Plan now to enjoy a wonderful evening away from home without spending a lot of money. Whether you are a young couple avoiding any unnecessary expenses as you save for your first house, or a long-time married husband and wife wanting to share an evening away from the kids and the never-ending chores at home, you should be able to do it without feeling guilty.
First of all, be assured that spending a relaxing time together over dinner is an integral part of building and maintaining a relationship. It’s more than a pleasant diversion or freedom from cooking and cleaning up: you need to spend uninterrupted, quality time away from distractions to talk, cuddle, and share with each other. If you don’t, you could drift apart and lose the special feelings that brought you together so many years ago.
For parents, getting time together is doubly difficult, especially if you are trying to be frugal. Try to cultivate a friend or family member with whom you can share babysitting duties so you don’t have to pay for child care. Or you may be one of the lucky families who have a willing grandmother or teenaged niece or nephew living close by who can be enlisted to stay with the kids for the evening. Don’t go with friends but rather concentrate on each other for those few hours. You can always stay in touch with friends through a dinner at home where the kids can be included.
Choose a restaurant ahead of time and make reservations. There are many good eating places that aren’t expensive, and your menu choices can be carefully chosen as well. Appetizers are cheaper and can replace one entrée, thereby greatly reducing your bill. And have tea or coffee rather than an alcoholic beverage, or better yet, a cold glass of lime-flavoured water is a great drink at no charge.
You may choose to linger over each course and after the meal is done, talking about your shared goals and ambitions. Or you can extend your evening by taking in a movie that you both want to see. Many theatres have a budget night when prices are reduced.
If you decide you don’t want to have dinner and a movie for your date night, consider shopping together. Not the groceries or the kids’ school supplies, but rather a new outfit for an upcoming event or the latest CD release of your favourite artist. Browse in the store unhurried, looking at various titles. Then stop at your local coffee shop for an hour or so on the way home to spend some additional time together. Other activities you might enjoy would be a visit to the art gallery, museum, or a music concert.
But you don’t have to go out to enjoy quality time together. With a little planning, you can have a fun evening at home. Use your on-line expertise to discover movies that were made the year you met or were born, or a newer release you haven’t seen yet. Download them or make a stop earlier in the day to pick up two or three from your video rental store. After a quick dinner, parents can get the kids to bed early, and then both of you get into something comfortable, make some popcorn and pour some drinks, then get ready for an enjoyable couple of hours.
Some couples like to cook together. Why not plan a late-night dinner at home. Decide a few days before hand what gourmet meal you might want to conjure up and one of you volunteer to purchase the ingredients. After the kids are in bed, put on some relaxing music and share the chef’s duties. While it’s cooking, you can both get into formal dining attire, light some candles, pour wine into some elegant glasses, and then enjoy your special meal in your intimate surroundings. If you have good imaginations, you can even take on role-playing your favourite celebrities or re-create a scene in a film.
Sometimes parents have to resort to unusual strategies to get some time alone. If your kids are school age, and you work at 9 to 5 jobs, try taking time off in during the day occasionally. Most theatres have a daytime matinee or you may choose to stay at home to enjoy each other’s company, with that feeling of playing hooky adding to the excitement.
Keep the romance in your relationship while still living a frugal lifestyle. Start today to come up with ingenious ways in which you can enjoy each other’s company, while staying within your budget. As you walk through your life’s path together, you will be glad you did.
