Inexpensive Dates For Valentine’s Day

Planning a wonderful, romantic date can be stressful, especially if you don’t have much money to spend. A ton of people seem to think that a good date is an expensive date, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes the best dates cost next to nothing.

Stargazing

For instance, why not go on a stargazing date? The season doesn’t matter as long as you have a clear night and (hopefully) some knowledge about the constellations. What’s better that spending a romantic date underneath the night sky?

Watch the Sunset or Sunrise

If stargazing isn’t your thing, why not spend the evening watching the sunset or spend an early morning watch the sunrise? Some people might think of these date ideas as overly trite, but they’re considered romantic for a reason. That reason? People have watched sunsets and sunrises together for years and are still considering those events to be romantic. So, why not give it a try? You can even make an event of it by bringing along a picnic breakfast or dinner.

Picnics

A picnic is another inexpensive, yet romantic date option. All you have to do is get together some easily transportable food and find a location for your picnic. The best part about having a picnic is that it can happen anywhere. You can have one in the middle of a city park, on a rooftop deck, a local state forest, or near a public river, ocean, or pond. Your location options are endless.

Movies Under the Stars

A lot of cities and towns have free “under the stars” movie events each month or week. Obviously, you won’t have much say in what movie is playing since they’re usually scheduled months ahead of time. However, you should peruse the list of movies and see if there’s one you both want enjoy. If you find one, whether it’s a romance, a classic, a comedy, or an action movie, pull a blanket out of your closet, pack some dinner or snacks, and head off to watch that movie.

Road Trip

If you’re looking for a more adventurous date idea, why not go on an impromptu road trip? A lot of people tend to think of a road trip as a multiday trip, but road trips don’t have to be a long event. You can pick a destination within a day’s driving distance or you can just drive for awhile and stop at any exciting places you encounter along the way. Not only can road trips be a great way to spend the day, but they’re spontaneous and a little spontaneity never hurt anyone.

Bicycling

If you and your date or significant other are active people, spend a date taking a leisurely bike ride around your town, city, or a nearby scenic location? If you don’t own a bike, many cities now allow you to rent them by the hour for a fairly inexpensive price. Hubway, for example, offers a $5 rental pass that good for 24 hours. This could be a great way to spend a date exploring the sites around you.

Concerts

We all know how expensive concert tickets can be, but these are usually tickets for big name artists. Most towns and cities have free or cheap choir, a capella, or orchestra concerts that you can attend. If those genres aren’t to your liking, how about attending a show by a local band? Tickets for local shows are usually under $10 and you can always find a range of music options. Hopefully you and your date will find something to your liking.

Wine or Beer Tastings

Many liquor stores in cities offer free wine or beer tastings and if you and your significant other are wine or beer enthusiasts, this might be a great date idea. However, if you plan to consume a lot of wine or beer, make sure that no one is driving after the event! If you’re not near a location that offers wine or beer tastings, some organizations offer guided bus or walking wine or beer tours. You’ll have to find a way to get to the starting location, but this might be something to look into.

Festivals or Carnivals

Sometimes it seems like there’s a local festival every month. And what about those seasonal carnivals that seem to pop up one or twice a year? While these might not seem like the most traditionally romantic settings for a date, they’re something unique and more memorable than a traditional dinner and movie date.

Visit an Orchard and Pick Some Fruit

If you’re lucky enough to live near an orchard or farm that allows you to pick fresh fruit, this could be another great date idea. Go pick some apples in the fall or strawberries in the summer. It’s a nice way for you and your date to spend time together enjoying nature while also obtaining some nice, delicious fresh fruit. If you’re trying to save money, choose an orchard that only charges your for the fruit, not one that charges admission fees as well.

Photo: Flickr: nattu