5 Heartwarming Date Ideas under $20

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash

During a conversation with my brother I told him there are plenty of dates that you can plan without breaking the bank. While being cheap is not a sexy look, you do not want to miss out on dating just because you cannot afford to. A lot of dating today is wrapped up in materialism which is a whole other problem way too deep for this particular article.

The point is you can find someone who enjoys spending time with your regardless of how much money you drop on a date. Do you really want to date someone who expects you to pay for everything anyway? I would not.

This is not an excuse to be a cheap-ass all the time, of course. However, it's okay to be frugal and that is where people often get confused. Who says that one person has to pay all the time? If they want to, I am not gonna kill their joy, but offering to go dutch now and then is not going to kill chivalry either. So for those who love to spoil their S.O. but just don't have the funds to always wine and dine them, these ideas are for you.

Picnic

It is a little chilly now that it's fall, but that is nothing a warm drink and a blanket cannot fix! You can enjoy a beautiful autumn afternoon on a blanket in a park with a basket filled with goodies.

A Possible Picnic Meal:

Chicken Wrap or Street Tacos

Diced Fruit

Veggies and Hummus

Have two thermostats filled with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate to warm you up, and a single blanket to snuggle under together.

Now, what can you do after eating your picnic lunch? Well, I know everyone is constantly stuck to their phones so perhaps have a conversation. Get to know each other more if you don't already. Or even bring a pack of cards to play with. With a small speaker to blast music, this date will be 10/10.

Netflix & A Meal

Cooking for your S.O. is such an oldie, but goodie. However, cooking together is a fun and a intimate date idea. You can cook what you already have in the fridge or make something cheap like pasta, chicken, or soup for dinner. Personally, my favorite meal to cook is brinner (breakfast for dinner).

Play some music, talk, and enjoy each other's company while creating a meal you will enjoy. I know the hardest part will be deciding what to watch, but I say flip a coin for it or go with Harry Potter. This nice night guarantees the date will be memorable and cozy.

Game Night

This doesn't just have to be a duo for date night you can make it a group thing by hosting game night. There are plenty of games that require teams or you can go up against one another. Most people have cards or Uno so those are fun options if you don't have tons of games in your house. However, if you do games like Sorry, Cards Against Humanity, Spontuneous, What do you meme?, or the Metagame will do just fine. Incorporate a bottle of wine, or even suggest BYOW, and you have yourselves a good night of tipsy fun.

Flea Market

An outing just spending time together while searching for hidden gems is a cute date idea. You can learn a lot about someone based on what they find worth the money at a flea market. You don't even need to bring a lot of cash $20 should do. And packing some homemade snacks and tumblers full of warm drinks will give you a nice afternoon out with your S.O.

Tourists in your City

One of the things people hardly take advantage of is all the sights, and free resources cities have for their residents. In Cincinnati, there are free museums, sight tours you can get discounts on (HELLO GROUPON), and places you can go for cheap. You can get to the top of Carew Tower for $4 and learn about some of the architectural histories of Cincinnati. There are parks with amazing views you can visit, and it's all at your leisure. Don't have time to finish touring Cincinnati in one day? That's okay you live here! Save some for the next date.

It's hard to think of creative ideas to wow someone on a date. Sometimes sitting at a coffee/tea shop is just as good as any on this list. If they like you they will love the effort. If you have a little more money to spend, there are some cool ideas on groupon.com under things to do under $30-40.