4.12.2010

Money-Saving Monday: Indoor Dates

Since Jack was born, it has become more of an ordeal to go on a date with my husband. No more hopping in the car and heading out to do something fun and romantic at the last minute. And less planned-ahead, more-elaborate dates. We have entered the world of babysitters, working around a baby's schedule, and making our little guy a priority as we do things as a family. 

We waited two years before becoming pregnant so we could enjoy just the two of us for a time, and then fully enjoy our children together, never needing to wish we could go back in time. Devoting time to diapers and cooing and crawling races full of giggles is truly a joy (except maybe a few particularly potent diapers!).

But at the same time, keeping our marriage relationship strong is important. So we have found time for indoor dates instead.

This type of dating comes with a perk: It's a money-saver. As it turns out, we can cook up a fancy dinner with appetizers and a quality cut of steak and a tasty dessert and still save over dining out. I tried a few tips from this The Motherload post and found them helpful and delectable.

We also do simpler indoor dates, such as renting a movie and making brownies together to munch during the film, or playing Scrabble and eating favorite snacks (have you noticed we love eating?).

I think this concept can apply whether you're single or married; before tying the knot I had fabulous times with my friends having potluck dinners and playing board games (and still do!).

What are your fun indoor/cheap date or entertainment ideas?

2 comments:

Heidi said...

You can count on me to comment. :) Dan & I have a fire pit in our backyard and can string the baby monitor out so we can go get the girls if needed. We love to sit around a fire on nice nights. We've babysitter swapped with friends of ours so that we can come home and have a nice supper together all dressed up too. Dan & I just love to do relaxing things together (also involving food). One idea I read about and might try is to dream together about something and plan it out... sketch your dream home, plan a 2nd honeymoon, etc.

Alison said...

I truly appreciate your comments! What an inspiring date idea! And I like the dreaming together thing, too. We did a lot of that pre-baby and it's so easy to shelf things like that now.

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