What inexpensive things do you and your SO do together?

[gwendolyn]

Just looking for some ideas for wintery things to do together that don''t cost a heap! We did just get a Wii, so we can do that together (teehee

) but some of the things we do together are outside things, like go for walks, visit historic sites, have picnics, and those aren''t the best in December.

So, any ideas? I want to make cookies together, but cookie sheets are on my Christmas list so we can''t do that yet...

 

[Rani]

Hi Gwendolyn,

you live in the UK don''t you? So do I. Its pretty cold now! I love doing outdoors stuff too and I''m also stuck for ideas right now.
I hope someone out there can give us some good ideas

 

[Brynn]

Don''t forget that all of the Museums in London are free!!! Go to the Tate Modern to see the HUGE fake sunset and have a glass of wine, or go the the V&A or the British Museum to see the Mummies! So jealous : ) Have fun!!!

*Go ice skating
*Make your own pub crawl
*Get bargain theater tickets (There are great deals here because of the tanking economy, I''m not sure if this will correlate in London)
*Visit a used book store together
*Go the the Library to pick out a book to read together (
*Get street food late at night
*Play darts/cards/board games
*Get the Great Conversation Starter Questions Cube (I''m not sure if these are sold in London. It''s a little box of all sorts of questions that you''d never think normally but are super interesting to hear the answers to) and a bottle of wine and go through the deck
*Make a gingerbread house
*Do your own beer tasting
*Try the Home Run Derby on the Wii (it''s under the training mode) it''s so fun!

Good luck! I''m sure you''ll find LOTS to do!

 

[purselover]

my fav thing to do is rent a movie and do take out. We also like to go wine tasting which is inexpensive as long as you don''t buy too many bottles to take home

 

[lala2332]

cheap chinese food and a rented movie

take the dog on long walks.

 

[lisamarie84]

dinner and a movie at home is always a good/cheap thing to do (I''d like to say we cook together, but usually I cook and he cleans

)

we like to go to the local outdoor art shows

take Marley to the dog beach...or just for a walk around the neighborhood or at a park

FF likes to auto-cross, so a lot of times I''ll join him for that (to watch/take pics or ride-with when I can)

tonight we''re going to the Christmas parade (and taking Marley) WOOHOO for FREE fun hehe

 

[neatfreak]

We like to play scrabble, go to Barnes and Noble and read magazines, ice skate, do puzzles, sledding...I'll try and think of some more cheap dates too.

 

[elrohwen]

Playing Wii together is awesome! It''s so cool that you''re getting one soon. FI and I definitely like to play some video games together (we have a Wii and an Xbox 360). It''s not free because you have to buy the game, but we definitely get enjoyment out of doing it together on a cold weekend afternoon. Sometimes shooting aliens is very theraputic

We also cook together all the time; pretty much every night if we''re both home. I do most of the work, but he helps out and we have a blast talking and catching up.

I definitely like going to museums and I love Brynn''s ideas of pub crawls, beer, and wine tastings. Maybe we like our booze a little too much

, but we absolutely love trying new beers and wines and actually started making our own beer. Do they have wineries in the UK? I''ve always lived in areas that have a wine industry (NY, CT, PA) and wine tasting is a blast. In the UK you could probably work out a killer beer tasting at local pubs.

I think starting a project together is fun. Like I said, we make beer, which we''re learning to do together. You could also try cooking something really challenging (I''ve always wanted to try puff pastry) or re-finishing furniture or whatever. I think when you live together it''s fun to do things for your house/apartment together.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

One free thing I love to do is go to the local humane society. We have two cats at home, but I long to have a dog. We travel too much to get one, so I like to go to the animal shelter and play with the dogs there.

I always end up crying when I leave bc I feel so sad about the homeless animals.

But shelters are always looking for volunteers to walk and socialize the animals.

Another thing SO and I tend to do in the winter is rent an entire season of a tv show. It can take a few days to get through it, but it''s cheap and an excuse to cuddle on the couch all day. (I suggest renting the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers)

Ooh, and I love bowling. I''m horrible at it, but I love it. As long as you avoid spending too much money on pitchers of beer, it''s pretty inexpensive, especially during the day.

 

[ash313]

Oh, goodness I love winter! For us, I''ll thritto the cheap take-out and a movie. We do Netflix, which you can download instantly for free online, and watch a movie right on the computer (takes a bit of rearranging). Or, you can do the mail-in ones, costs like $6 a month!

We also like to bundle up and go check out the holiday lights downtown and wander.

Since you celebrate Christmas, you could decorate the house/tree together! That''s always fun. Make it cheap, make paper snowflakes and what-not

Good luck with your wintertime fun!

 

[tessari]

read magazines
bake
play with the cats
read short stories out loud to each other

 

[trillionaire]

I bought paints and canvass, and we went out and took pictures on our digi cams (each person had an hour to take random shots) then we came home and painted our fav photos, then exchanged the paintings. He didn't know what I was up to, I just told him to scram for an hour and take pictures I was really the winner, because he is actually artistic, and mine was pretty bad.

Ice Skating is not very pricey, or a wine tasting at a winery (maybe $5-6 pp). Musuems are free a lot of the time. Bike rides and rollerblading are fun and cheap. Even a trip to the gym together, or doing an exercise video/dvd at home can be really funny. We did yoga, and SO was way more flexible, and he liked, um, the view...

DIY couples massages are always fun, all you need is oil. Or little things, like washing each other's hair is fun and a nice bonding experience. Or on a weekend where neither of you has to work, split the days, and you can spend one day doting on him on the cheap, then he can do the next day. (That's what we do for V-day weekend and anni weekend)

 

[kittybean]

Play board games
Cook together
Cuddle
Take a bath
Make a scrapbook
Drive or walk around and look at Christmas decorations
Window shop
Read a book to one another (or read the same book separately, then discuss)
Watch movies (borrow from neighbors if you can''t afford to rent)
Make paper snowflakes and put them up in your house
Make homemade Christmas cards
Donate things you don''t need to charity
Volunteer to help the needy (lots of opportunities at Christmas!)

 

[Still_Waiting]

My bf had always told me he didn''t really enjoy playing games (which really bummed me out), but that was until we discovered the type of games he does like (he likes strategy-types). It''s totally free after the initial purchase, and pair it with bottle of wine or a 6-pack and it''s a great night in. We even have some "kid" games like Battleship that we''ll play for hours.

We love spending time outdoors too, so this time of year when we get a stray sunny (even if it''s cold) day, we grab our discs, bundle up, and head out for disc golf. It''s completely free too! We also love snowshoeing, which is also very cheap. (That was his Christmas present last year, so we only have to rent some for me.) We also sometimes just head out for downtown and stroll around until we''re too cold. Then stop off for hot chocolate/coffee/tea.

I''m not sure if you have "Red Boxes" in England, but it''s only a buck to rent a movie. We do that a couple times a month for a super cheap night in.

Lot''s of great ideas, gals!

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 12/6/2008 5:16:20 PM
Author: Still_Waiting
My bf had always told me he didn''t really enjoy playing games (which really bummed me out), but that was until we discovered the type of games he does like (he likes strategy-types). It''s totally free after the initial purchase, and pair it with bottle of wine or a 6-pack and it''s a great night in. We even have some ''kid'' games like Battleship that we''ll play for hours.

SO is the same way! BATTLESHIP

We love Yahoo games, it gives us things to do long distance, and it''s free. If you both have PCs, you can play from different rooms and yell back and forth, or you can play on the same team in spades or hearts or something.


If you are into theatre, try a role playing night. Spend the whole night in character (or until you get bored). You can dress up and everything.

Or I don''t know if you watch Top Chef, but maybe a taste testing night... you can blind fold each other and feed each other small amounts of goodies. And I am a big proponent of Fondue night! A fondue pot is $30 or so dollars, but with a little broth and maybe a splash of wine, you just need any veggies and meat that you have in the house. MMmmmmmm..... ok, I am way overdue for planning a fondue night!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

BF and I are total dorks!

We:

- play Jeopardy together. Seriously, we keep score, and we''re competitive about it!
- play Wii of course
- Museums! We LOVED the Museum of Science & Industry (so many fun hands-on things to do there), and we loved the Aquarium too.
- Ice skating!
- Zoo in the summer
- Wine festivals during the summer/fall
- Reading Cosmo together, haha
- Lots of movie nights at home - thank goodness for Netflix
- Bowling
- Put-put!
- And, dear boy, he watches my TV shoes with me - even when it''s America''s Next Top Model or Say Yes to the Dress

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Well, I bought a Wii for us to do more things at home.

Other things we do...

Make dinner together (well...I cook he cleans)
Walks
play with my cats
Not so fun but gives us bonding time, he will come over and we will do our own work projects while we are hanging out together

 

[SailorsSweet<3]

we love taking walks with our puppies and camping. In all honesty its better then a lot of more pricey things we tend to do. Id never give those options up.

 

[Rhea]

We''ve been baking a lot lately.

It''s hard in winter. We don''t really live close enough to central london to take advantage of the museums (plus then there''s the travel card and lunch to still pay for). We''re mostly lazy and watch TV. At 0 c right now I''m refusing to leave the house for a walk.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

go sledding! it seems like it''s not as popular these days but that means less people to hog the hill!!

we''re looking forward to going to the brewery in our town because not only is the tour free but so is the beer tasting at the end of it! talk about a deal! also we like to hang out in our hot tub, play board games and video games. in the summer we sit on our balcony for hours and talk as we watch the sun go down

 

[Deelight]

You could make some cheese fondue (or melt some chocolate and dip fruit) on the stove stop and rent a good DVD and cuddle on the couch

 

[AllieGator]

The city we live in has something called "First Friday". (I know a lot of other places have this, too) The first friday of every month, all of the galleries are open until late, and you can go look at all these cool art exhibits. Most of them have free food, too, so you don''t even have to buy dinner, if you are willing to graze off of cheese and crackers.

There is also a really nice park, we like to go feed the ducks there. It''s fun when they all gather around you, I actually managed to catch one once (I let him go pretty quickly, but it was still exciting to dorky me). We also will buy a $5 foot long form Subway, take a Nalgene full of water, and just go eat that in the park together sometimes, then climb trees and such. It''s a good time.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Wii
watch movies while crashed out on my bed (on the weekends when my kids are at their dad''s)
walk around town (when its not freezing out!)
take a trip into the city, hang out at home.

We only see each other on weekends, and he''s got a stressful job and I have four children. By the time the weekend rolls around, we''re so grateful for a chance to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except trade back massages, watch movies, enjoy some good conversation and good wine.

 

[chizzy1982]

Hi Gwyn, somebody mentioned Ice skating - awesome idea. There are outdoor rinks at Hyde park and Somerset House to name two but I know there are more, including Ally Pally. Hyde Park has a "winter wonderland" also with rides, christmassy stalls etc Also have a smaller version of teh London Eye if you fancy. I have it on good authority that Somerset House is better than Hyde Park this year in terms of rink size etc!

Museums is a great idea - there is the Natural Photography Exhibition on at the Natural History Museum at the mo - its meant to be fab. Also there is the Body Worlds exhibit on at the O2 Bubble at the O2 Arena which I can''t wait to go and see if you find that sort of thing interesting.

Vinnopolis is great - you can do wine/spirit/whisky tasting afternoons relativley cheapily - went with the BF and had a great time.

Round that way on the Southbank is Borough Market - well worth a visit for the atmosphere and yummy food stalls

Very lovely place to visit on a sunday is Columbia Road in Spitafields - have flower stalls and xmas trees very cheapily. Fantastic atmosphere just to go for a wander!

Hope you guys have a great time whatever you end up doing


L
x

 

[musey]

We LOVE to have episode marathons. We''ll pick a show that we''re interested in (or one we already watch but are behind on), and rent the DVD or cue it up through hulu, and watch 3-6 episodes back to back. My absolute favorite is going for a run together, coming back and showering, getting into cozy jammies, and sitting down with a cup of tea for our marathon!

Very cheap

 

[prettylnpink419]

I''ve been volunteering a lot lately and I''ve started to get him involved. It is a lot of fun and so rewarding...plus we get to share it together!

Last night for example, we volunteered at a local Boys & Girls Club selling Christmas trees. It was so much fun and definitely what I needed to get me into the Christmas spirit! A tree is such an important part of the holidays so it was great sharing that moment with them. Plus all proceeds went to help support the Boys & Girls Club.

Not to mention...we had the opportunity to look through tons of trees and find the PERFECT tree for us!

I can''t wait to decorate it together!

Every Christmas we always get a new ornament too, not sure if anyone else has that tradition?
We''ll be shopping for our new ornament soon. Last year I painted one at a pottery place I go to sometimes. It was very special b/c it was our first Christmas together so I wanted to make sure it was something that we''d have forever!

 

[katamari]

Do you have other friends who like to play games or have a board gaming society nearby? That is one thing FI and I do (in the summer, too).

We also know where all the good cheap food nights are or when the places we enjoy going to have their specials--like .75 PBRs, $1 taco night, $3 burgers, $6 pizza and try to hit those up. It also helps that we don''t work M-F 9-5, so we can have a date night on Wednesday for $3 burgers and .75 PBRs. Since you are relatively new to your city, you could make a challenge to one another to find the best 10 pound date--that way you get at least two date nights out of it and maybe find a weekly outing.

We have a lot of youtube series, blogs, and websites we like and we go to them for a laugh. We could spend a whole night watching Drunk History or visiting cakewrecks.com.

We also do "concert at home" on youtube. A lot of fans post high quality concert video online (as well as setlists), and you can watch entire shows as they happened. We watched a bunch of footage from the most recent Lollapalooza one weekend (on the Wii). It totally rocked.

In general, the best thing we ever did was to redefine what a "date" was. We were never really a dinner and movie couple, but we did do a lot of things that cost lots of money and had high standards for what constituted a date. Grad school changed that (also took away a lot of our time to ''date'') so we had to get creative. Anything you do together could be a date--you don''t have to go out or spend money, you just have to have fun.

 

[basil]

I don''t know if they have them in England, but we like to go to either Borders or Barnes and Noble...I read magazines and he reads comic books. We get a large skim latte to share, and the whole date is like $4.00 for hours of entertainment. A library would be a similar choice.

Walking is actually pretty fun in the cold if you''re dressed properly. Plus, then it is fun coming in and making hot chocolate or tea and cuddling

 

[Lynnie]

Free and fun:

Get all dressed up and go to a fancy car dealership. Pretend like you have a lot of money and go on a test drive. Then make up some kind of "emergency" and leave. FI have done this a few times, and it''s really fun!

Make up a scavenger hunt at home. Take turns and vote on whose was the best.

We also play a game called "Make Me Laugh". It''s usually more fun with more people and some wine. Anyhoo, divide up into teams. Confine all players but Team #1 to 1 room. Then Team #1 gets to go around the rest of the house, find stuff to dress up in, make up skits, etc. Then they go into the room with the other teams and try to make them laugh. Each team does this, and whichever team gets the most laughs wins. It sounds cheesy, but it''s really a blast. People get real creative. It seems that men think they can win by dressing as women. Hilarious!

 

[Dreamgirl]

Well, we get free movies (good ones) from the Library.....
It''s always nice to cozy up and watch a movie together.