I feel like this economy is tough right now for most people nowadays but add in dating and it only gets tougher. I love going out for dinner but dinner and drinks adds up quickly. What are some creative and cost efficient ways to go out on a date but not break the bank?
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The key is more going to be finding someone who has the same idea about what dates should be. Personally if you can’t afford to take me on a date we wouldn’t be compatible. I’m on ozempic so I’m off food and booze, if buying me a Diet Coke is breaking the bank then we don’t need to be on a date
1. Get your money up
2. Get someone who doesn’t care so much about you having no money
I dated someone for 4 months and bankrolled around 2k, is this reasonable?
People always say Effort is the key to showing love for another.
If you cook meals for yourself a lot. Cook it slightly nicer and go on a picnic. Find cheap places to eat that are good but just make sure you bring flowers.
Picnic date would be my best suggestion.
Not everyone wants to sit down to dinner. Make your interests clear.
Go for a walk / hike. You can take a small picnic or buy a coffee for while you are walking.
Go to op shops / thrift shops and choose a book or CD / Vinyl for each other.
Walk around your city and play tourist and read all the signs and history markers.
Look up free activities in your area.
Personally I’d prefer a low budget but high effort date than someone flashing cash so they can feel good about themselves.
I seldom spend more than $50 on a date, myself and her included.
Go for a walk in the park. Visit the botanical gardens. Go to a museum. Go play mini-golf. Go for a walk on the beach or a walk in the woods. Put on funny theme hats and roam around downtown. Cook dinner at home. Visit a kitschy tourist attraction.
All of these things are very affordable and give more room for interaction, moving around, flirty touching, etc
You could do things that don’t involve going out to dinner. You could play games together, have a movie night where ya just need to worry about popcorn/snacks, you could go for a walk and maybe have a picnic, just really finding things that focus on the time together more than trying to impress.
The trouble is finding someone like-minded, as there’s so many who only care if you could afford them on top of the “first impression” that they have in mind.
Would all of these ideas be good first date ideas?
I think a really good first step is realizing that date nights don’t have to be at an establishment to be fun, memorable, and build connection. Picnic at the park is inexpensive, doing your own scavenger hunt is free, spending a night putting together a time capsule together is either low cost or free, volunteering together is free, boardgames are fun and cost money to buy, but are reusable for multiple date nights. If you need ideas, get the LoveTrack app (it’s free). It’s a date night planner with a lot of creative and out of the box date ideas that are mainly low or no cost.
Honestly I’ve gotten into a LOT more active hobbies because of how stuff has been going. Id encourage you to pick up on some active hobbies if you haven’t (gym, hiking, bouldering, camping, etc). Because it gives you more to do and show without breaking the bank.
Just an example. But I went on a date to Blue Hills a few weeks ago. It was a 35min hike up, at the top we had a lovely brunch and bird watched a bit. It’s honestly a good time. You just need to be creative. I wouldn’t just do a hike, maybe a hike and lunch, or a hike and coffee.
I went out last weekend after a month without any social activity and I don’t think I can’t recover from it
Anything creative will do. Sitting in the park or a museum with a pen and a notebook and drawing shit is pretty much free and romantic af
I have never once had a woman complain to me about a cheap date, if someone really likes you they’ll find excuses to be around you whether that’s doing something free or something that costs money. I’m a nerd and my best dates have been video-game dates where we find a game we’re both into and play for several hours straight. Hiking, walking, playing catch or just sitting on a park bench are good ones too. The important thing is to date someone you have at least some shared interests with and then you can do free things all day. If they bring up money a lot or compare you to other people who spent money on them it would be a no from me.
I would say any local/public events would be a great option! Most of them are no cost to attend, or have a cheap admission fee. Think farmers market or night market, wine tasting event, open mic comedy show, college or minor league sports games, food truck festival, etc. Personally, I would enjoy doing any one of those because it’s a great environment to get to know someone, but also helps avoid any awkwardness since you’re engaged in an activity. You could easily keep it under $50.
The “wined and dined type” seems to me that they would not readily want to get to know a romantic interest anyway. Just don’t choose that type to get to know.