Dating is hard. How much should you spend? Is she worth it? Will this last? These are just a few questions that will run through your mind before a first date. It can be hard enough to find someone that you actually like, let alone impress her. Dating does not have to be hard on your wallet, especially if you are still deep in the dating pool. You do not have to spend a ton of money to impress women, especially since they may be freaked out by a weekend getaway on the first date. There are plenty of date ideas out there that can help you impress your date without breaking the bank. Besides, if you do find the right person, they don’t care how much you spend, right? Right.
Are You Close to the Beach?
You might have to drive, but the beach is a cheap and romantic date place. If you don’t live near the ocean, your local lake, pond, river, as long as it is a waterfront, it will work. Set up a small picnic for her, even if it is only made up of snacks. You two will play in the water and the sand before you know it. This will create a lasting impression on her and, probably, keep you in her good graces.
Eat at Your House
Welcoming your date into your home is a big thing, and it’s also cheaper than eating out. You do not even have to order takeout, you can simply grab cheap ingredients at your grocery store and make your date an excellent dinner. Trust me, as long as it is edible, they will be impressed that you did all this for them, even if you only spent 30 minutes in the kitchen. Protip: light some candles to make the dinner more romantic.
Go Outside
You do not have to go on a six hour long hike, but get your date outside. Nature is an easy, and cheap, way to have a date. Nature is also inherently romantic. As long as it is not the first date, take them somewhere where cell phone service is limited, this might freak them out if it’s the first date. If this is the third plus date, definitely take them on hike where you can get their full attention, and you can give them yours.
IKEA, the Dating Place
Seriously, it sounds weird, but take them to IKEA. You should probably have been dating your partner for some time before you do this date, especially since IKEA can be straining on couples, and the maze of a store might freak out a first date. Surprisingly, it can be a great bonding experience for you and your partner. You two will have a good time looking at household items, even if you do not buy any. You will both get a taste for each other’s style, and it may even spark the “moving in” conversation.
Bar Crawls
If you want to save money, do this date during happy hour. Happy hour is not a lazy date idea, although you may have heard that it is. It is important to bring your date out, they will feel as if you want to be seen with them ad truly like them. Plus, with happy hour, you can search beforehand who has the cheapest happy hour and plan to meet up there. Dive bars are also a good idea, especially since they are a bit of a fad right now. By looking into dive bars and happy hours, you will be able to develop a bar crawl schedule, while having fun with your date.
Go Out on the Town
Go and visit your local culture centers. This means take your date on a tourist like tour of the city. Hit your local parks, art galleries, museums, and everything in between. Museums and galleries are generally fairly cheap, and it will show your date your intellectual side. You two will have some of your best conversations when you show your cultural side to them. You can also look for days when your local museums and art galleries have free nights, or discount afternoons. You can spend almost no money, but still leave a great impression.
Take Your Date to the Farmer’s Market
This is a good way to skip overpriced meals. You two can create a meal together at the farmer’s market and then go home and make it. This is a good bonding experience that will save you money. You can also grab foods that you can eat raw and pack up a quick picnic that you can eat in the park.
Go Dancing
You do not have to go to expensive clubs to get your date out dancing. You do not even have to be a good dancer to take your date out dancing. You can take them to beginner dance classes. Many of these dance classes are located at your local YMCA or the likes, and are cheap or free. You can pick any type of dance class to take your date to. It will be a good way to show your goofy side and get your date laughing and having fun.
Be a Tourist for a Day
This is a cheap and easy date. Take your date sightseeing. Whether you live in a large city or a small town, you can make this date work. Most of the time, we do not explore our own cities and you two may even find a place that you had no idea about. The more famous the place is for your town, the better it will be to play tourist. Your date will enjoy spending the time with you and it will be a cheap, or even free, date.
