Cheap Romantic Date Night Ideas At Home
Having a date night out is expensive, so we have cheap, romantic date night ideas at home often. We like to get creative with them and have some fun with our stay in dates. Most of the time, you can even pull it off without any planning or even leaving the house to go to the store. I’ve included some great ideas beyond the typical romantic dinner at home that I hope you will enjoy.
Set up a wine tasting night
Gather several wines and find out what pairs well with them (I’m thinking meats, cheese and chocolate). You can look up the tasting notes and go from white to red. And have a great conversation while you are at it. I paired Josh Cellars wines and Ghirardelli chocolates that I found at Walmart for a great after dinner tasting.
Strip poker / trivia
Have a hot game night while challenging each other to get a question or a hand of cards wrong. If you do trivia, make the questions steamy. If you get it wrong or lose a hand, an article of clothing must come off.
Fancy it up
Put on your fanciest and finest clothes, put out some candles and have a romantic dinner in. Pro-tip: Those fancy restaurants that take reservations will likely be happy to do a pick-up order for you so you don’t even have to cook. But, do get out that wedding china that you likely never ever use. We are being fancy after all, right? And, it’s totally okay if those dishes don’t get cleaned until the morning.
Dance it out
Make a play list of your favorite tunes (think back to your wedding if you need ideas) and dance it out. Do some slow songs and some fast ones; some old ones and some new ones. Not only will you have fun, but you will burn some calories, too. Want to start silly, pull out your Just Dance game and have a friendly dance competition with your gaming system.
Plan your dream vacation
Your next vacation might not be too close, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan a great getaway and where you would love to visit. Decide on stops along the way and places to see. Pull out all the stops and do it up in only a way you can imagine. Since it is only a hypothetical vacation, there isn’t a budget. There also isn’t a time limit, so you don’t have to worry about vacation days or babysitters.
Make a Bedroom Oasis
Turn your bedroom into an oasis of love. Flower petals, massage oils, candles and maybe a bubble bath and sensual smells are all great ways to make your bedroom extra special. Everybody’s idea of an oasis is likely a little different, so make it work for you. I’m sure bonus points will be awarded for a perfectly selected “outfit” as well.
Double Feature Movie Night
Pop some popcorn, grab a chocolatey snack and you each pick a movie. Flip a coin to decide which movie you watch first and hunker in for your movie marathon. We always cozy up on the couch and end up sharing a blanket. You can also sneak in a foot or hand massage while watching the movies.
Sensual Massage
Yes. Massage. With amazing sensual massage oils. Light some candles or get some flameless candles and activate them. I don’t think I need to say more. We are all adults here.
Build a fire
Build a fire in an outdoor pit or your fireplace. Turn off the electronics, cozy up and enjoy the warmth. It you are outside, relax and take in the world. Sitting outside this past weekend with a glass of wine, we slowed our brains, and really spent time with each other because there weren’t any distractions. It’s amazing how peaceful the sound of a crackling fire can be.
Go star gazing
If it’s warm enough, or grab a jacket, and head out into your back or front yard with a blanket and lay down under the stars. The calm, quiet and peace is something you probably haven’t had in a while. If you are really patient, I bet you will see a falling star. Take in the sounds of the crickets and birds, too.
Chocolate your meals
See if you can include chocolate in every one of the courses in your dinner for the evening…yes, after the kids go to bed so you don’t have to share. Try out some new Ghirardelli chocolates in your recipes. Don’t forget to include it in appetizers, the entree, sides and desserts. Oh the desserts. But, there are some good ones out there for the main course, too that will surprise you.
Camp out in your living room
Get out the sleeping bags and flashlights or lanterns and camp in your living room. Start that fire in the fireplace if you have one. If you have a tent, that could be fun to set up as well. I would get out S’more fixings and roast some marshmallows, too because that’s what you do when you are camping. (Although, I admit after camping for a while, I’d probably find my way to my bed and bedroom because I like my bed!)
Write out your bucket list
Each take some time to write out your bucket list aka things you want to do before you “kick the bucket” and compare. Do you want to skydive? Bungee jump? Go on a zip-line across a jungle? Or maybe you want to go on a 10 day cruise or see a new continent (I’m looking at you Australia). What things can you plan to do together? Get them on the calendar and make it happen.
There are so many great cheap and romantic date night ideas that you can accomplish at home and this just scratches the surface. I imagine you all are very creative and come up with even more amazing ideas for taking advantage of your time together and not spending a lot of money. I imagine some of these could easily be pulled off for “free” if you already have everything at home!
Have a sitter and looking for a fun and not-your-typical date night out? Check out these 12 non-traditional date ideas!
Love these ideas! I never would have thought of some of them. I would love a homemade diner and movie night in.
A favorite date night in is cooking dinner together – not just regular weeknight dinner, but a nice dinner, maybe a new recipe we both want to try. Then watching a movie. And leaving all the dishes until the next day!
Thank you so much for these awesome ideas. It’s much needed right now. 🙂
My favorite date-night in is game night, which means it’s usually a double date night in. heh. T & I occasionally pull out Guitar Hero or the Wii and have fun that way. 🙂
Going out to dinner or to a movie is my favorites.
I like an evening of Netflix and pizza.
wine and a firepit outside are great
We usually cook a nice meal and snuggle up on the couch with a movie .
My favorite date night is in a nice restaurant, followed by a movie or a show.
Chinese take out and a movie
Our favorite date night in, is cooking dinner together and watching a movie.
I like ordering in and watching a movie.
We like to use the laptop to catch up on shows once we get comfy in bed. In the warmer months, we enjoy just sitting on the front porch together while the boys are inside. It’s peaceful and relaxing.
Our favorite date night in is eating Thai, having a few drinks, watching a show or movie on Netflix and then a nice bath.
My favorite way to spend a date night in is enjoying cheese and wine while relaxing with a fire in our fireplace or outside.
I like to order pizza and watch our favorite movies
I like when we plan and cook a meal together.
I like getting takeout and watching a movie. Thank you!!
I love the bucket list idea. I think it would be a great way to reconnect.
My husband would buy some Asian food and bring it home while I put the boys to bed. Then we eat together while watching our favorite shows or movie!
I love to get take out, have a great bottle of wine, light the fireplace get cozy and watch a good movie in the dark!
Coking dinner together, followed by and nice movie and snacks.
My favorite date night is soft music, soft lights and a dinner with just the two of us.
Renting a movie and snuggling on the couch with a bottle of wine
I like watching netflix and eating pizza.
I like to have dinner and rent a movie.
I love movie and pizza night.
Order in Korean BBQ and Netflix. (I pick the movie of course, ha)
My favorite date night in is basically any night that we can get all the kids out of the house, and just kick back with some good food and TALK! And cuddle. 🙂
My favorite date night in is Sunday evening. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite date night in is take-out and a movie.
Aww, all of these ideas are perfect for folks on a tight budget but still ant to impress their Valentine’s date! Thanks!
dinner out and a movie
A great home cooked meal and then a walk on the beach, I do love loving close to the ocean. 🙂
Those are GREAT ideas! 🙂
We like to cook out and relax on the porch!
We like to watch a movie.
Movie and snuggling! My favorite!
I like to cook together and watch a movie.
I like a pasta dinner and a movie.
I love to watch a movie with my honey!
A good dinner and a movie!
One of my favorite date night in, when we cook a gourmet dinner together. We choose a recipe, have wine and music. It is always a fun time 🙂
My hubby makes dinner and we watch a movie.
I like a good dinner and Netflix night in.
Oh my favorite is a candle light dinner and movie!
I love a good movie, warm fire and a big sofa to cuddle on!
I love a nice quiet night at hm w a movie & a glass of wine/beer/margarita ?
Watching movies and eating junk food on Date night at home is always fun.
My favorite date night in is watching movies until late at night!
Binging on Neflix with pizza and popcorn!
i enjoy watching movies and having dinner
My favorite is when my boyfriend cooks. I think he’s a great cook and luckily he really enjoys doing it! Then we always have a DVD from the library to watch cuddled up together.
We like to re-watch our favorite shows as a little marathon. Since we have seen the episodes before, neither of us mind when the other talks during it or distracts the other with something else. Cuddling is a must. We don’t drink alcohol, but a putting anything in wine or champagne glasses always makes the time together special. A bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider is a special treat.
Ours would be a nice meal together and then a movie.
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Love the fire with a glass of wine and great company.
My favorite date night in is a nice dinner, movie and homemade dessert!
My favorite date night is going out to dinner with my hubby.
get take out and watch a movie
My favorite date night in is eating our favorite pizza and watching a movie!
Favorite date night in is having a fire and cuddle up to watch a movie.
I love to cook my husband all his favorite dishes on friday nights. He is tired but in a good mood because of the upcoming weekend. We eat dinner and play video games or watch tv. Pure bliss!
My favorite date night in is watching a good movie with my hubby with a nice dinner and maybe some wine.
I love to make chocolate cake and watch a movie together for a date night at home!
My favorite Date Night in, is spending time with my husband watching our favorite shows or movies together!
Cooking dinner together and watching something on Netflix.
my favorite date night in? hmmm been a long time… i would say takeout (so i don’t have to cook) and a sappy movie thrown on.
We love watching a movie and having popcorn.
I like when we order pizza and chill with some netflix!
Pizza, then popcorn/Jr. Mints and Scrabble!
My favorite date night in is renting movies and getting pizza.
My favorite date night in is watching a movie together while sharing some popcorn and sweet tea.
Renting a movie or watching netflix and ordering in some japanese food.
Movies on couch
Grilling dinner and then having a bottle of wine around the fire pit.
A fun movie and lots of popcorn and snuggling.
Thanks for the contest.