Chasing the Fionist Dream

We meant to get this post up for Valentines Day, but… you know, life. Better late than never, right?

You do not need to wait till Valentine’s Day or Tu Ba’av to show you appreciate your significant other. We all get caught up in the cycle of work and kids (if you have them). Making dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry, the dishes, the list goes on. But despite that, it is important to find the time for quality time with your partner. Whether going out for a nice walk, ice cream, or candlelight dinner, you can do all of this without burning a hole in your wallet, and avoid the rising costs of restaurants, babysitters, and any overpriced activities. You can do most of these activities right in your own home.

Here are some ideas for frugal dates you can do with your significant other, many of which do not require a babysitter.

1. Dinner date at home – We do this often, about once a month or two. We go to the supermarket and pick up some nice steaks and/or pargiot – whatever you’d like. We cook dinner, set a nice table and eat dinner together after the kids are in bed. You can add candles, bake a simple dessert, and enjoy a glass of wine. You can buy flowers or use other decorations and add music if you like. Be romantic and go with the flow.
2.  Art – Instead of paying for a workshop, buy the equipment you need and do a project together at home. Examples of projects that you can do at home include (but are definitely not limited to) making a new door sign for your home, building a clock or shoe rack, or creating wall art.
3. Walk the dog together – If you have young kids this can be hard to do in the evenings without getting a babysitter, which is why we jump on this opportunity when we have family staying with us or on Friday mornings. If you don’t have a dog, no worries. Walking together without a dog is great too.
4. Watch a movie – Find a nice movie on Netflix, Disney+, or any other platform you use. Sit on the couch and cuddle up with a blanket to stay warm. Grab something to drink, popcorn, or a mug cake, and enjoy. Once the movie is over you do not have to drive or have a bus ride home.
5. Tourists in your own city – Fiona loves seeing tourists visiting our country. We live near a tourist destination and she gets excited every time she sees them and tries to figure out where they are from. Find out what tourist attractions your city has to offer and go be a tourist for a few hours.
6.  Just talk – No phones, no tv. Just sit and talk. You are together for a reason. You found each other interesting. Just talk without being distracted from your phones or social media (If you haven’t followed us on Facebook and Twitter yet please do). 🙂
7. Play a game – Most of us have some type of board or card game at home. Take it out play, and have fun. One of our favorite card games is Monopoly Deal.  
8. Go out for ice cream – Going out to eat does not always mean you need to go to a sit-down restaurant or have a full meal. You can also go out for dessert like ice cream.
9. Paint the walls – Painting the house is just one idea. Look around, is there anything you would like to “update” your home? Go to your local hardware store and get what you would need then you can together change or fix up whatever you see fit.
10. Start a blog together – Hello. We do this (obviously)😀. Do you have anything you want to share? Everyone has different strengths. How can you best work together to showcase both of your talents?
11. Take a day off – Take a day off from work and go to the beach, a cheap movie, or anything and have a good time. Day trips are a great way to spend time together.
12. Learn something together – You can try your hand and learn another language together so that by the next time you go on vacation you can impress locals or ask for help in the local language if needed.
13. Friends come over – Invite another couple to come over and hang out one evening.
14. Recreate a date – This could be any date you went on with your loved one. On our first date, we went for drinks, then we walked around the area for three hours. We have done this date once more since, but cut down on the walking.
15. Make a photo album or photobook – When was the last time you sat down and looked at all your photos of just the two of you, of your kids? Sit down, upload your photos to a joint album, and find memorable photos of your family.
16. Netflix and fake out – Like the romantic dinner suggested above, but this time instead of making something from a nice restaurant, make something you would order. We often make (sometimes too often) homemade pizza. After some time we have gotten it down to having a fresh pizza ready faster than delivery would have taken.
17. Plan a future family trip together – Planning a trip can be stressful. But sometimes it can also be fun just to plan it in advance and see the different options that are out there. Even without a concrete date, it’s fun to see what’s out there and start looking forward to what you can do as a couple or as a family.
18. Make a bucket list together – As you can see just by the headline of this blog and on our about us, we hope to no longer need to work for a living by the age of 50. So we started making a list of things we’d like to do with our time at that point in our lives. From traveling coast to coast across the US and Canada to riding the trans-Siberian railway (provided Putin’s gone), to giving our time to helping others, we have lots of ideas. What would you do if you did not need to worry about making money?  

Summary
It’s all about quality time with your loved one and not be about how much money you spend on your outing or how fancy of a gift you get each other. Of course, there is nothing wrong with knowing when to be a bit more fancy and being willing to spend some of your hard earned money. It also goes without saying that it should be on both partners to be romantic and show how much they appreciate each other.

What types of low cost dates do you and your partner enjoy?