Tag Archives: date night

Date Night Ideas

It is important for married couples to get away by themselves on a regular basis. Lives often get in the way of marriages, from the responsibilities of jobs and kids, to individual interests. Couples starting out usually have a good number of date nights, but the ones that need it the most may just be the couples who have been together for a while. I know it isn’t always easy to get time alone, but planning something, even if it is a quick movie while the kids are in bed, is always a good idea. Here are some date night … Continue reading →

Helping Young Marrieds

If you’ve been married a few years or a long while, how prepared are you to encourage and help those just starting out on the marriage path? Recently a couple I know celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. Someone commented that in this day and age where many marriages never last anywhere near that long, this couple is an encouragement to others. I remember too when I said once how long Mick and I had been married the person looked at me in stunned amazement. She then congratulated me on our long marriage. Funnily enough it doesn’t seem that long at … Continue reading →

7 Ideas for Frugal Date Night

Whether you are looking for a date night with your spouse or wondering what to do on a first date, you can spend less and still impress. Here are 7 different ideas for frugal dates that fun and sometimes even free. 1. Instead of the fancy dinner at a fine restaurant, opt for happy hour at your local fun and inexpensive restaurant. There is bound to be a festive atmosphere, and you can enjoy drinks and appetizers for less than half the cost of that fancy dinner. 2. Check out evening museum programs. Many local museums offer free or reduced … Continue reading →

The Scents of Romance

If you’re planning something romantic for Valentine’s Day (or any date night with your spouse), you can use aromatherapy to help set the mood. The right scent can help your loved one relax and enjoy the evening. Spicy and herbal, woodsy scents can mimic human scents — the pheromones that help make us attractive to others. Here are some scents you can try for your romantic evening! Anise — you may recognize it better as the smell of licorice — is appealing to both men and women, according to studies from the Chicago Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Institute. … Continue reading →

Father’s Day, Date Nights & Other Fun Events

What a great weekend we had here at home. My apologies for not writing a focused on Father’s Day article today as I intended. But starting late yesterday, my husband and I both shut down our computers and headed off to spend the next 24 hours focused on the family as a part of Father’s Day. Sometimes you need to make a conscious decision to shut off the responsibilities and the rest of the world and just be together as a family. Date Night Our daughter’s gymnastics school hosts a parent’s night out once a month. It’s a four-hour event … Continue reading →

Two Tips for Frugal Baby Sitting

Want to save money on baby sitting expenses? Read on for these tips that will let you have a night on the town without breaking the bank. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my husband and I don’t have a date night very often. With three young children, baby sitting expenses can turn a simple trip to the movies into a major expense. The average rate here is about $5-7 per child, per hour. So three hours away from home would cost us $45-63 before we even count in an actual activity like a movie or dinner. Sometimes a sitter … Continue reading →

Four Fun Date Night Ideas

You finally made time for a date night, but now you can’t come up with an idea for something fun to do. Well, the ideas below might appeal to you or maybe they’ll inspire you to come up with something. As the weather gets warmer, more opportunities will present themselves, so take advantage of the great outdoors whenever possible with picnics, hikes, and the like. Check out some of these ideas instead of the same old stuff: Be a Good Sport In other words, go outside and play. Playing sports together can be a lot of fun and a little … Continue reading →

A Lazy Day to Do Nothing

Sometime, instead of planning an actual date night, consider just taking a day together to do nothing. Relax. Be lazy. Lie around in your jammies. Drink coffee and read the paper in bed, or just stay snuggled up and watch a great old movie. Order take-out or better yet, have something delivered. We all need to spend time with our spouses and sometimes that means getting out of the house; however, doing nothing can also be very therapeutic. This is especially true for those with hectic schedules. Years ago, my husband worked days and I worked nights. His mom would … Continue reading →

Date Night on a Budget

So, you don’t have a ton of money, but you’d really like to spend some time together and get out of the house. There are some things you can do to stay within your budget while still getting out to have some fun with each other. Movie Discounts Check with local movie theaters in your area to learn about discounts. Many offer matinees on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, and some also have “cheap movie night.” Around here it’s on Tuesday. Aside from discounted times to visit the show, don’t forget to ask about discount programs. Some movie theaters have passes … Continue reading →

Laugh, Cry, Kiss Your Problems Goodbye

Having a hard time lately? One of the best pieces of advice I have seen for coping with communication problems and disconnect in a marriage is to go out and have a good time. You may be looking skeptically at this, but I’ve known two couples who went to a couples weekend to work on their problems. They spent four days at a resort where they thought they were going to spend the weekend delving into every part of their problems and confronting the ugliness that has become their marriage. A Night on the Town The first step they were … Continue reading →