I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I’m one of those curmudgeons who thinks that it’s overly commercialized. So why, you ask, are you making a list of date ideas? Well, I guess that even though I don’t like Valentine’s Day, I still like a bit of romance every now and then. And I love to have fun. And I love lists. Oh, yeah, and I love my husband. Most of these dates are things that we’ve done together over the past ten years. We’ve proven over and over again that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a great date!
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Lovers Lanes Go bowling together. And for something a little different, instead of competing against each others, play Dutch Doubles. One player bowls the first throw and the second player has to “pick up” the left over pins. For the next frame, change the order.
Movie under the stars This is one of my husband’s and my favorite dates. Get a long extension cord and hook up the tv…outside. Order a pizza and watch a movie while sitting out in your back yard.
Get Physical Go for a run together. Or a bike ride or rollerblading. Or, if you’re like my husband and me, just go for a walk.
Looking For Luck Find a field and look for four-leaf clovers together. If you find one, dry it by pressing it in a large book and then laminating it.
Dollar Store Shopping Spree Take a set amount of money ($5, $10) and go to a dollar store. See who can come up with the best gift for the other person. Extra points for creativity!
Thrifty Thinking This is similar to the Dollar Store Shopping Spree, but go to a thrift store instead. You would be amazed at some of the things you can find there! If you’re extra-daring, pick out outfits for each other and then wear them out for a cup of coffee. Leisure suit, anyone?
Cooking Up Fun Look through cookbooks together and pick a few new recipes to try. Go shopping for the ingredients together, then cook them up as a team. This works especially well if you choose an appetizer, a main dish, a salad and a dessert. You may have some culinary misses, but you’ll have fun trying them out!
Stalk-erazzi Have you ever wondered where people you know live? Grab a phone book and look up their addresses. Then get in the car and see if you can find their houses. C’mon, everyone has a little curiosity about where people live, right??
Photo Scavenger Hunt Scavenger hunts are fun no matter how old you are. For a more up-to-date version, grab your digital cameras and a list and head out around town. Come up with your own list or find one online such as
this one.
I’m With the Band Challenge your significant other to a Guitar Hero play-off. Or maybe Mario Kart is more your cup of tea. I am the most video game challenged person in the world and even I enjoy both of those games. If one person is not a gamer, make sure you choose something that they won’t get too easily frustrated with!
Fort-unate Flashback to your childhood and build a fort in your living room. Be sure to think like a kid–use all the seat cushions, blankets and pillows you can find.
Board Night Do you remember your favorite board game when you were little? Monopoly? Clue? Chutes and Ladders? Gather all of them up and have a marathon game night together.
Go Fish No, I mean actually go fish. Find a couple of poles, buy some worms and throw a few lines off of a bridge. (Just be sure to abide by state laws…get a fishing license if it’s required, etc. Getting fined by the DNR is not romantic.)
Trivial Pursuit Find a bar or restaurant that has trivia night and sign up as a team. Even if you don’t know a lot of the answers, you’ll probably pick up a few pieces of useless information.
Book Ends Go to the library together and pick out a book for the other person. Or, if you want to cop out, find a dvd to rent.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame …Or hockey game, in my case. Go to a sporting even together. Many cities have minor league or university teams and tickets are usually very reasonable. There’s nothing better than cheering on a favorite team and enjoying a beer and a hotdog together.
Pooh Sticks This game comes from the book House on Pooh Corner. The point is to find a stream with a walking bridge over it. Stand together looking over the upstream side of the bridge; on the count of three, each person drops an object (a pine cone or a small stick) into the water. Rush over to the other side of the bridge and see who’s object emerges from under the bridge first. Cheap fun at it’s best!
Flying High Buy a couple of kites and fly them on a windy day. I would say to make your own kites, but that is always better in theory than in practice. You most likely will end up with a couple sticks tied to a string as you watch a pretty piece of tissue paper float off in the wind.
Go {Blank}ing You’ve heard of
planking and owling. And more recently, Tebowing. Try making up your own meme. Create a pose and go around town taking pictures of both of you performing it. Since I’m from Wisconsin, I think it would be fun to do
Matthewing or
Rodgering. But do what you want.
Me, Myself and iTunes Go through your iTunes lists together and create fun playlists. It could be something as boring and mushy as “Our Songs” or you could do something fun like “Best One-Hit Wonders” or “Songs to Get the Party Started.” (I have a playlist called “Damn! That’s Country” that has songs that are so country, it would make George Jones cry.)
Well, I hope you’ve found an idea or two from this list. Now, go out and have a very Merry Valentine’s Day!
