell them exactly what's going on- we were cycling and rode by the open house and wanted to check it out! Hey, that's how we found our current realtor who we ended up selling our first beach house and purchasing our current beach house through! So, every connection is a potential business connection even if you aren't in the market right now. Just saying there's no reason to have to pretend. I hate lying and so I don't.

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

I'm loving all of these date ideas! I used to be signed up for groupon, but was annoyed at the every day emails and i never used any of them. Butttt now, im thinking that since it is "bigger" now, there might be a gold mine of things to try that are pretty darn cheap! So that was a great idea!

As for the house hunting, my SO wants to do that all the time. He says he is getting ideas...but we are in no position to buy a house for like 5 years...LOL. We both decided we like new and don't want anything previously lived in. So i get annoyed when he wants to constantly look at houses since we are so far off from purchasing/building. IMO we should be looking for LAND and not for a house!

He hates house hunters. I love house hunters international because i love to see how the rich live with their vaca homes haha!

 

[madelise]

Just to be clear, we don't pretend we are interested in buying the home. I always tell them exactly what's going on- we were cycling and rode by the open house and wanted to check it out! Hey, that's how we found our current realtor who we ended up selling our first beach house and purchasing our current beach house through! So, every connection is a potential business connection even if you aren't in the market right now. Just saying there's no reason to have to pretend. I hate lying and so I don't.

They're okay with people just looking? I had no idea. I'm always shy about going to "look" at anything, be it in shopping stores or anything at all!

 

[missy]

I'm loving all of these date ideas! I used to be signed up for groupon, but was annoyed at the every day emails and i never used any of them. Butttt now, im thinking that since it is "bigger" now, there might be a gold mine of things to try that are pretty darn cheap! So that was a great idea!

As for the house hunting, my SO wants to do that all the time. He says he is getting ideas...but we are in no position to buy a house for like 5 years...LOL. We both decided we like new and don't want anything previously lived in. So i get annoyed when he wants to constantly look at houses since we are so far off from purchasing/building. IMO we should be looking for LAND and not for a house!

He hates house hunters. I love house hunters international because i love to see how the rich live with their vaca homes haha!

Hi redsoxgrl, I think that's great that he wants to look at all types of houses. It's really from that where you can truly see what you do and do not want in a house of your own. Sure, we all think we know what we want before we start looking for a home but it is only in the actual home shopping and seeing many homes that you finally realize what you need in a home. If only we had limitless budgets LOL. It's always that tug of war between budget and wants. Enjoy the hunt!!

 

[madelise]

I'm loving all of these date ideas! I used to be signed up for groupon, but was annoyed at the every day emails and i never used any of them. Butttt now, im thinking that since it is "bigger" now, there might be a gold mine of things to try that are pretty darn cheap! So that was a great idea!

As for the house hunting, my SO wants to do that all the time. He says he is getting ideas...but we are in no position to buy a house for like 5 years...LOL. We both decided we like new and don't want anything previously lived in. So i get annoyed when he wants to constantly look at houses since we are so far off from purchasing/building. IMO we should be looking for LAND and not for a house!

He hates house hunters. I love house hunters international because i love to see how the rich live with their vaca homes haha!

I had to cancel my subscription to their emails. It really is annoying! More so because I subscribe to multiple locations. And, sometimes when I'd see crazy deals, I'd buy, even though I'm not "needing" to purchase at the moment. So now I just have the app on my iPhone, so I can log in when I want to see what's currently on sale Emails clear of spam, and I choose when I want to shop.

 

[missy]

Just to be clear, we don't pretend we are interested in buying the home. I always tell them exactly what's going on- we were cycling and rode by the open house and wanted to check it out! Hey, that's how we found our current realtor who we ended up selling our first beach house and purchasing our current beach house through! So, every connection is a potential business connection even if you aren't in the market right now. Just saying there's no reason to have to pretend. I hate lying and so I don't.

They're okay with people just looking? I had no idea. I'm always shy about going to "look" at anything, be it in shopping stores or anything at all!

If the real estate agent is smart they are definitely OK with "just looking". They know there is always the potential there for future business whether from us or referrals from us. We are a perfect example of that. We fell across a cute house open house the summer of 2010 when we really had no plans to buy/sell. The house we looked at was very small and nothing we would ever consider but it was such a darling house and we cycled right by and there was an open house going on. Well, we took off our cycling shoes, cleats and all and the RE agent graciously offered to watch our tandem while we explored the house. I told her we weren't looking for a new house and she said no problem. Take a look! And we did! I clicked with her and took her card and the next week my dh and I decided to see what homes might be out there that were on the water because that was always my dream. And the rest is history. The timing was right and it all worked out perfectly. My point is a good business person never minds someone just looking because you never know when you just might make that right connection.

I say go out and look and enjoy guilt free.

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

Hi redsoxgrl, I think that's great that he wants to look at all types of houses. It's really from that where you can truly see what you do and do not want in a house of your own. Sure, we all think we know what we want before we start looking for a home but it is only in the actual home shopping and seeing many homes that you finally realize what you need in a home. If only we had limitless budgets LOL. It's always that tug of war between budget and wants. Enjoy the hunt!!

point well taken! I guess i should be happy he wants to be proactive! We both love my brother's house in FL, so i wish we could just pick that up and bring it to where we live And you are right, i bet in the beginning we will have a long long list of wants...and when we see "costs" it will have to be narrowed, so it is positive to start looking early, rather than last minute and buy because we feel we are rushed! Thank you for the "other" view

@Madelise - i didn't know i could just use the iphone app without getting the emails daily. That makes me excited haha. I am going to try that!

 

[Magpie09]

WOW missy! It's beautiful!! Lovely views, and HUGE!

It really is better in person. The only (but a big one) problem with this house is that it is on a major road but when you are in the house it is very quiet and the back of the house faces the river with lovely views. The builder really built it to maximize the views. And you get complimentary lifetime membership to the beach club across the street!

And they have an awesome roof deck where you can see the ocean on one side and the river on the other side. Not sure why that isn't in the pics they included. It really was an amazing view.

I did get some awesome kitchen remodel ideas (future project many years down the road) and that is one of the things I love about house hunting IRL.

Anyway, just another reason I love this as a day date idea because it is fun (and free) and functional and even romantic if you are just starting out and looking for a home together...

Oh I love house hunting! Though SO doesn't see the point if we aren't buying soon. I love going to the more expensive house to see how they are furnished for ideas.

Missy, that kitchen is amazing! So much space. I live on a main road and it's not too bad. You get used to the noise. Living next to the train line was worse but it became light background noise after a while.

 

[Magpie09]

I need to be following this thread! We don't go on many dates, as I work (way too much) and we are usually studying when we're not at school or work. We watch a lot of tv together...our favorite shows are 30 Rock, Rescue Me, and Psych on Netflix, then also Storage Wars and American Pickers when they are on live. Recently he has discovered he likes sushi (which I love) so we've gone on some sushi dates. Other than that we don't do a whole lot...kinda boring haha. Fun ideas are welcome!!

I did see a picture/blog post on pinterest that was to camp out (or at least spend most of the night) in the bed of a truck with blankets and pillows and stargaze. He does have a truck so I told him if we're going to go out to the middle of nowhere (where he's originally from) that we need to do that sometime! I love stars so that would be such an awesome date night.

Love love love the stargazing idea. Will have to try that one out in Summer!

We watch a lot of TV together as well. Revenge, The Good Wife, The Voice and many others that I can't think of at the moment.