I think most of us know that dating doesn’t need to break the bank, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with something sweet and thrifty. So here are a couple of ideas to get your creativity rolling today!

1. Go to the nearest river and look for a heart shaped stone.

This is cute, gets you both outdoors, and you can write the date on it as a memento of your early adventures together!

2. Go park hopping!

Smister had the idea of visiting multiple parks nearby in one day. Afterwards decide together which one you like the most (for future picnic dates!).

3. Go thrift store hopping and play I Spy

Or switch it up, grab a piece of paper, and play Thrift Store Bingo! Whoever wins buys something from their card for the other person.
Items for Thrift Store Bingo really are unlimited, but some ideas include: bed sheets, a doll, a mug, a Christmas decoration, a book, a painting, golf clubs, a board game, etc.

4. Make a forest bouquet

There are so many treasures in the woods. If you’re the guy, see if you can put together a sweet bouquet with ferns and wildflowers (just don’t pick a Lady Slipper if you’re on federal land!). To keep the flowers together, you’ll want a vase, some wire, or some flower tape. If you want to do something together, grab some treasures (cool leaves or flowers) to press and keep as mementos later.

5. Create a story together

Simply find a nice spot to hang out (such as your favorite park or cafe) and either have one of you notate or record while you go back and forth creating a story. Choose if you would like to go back and forth with one word, three words, or a sentence and see what happens! The more you can do and create together the better you will learn to work as a team. You may have to compromise the story’s direction in the name of love though!

6. Pick a cheesy movie to critique

Have you ever seen Mystery Science Theater 3000? I don’t recommend everything from the show, but the commentary is hilarious. All you need is a really cheesy movie from the $5 bin at Walmart and some wit. The fun is learning to outdo one another in silly comments or puns.

7. Work out together

Just do the basics, push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, etc. Don’t try to show each other up or get competitive; just have fun encouraging each other to get healthy!

8. Learn something together

Do some research on a mutually-interesting subject and enjoy sharing knowledge. There are tons of free resources online and at public libraries, and research can be surprisingly fun when you’re not being forced to do it for a grade! Even silly skills, like napkin folding. Smister and I just bought a tiny book on it, by Didier Boursin. You can find tutorials for things like napkin folding (or origami in general) on Pinterest and challenge each other, too!

9. Start a mini garden

It’s fun to grow herbs that you can use together for cooking dates in the future! We’ve done cilantro and thrown it in salsa. Herbs can be grown in tin cans and kept indoors. Growing a plant together is sweet and takes less responsibility than a pet!

10. Buy a cheap floatie and go swimming

This one is just a hoot. I used to do this when I was younger- I would buy those dolphin or alligator floats from the Dollar Tree and excitedly take them to the river. They didn’t work well for just me, much less the friends that tried to pile on and join me! It made for hilarious memories though.