“We never go out anymore” my friend lamented to me. A mother of three young kids, she’s crazy busy like I am. Still, it amazes me how often I talk to married couples who have given up on going out on dates together. The latest state of the economy isn’t helping things either. For Moms who work part-time like I do, it’s much easier to spend the weekend running errands and catching up on all those nagging items on your to-do list. Couple time gets easily pushed to the bottom of the list.
Throughout our married years, I tried to make it a point to go on regular dates with my hubby. The biggest roadblock for us was the cost of dates and babysitters. It was painful to spend over one hundred dollars every time we went out for a few hours. We found ourselves going out less and less, until one day; I realized it was only an occasional event in our lives. I missed picking out pretty outfits and getting dressed up to go out with my man. Our early days of dating seemed like so long ago.
Like everyone else, we follow a budget. Every time we sat down to pay bills, there wasn’t much left for the date night category. I found myself becoming one of those people who “never go out anymore,” simply because we couldn’t fit a $60 dinner and a movie into our budget. Then, one day, I had a light bulb moment. Why not use our tight budget as part of a regular challenge – and help others do the same? I got excited. We could make it happen, and we could help others take the “We don’t go out anymore” excuse away, too! Win-win!
As you’ll see from our first experiments, the $10 date nights didn’t go over so well. We weren’t feeling much joy from those experiences. But once we upped our budget to $20, options really opened up for us. Armed with coupons, the Entertainment Book and the Passport Unlimited card, we began to make plans for fun times together. And now, here we are. I get to get all dressed up once a weekend and Hubby and I take turns picking out Date Nights. Reliving it again when I write about the experience afterward is almost as fun as the date night itself.
Since we moved to the area (suburb of Seattle, WA, USA) only recently, we are having a blast discovering. There is still so much to explore! Join us on our journey. Tell us about your recommended places, date night successes and what you think about our date night experiences.
Happy dating!
