Setting a weekly date night is a terrific way to ensure the flame stays strong in your relationship. In this busy world, it’s easy to lose touch with your mate – a date night is an excellent way to reconnect and stay bonded.
With outside temperatures dropping, more and more couples are opting to stay in for date nights – a perfect way to utilize that beautiful living room you’ve spent countless hours decorating.
Here are seven fun and romantic date night ideas that will both save your wallet and help you bond with your spouse.
1) Movie Night
Ever since the VCR was introduced in the 1980’s, many couples have been ditching the theatre in favor of the coziness of their living room. And with the invention of On-Demand video, you don’t even need to leave the house! Grab some blankets, pop some corn and settle in for a cozy night for two. If you’re really missing the movie house experience, maybe you could invite some strangers over to sit way too close to you on the couch and talk loudly during the entire film. However, due to obvious reasons, we wouldn’t recommend it.
2) Binge Watch TV shows
TV show addiction is a real thing – and with the establishment of online video subscription services such as Netflix, which enables the viewer to watch entire seasons of a TV show in one sitting (commercial free, we might add) ,it is becoming quite the epidemic. Why not turn a normally isolating activity for one into a romantic pastime for two? Spend an evening binge-watching that cool new TV show everyone’s talking about or re-live your teen years and watch that cheesy prime time teen drama from the 90s'. Now your only problem will be deciding on which show to watch.
3) Cheesy Fondue Party for Two
It’s time to dust off that fondue set you got as a wedding gift and put it to good use. Nothing says romantic date night like stabbing cubes of bread with a metal fork and dipping it into melted, bubbling cheese sauce. At one point in recent history (the 1970’s), fondue dates were considered to be the ultimate seduction tactic. With that in mind, make your fondue party 1970’s themed – bust out that leisure suit and blast the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. For extreme romance, be sure to play 'How deep is your Love' on repeat.
4) 'No Electronics' Night
If you have one of those mates who just can’t seem to put down their Smartphone, have a 'no electronics night.' Just the two of you without any interruptions – a terrific way to catch up with each other without the interferences of the modern world. To set a romantic tone, turn out the lights, sit in front of the fire and cuddle up on the sofa.
5) Pottery/Painting
Channel your inner Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore by setting up a pottery making night. There’s no better way to connect with your mate than this hands on activity – just be sure to cover up any delicate or hard-to-clean surfaces such as your couch, carpets etc. before starting. As a bonus, you can give the products of the evening away as inexpensive Christmas gifts!
6) At-Home Wine Tasting
It’s time to embrace your inner wine snob, even if you have no idea what you’re talking about. Select a few bottles of wine, write up a score sheet and see if you can detect the notes in each wine. This is also a great way for you new wine drinkers to figure out which wines you enjoy the most.
7) Cook-off
It’s time to settle the score – game, on baby! Who makes the best spaghetti sauce? Whose brownies reign supreme? For those couples who love spending time in kitchen, select a dish and have a cook-off. Make it a double date and invite the neighbors over to judge each dish. The champion wins bragging rights while the defeated must clean the kitchen!
With a little imagination, the perfect date night location is closer than you think – you may never leave the house again. Think of all the money you could save!