7 Creative (and Cheap!) Valentines Dates

Single, Catholic, and on a tight budget? We get it. Sometimes you’re just not able to drop a wad of cash down on an extremely fancy Valentines date and gift. That’s okay!

You still have plenty of options for fun dates that don’t break the bank! Sometimes creative, cheap dates are the most romantic anyway. Here are seven great ideas to pump up your Valentines day date plans.

1. Dinner and a movie in

Grab all the pillows and blankets you have and make a nest on the couch for the two of you. Pick a movie to watch together. It doesn’t have to be romantic, it could be funny, scary, or dramatic! Then order a little bit of food from a bunch of different places and say you’re tasting the world while taking in some entertainment.

This idea works great without a movie, too. You could sub in a board game night or video games or really, anything! You could also just get together for an in-home dinner date. This is a flexible option that you can tailor to your and your significant other’s likes. Another perk of this date is having yummy leftovers the next day!

2. Create bouquets for each other

Plan an outdoor date outing and go pick some wildflowers. Make a bouquet for each other! Instead of spending big bucks on bouquets that will die in a few days, get to know the nature of your area.

Kick this date up a notch by downloading a plant identifying app on your phone and seeing how many different kinds of flowers you can identify.

It might be too cold where you are to do this, so instead, go to a craft shop and put together bouquets of fake flowers. That will cost you a little bit, but still way less than a professionally done bouquet. Your flowers will be just as pretty and more personal!

3. Paint portraits

Even if you’re not artistically inclined, painting each other’s portraits can be loads of fun! You’ll need canvases, paints, and paintbrushes, but if you don’t already have these things, they can be bought fairly cheaply from a craft store.

Set rules before you start painting: Will they be serious or silly? Caricatures or realistic? Doesn’t matter at all? The sky’s the limit here but the one big rule is to paint each other (not like one of those French girls, Jack!) in love and not tease.

These will be fun keepsakes and something to even display in your home together someday if your relationship keeps going well.

4. Go for a scenic drive

Get in your car, blast the heater, have some snacks handy, and drive! You could drive around your town or to another town. You could drive with a specific destination in mind or just to wherever the road takes you.

Bonus points: make a playlist of all of your and their favorite songs to blast while driving. This could be a great time to see who has a better singing voice, too! But again, no teasing. Valentines day is all about love! There’s just something about nature and the open road that makes love bubble to the top more.

Want to take the date up another level? Drive to a cliff or somewhere that has a good view and eat takeout dinner in the car while enjoying the view (and each other!).

5. Challenge each other to little acts of love

Challenge each other to see who can show the other the most little acts of love in one day. Do the dishes for him. Give her a ride to and from work. There are all sorts of little acts of service you can do for each other!

This has the double effect of helping each of you to realize what the other does everyday, what they struggle with, and where they’re maybe hurting or lacking, giving you more to work off of in your relationship. At the end of the day, count up all the little acts you’ve done and then, throw the numbers out! Points don’t really matter here, just the love shown.

6. Cook together

This is a date that can be a big to-do or very simple. On one end of the spectrum, you can learn to cook her favorite meal, enlist your single friends to dress up as waiters, decorate your place like a romantic restaurant, and surprise her with a “night out,” but in! An everyday space turned into a romantic getaway is a great way to turn up the romance on a budget.

On the other end, you can plan a menu together and then cook it together, taking time in between courses to enjoy the food you’ve made. After dessert, clean up together. This shared sense of responsibility and gift will enlighten and enrich your relationship.

7. Go on a walking tour of your own town

Find out about the rich history of your town and then go see it together! You can kick this up a notch by making it a scavenger hunt, leaving clues at each place to end up at a local restaurant for dinner or a place in town that’s special for you two.

Make sure to get some photographic evidence of the town and of yourselves enjoying it. You’ll look back on those photos years later and have lovely memories to reminisce on. This would be especially cool if you settled in that same town.

What do you think of these creative and cheap date ideas? Any that you think you’ll try? Do you have another idea for a cheap, creative date?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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