10 Inexpensive Summer Date Night Ideas

Definition: Date Night– (noun) A predetermined time for a couple to spend quality time with each other away from kids, laptops, phones, work, laundry, cleaning, yard work, diaper duty, and 100 other things.

Last weekend, Eric and I had our first date night in what felt like F O R E V E R. In reality it was probably only a couple of months since our last one, but if you ask me, that’s way too long. Oh sure, we go out quite a bit with friends and other couples but there is nothing quite like spending time JUST THE TWO OF YOU.

It may sound cheesy and corny and mushy, but the truth is, I feel so refreshed after those date nights. We didn’t do anything crazy or exciting, just dinner and a movie (we saw Finding Dory, which was SO cute and totally made me tear up!), but just hanging out with Eric and talking and laughing and being us felt good. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day minutia of life that you have to make time for each other.

And what better time to have a date night than summer? Get out and enjoy some warm weather with your honey with these summer date night ideas that won’t break the bank and will have you feeling more in love with your hubby than ever before! 😉

Summer Date Night Ideas:

1. Go to an outdoor concert or movie in the park. Grab a bottle of wine, some snack, and a warm blanket and you’ve got a date! So many cities offer free concerts and movies, so check out your local city calendar to see what’s available! If you’re from Chicago, check here and here.
2. Go for a walk. Even if it is 10 minutes, I swear it makes a difference. When my mom comes over and spends the night, Eric and I will walk to our closest Dairy Queen while she watches Olivia.
3. Make dinner together. This one is awesome because you don’t even need a babysitter. Put the kids to bed and make a new recipe you’ve been wanting to try like this or this. Or you can try out one of those meal services like Plated. And then enjoy your meal outdoors!
4. Sit on your front porch or on your deck with a bottle of vino. The other night after we put Olivia to bed and ate dinner, Eric and I sat on our front porch with a bottle of wine and a candle and just enjoyed the quiet.
5. Wine and Painting. A few days before Olivia was born, Eric and I did one of those wine and painting things. I love to paint and Eric never used a paintbrush in his life, but we had the best time and I’ll always remember it as our last date night as just a family of two. You can do this from the comfort of your own backyard if you pick up a couple canvases and paint.
6. A bike ride. A bike ride is a great way to combine your date night with your work out! And it’s even better if you bring a picnic and stop somewhere pretty to enjoy each other and rest from your ride.
7. Go for a drive. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that Eric and I love to go for drives. We grab some Starbucks, roll down the windows, turn on some good music, and literally pick a direction and just start driving. It’s amazing the places you’ll discover and wind up returning to. These accounted for many of our “date nights” when Olivia was still an infant and would just sleep forever in the car.
8. Do a DIY project together. Every couple has that one project that they’ve been wanting to tackle, so do it together. But save the bottle of wine for after all the hammering and sawing is done!
9. Create your own wine tasting. Go to Trader Joe’s and choose a few bottles of wine that you both want to try. Get a few glasses for each of you to make a flight and set up your backyard with some twinkling lights to up the ambiance. It doesn’t hurt to add a cheese and meat tasting plate! 🙂
10. Be kids again. Run through the sprinklers, have a water balloon fight, run in the rain. Do something that makes you feel like kids again!

And if all else fails, open a bottle of wine and Netflix and chill. 😉 What are the fun (and cheap) things you do for date night? Share them with me!

XO,

L