Date ideas that are free: 8 ideas for you and your partner to have fun together for free. Love doesn’t always have to come with a cost. This post may contain affiliate links.
It’s true that Valentine’s Day is still a few months away.
But it never hurts to have a few cost-free date ideas up your sleeve.
In this post, I will show you 8 date ideas that are free and do not require any additional spending.
The goal of this post is to provide you with alternate ideas to spend a memorable time with your date other than the usual “movie-restaurant” combo. I am not suggesting in any way that you should be cheap or avoid spending money on the person you’re with.
Let’s get started.
Date Ideas That Are Free: 8 Ideas To Avoid Breaking the Bank
Date Ideas That Are Free: 8 Ideas To Avoid Breaking the Bank
1. Going for a Hike/Run
I would like to preface this by saying I am no athlete. However, as time goes by I realize the importance of incorporating physical activity into my routine.
If you’re into running, this is a good way to spend time with your significant other without spending a penny. Although you may not be able to have long, fulsome conversation during the run (or if you do, kudos to you), just the fact that you are partaking in a physical activity with your date already creates a special bond between the two of you.
If both of you are the competitive type, you can even create some sort of race or challenge.
Experiments have shown that couples who run together appear more attractive to each other and tend to support each other more.
For me, I opt into going for hikes or walks with my partner. Not only are we moving our bodies, but also enjoying the scenery, discovering a new neighbourhood, and having nice conversations all at the same time.
2. Game Night
Another no-spend date idea is to have a game night. Yes, depending on the type of game you are playing, you would have spent money at some point to purchase it.
However, once you have a few games in your collection, you can play them over and over without the need to spend any additional money.
In terms of board games, my favourites are Monopoly, Life, and Scrabble.
If you and your date are into video games, you can plan a mini-marathon of some sorts and bond over that as well.
There are also online games that you can play for free, whether you are together or apart – a great idea for long-distance relationship dates.
3. Cooking
If you and your date are foodies, you certainly appreciate the art of cooking a nice meal together.
To make it cost-free, you can even try to come up with a meal using ingredients you already have in your pantry. You would be surprised at how your creativity could turn into a delicious meal. Cooking together encourages teamwork between a couple.
Empty fridge and pantry? Invite your date over to the grocery store, where you would already have to spend money to buy food anyways.
Related article: Budget Friendly Meal Plan – 7 Delicious Meals For Less Than $100 Per Week
4. Free Events In Your City
Another way to spend quality time with your date is to go to free events. Depending on where you live, you can find an event calendar on your city’s website and plan accordingly.
Although currently on pause due to the pandemic, the city I live in (Toronto) offers a variety of free events throughout the year. I’ve been to art exhibitions, parades, concerts, and country-specific festivals without spending a dime.
5. Photography
I have always been a fan of photography. Even if you don’t consider yourself an expert (I sure don’t myself), a great cost-free date idea is to go somewhere and take photos.
You can take photos of each other, take photos together, and take photos of your surroundings. You can even make a “photoshoot” at home, however you see fit.
If you want to make a game of it, you can also take it to the next level and plan a scavenger hunt, where the both of you need to take as many pictures as possible from a pre-made list, within a certain time limit.
Examples include taking a photos of: a dog, a specific car, an insect, a maple leaf, a type of food, etc. The options are endless.
Not only will this activity be fun, but you will also have fond memories to look back at in the future.
6. Volunteering
In addition to giving back to your community, volunteering is proven to have surprising benefits, such as developing more skills and promoting your mental health.
Volunteering as a couple is another cost-free date idea that will sure help you both practice gratitude and humility.
Whether you sign up for a long-term volunteer commitment or a one-day volunteer event, this is a great opportunity to build companionship and double your impact on whatever cause you are involved in.
Although I am not too familiar on the topic, there are even volunteer programs where couples can live abroad for a specific period of time. Opportunities include working in classrooms, hospitals, orphanages, libraries, among others.
7. Taking A Free Class
Again, this depends on where you live, but most major cities offer free classes and workshops all year round.
Ideally, you would pick a topic that both you and your date are interested in. If you can’t find one, you could take turns in taking classes that peak your date’s interest and then yours. This would also be a great bonding activity for the two of you.
Where I live, options range from public speaking workshops to cooking, painting, and meditation classes.
8. Virtual Get Together
I am sure you have heard of the term “Zoom fatigue” sometime in the past year and a half. In other words, “it refers to the exhaustion you feel after any kind of video call or conference.”
With social distancing and work from home measures in place, we tried to recreate the physical and emotional connection through virtual video calls, both in professional and personal settings.
However, as restrictions start to be lifted and life goes back to a “somewhat normal”, another cost-free date idea is to organize a virtual get together with other couple friends.
While everyone else is rushing to go back to overpriced, mediocre restaurants, you can save money and have a nice homemade meal while catching up with friends online. There are also games you can play virtually on these calls.
Date Ideas That Are Free: Concluding Thoughts
While dating requires effort and even some financial investment, you can still have a great time without breaking the bank.
Whether you opt for more of an active date idea, such as going for a run, or a more passive idea, such as staying in and playing video games, it is certainly possible to have cost-free date ideas.
I hope this post gave you a few ideas you could implement in the future when planning a date.
Do you have any other date ideas that are free? I would love to read them in the comments below.
Other Personal Finance Posts To Check Out
Money Problems In Relationships: 17 Signs Your Relationship Has Money Troubles
The Key To Financial Independence Might Be A Good Relationship
Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas: 13 Cost-Effective Ideas To Show You Care
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