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51+ Simple Date Night Ideas to Prioritize Quality Time with Your Partner

51+ Simple Date Night Ideas to Prioritize Quality Time with Your Partner

Guest post by Sheila Price

I’m excited to share a guest post written by my friend and fellow minimalist, Sheila of Practigal Blog. Sheila writes about simplifying your life so you can prioritize what matters most to you. Sheila’s blog is full of so many great posts, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! Today, Sheila is sharing an awesome list of simple date night ideas, including ideas for going out or staying in!

Sheila’s post is a great reminder that date nights and quality time spent with your partner don’t have to be complicated, expensive or difficult. Her suggestions for simple date night ideas show how prioritizing quality time together can be easy and fun. I’m looking forward to using many of her ideas to spend some quality time with my husband. I hope you’ll get some great date night ideas too! Without further ado, here is Sheila!

51+ simple date night ideas to prioritize quality time with your partner
Photo by Frank McKenna on Unsplash

51+ Simple Date Night Ideas to Prioritize Quality Time with Your Partner

We’ve probably all heard repeatedly that date nights with our partner are critical. We know that relationships take work in order for them to survive, and yet so often we don’t make quality time with our partner a real priority. We can feel like we are too tired, date nights are too expensive, or we simply don’t feel like going out. The truth is, date nights are super important, but that doesn’t mean they have to be super extravagant. You can plan a simple date night with your partner that doesn’t break the bank or even require you to leave your home. When your date nights are simple, it’s easier to have them more often.

A Redbook survey of the magazine’s readers found that 45% of couples said they rarely have date nights. And only 18% said they go out around once a month. Another of Redbook’s surveys found that 50% of its readers say the number one reason date night gets cancelled is because they are too tired to go out. So you’re not alone! Even if you aren’t too tired, maybe you’re an introvert like me and don’t always feel like going out. ?

All of these hurdles can be overcome. Let me show you how you can overcome the obstacles and prioritize date nights for the health of your relationship, without having it feel like just another item on your to-do list.

How to Prioritize Date Nights

So, how then do we make date nights a priority? I think the best way to prioritize date nights so that they actually happen is by keeping them simple. The smallest of gestures can convey a lot of meaning. So, planning a super simple date night can still mean so much to our partner. It shows that we want to spend time with them, that we like them, and that we want to grow our relationship with them. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to do that. You don’t have to plan a weekend away to do that. And you don’t even need to leave your home to do that.

Another way to prioritize date nights so they actually happen is to do what works for your current stage of life. Get creative! Don’t have a babysitter or can’t afford one? Plan dates at home when your kids are sleeping. Don’t have time for a regular date night? Sneak in an early morning chat over coffee or meet over your lunch breaks. Can’t afford to go out regularly? Go out for just appetizers or dessert, have a date night at home, or do something outside of the home that’s free.

If you don’t have a lot of money to work with, spend money on what you need the most. Prioritize what’s worth spending money on. If you need time away from home more than anything, spring for the babysitter but do something free. Or, if you need to have fun with your spouse more than anything, pay for an activity you both enjoy.

Finally, don’t wait for your spouse to initiate. If you want to prioritize date nights, you’ll have to stop thinking it’s your partner’s job to plan them. Surprise your partner with your date night plan and just see what happens.

31+ Simple Date Night Out Ideas

When you or your partner really need to get out of the house, planning a simple date night out is the way to go. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

  1. Go for a hike
  2. Take a bike ride
  3. Go sledding
  4. Try geocaching
  5. Go stargazing
  6. Watch the sunset
  7. Visit a farmers or flea market
  8. Have a picnic in the park
  9. Rent a canoe
  10. Fly a kite
  11. Go bird-watching
  12. Play catch with a ball or frisbee
  13. Go to the beach
  14. Check out the free events your city offers
  15. Test-drive a car
  16. Go ice skating
  17. Go out for only appetizers, drinks, or dessert
  18. Attend trivia night at a restaurant or brewery
  19. Take a class through community ed. (try dancing, art, boxing, or yoga)
  20. Volunteer together
  21. Check out the local theater or sports teams
  22. Visit a free museum
  23. Play games at an arcade
  24. Brush up your skills (or lack thereof) at the batting cages
  25. Go indoor or outdoor rock climbing
  26. Play minigolf
  27. Go bowling
  28. Start a hobby together (you may want to invest in your own supplies, but after that, it could cost little to nothing. Try renting or borrowing supplies before you commit.)
  29. Go fishing
  30. Try cross-country skiing
  31. Check out a nearby city you’ve never visited and just explore!

20+ Simple Date Night In Ideas

When you don’t have a babysitter or you would rather stay home, plan a simple date night in! Think about what you might do outside the home, and simply do them at home instead. Remember: you don’t have to leave the house for it to be considered date night. You just have to be alone. If you have little kids, wait until they are napping or go to bed at night. If you have older kids, you could even tell them that they just need to find something to do quietly in their rooms.

Sometimes all you need is some time to connect through conversation or laughter. Here are several ideas for a simple date night in:

  1. Watch a movie and eat popcorn
  2. Have a favorite TV show marathon
  3. Cook or bake together (try something new!)
  4. Play board games or video games
  5. Do some wine or beer tasting (have some good cheese and crackers to try pairing with them)
  6. Buy some massage oil and give each other massages
  7. Dress up and eat dinner by candle light
  8. Make a bonfire outside or light the fireplace (enjoy some champagne or s’mores!)
  9. Simply talk and “catch up”
  10. Read a book together (take turns reading out loud)
  11. Dance to some old-timey music
  12. Take a relaxing bath together with wine and soft music
  13. Have a theme night (try an “indoor camping” theme, “act like we’re still 20” theme, or whatever sounds fun to you!)
  14. Reminisce and look at old pictures
  15. Write a bucket list and dream about your future together
  16. Try a new yard game
  17. Exercise together
  18. Sing karaoke using YouTube lyric videos
  19. Learn a new card game
  20. Watch funny YouTube videos and laugh!

Keep it simple!

Spending regular quality time with your spouse is incredibly important. Try to plan a simple date night regularly with your partner and have a backup plan just in case. ? I hope you have found some inspiration to prioritize time with your spouse and get creative so that it actually happens.

Thanks, Sheila for the great list of simple date night ideas! I feel inspired to think outside the box and plan some fun, but simple date nights with my husband! I hope you enjoyed the post as well. What’s your favourite simple date night idea? Leave a comment below and let us know!

About the author: 

Practigal

Sheila Price is a wife, mom of three, minimalist, and introvert. Sheila writes over on Practigal Blog about simplifying every area of life so that you can prioritize what matters most to you. She always gives practical tips to make your life both easier and more fulfilling. Make sure to connect with Sheila on Instagram or Facebook!

51+ simple date night ideas to prioritize quality time with your partner
Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

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Efra

Sunday 22nd of May 2022

There are so many good ideas here especially on a tight budget! I know we use CoEat (free app for iOs & Android) to help find places we both want in common otherwise we get overloaded with the number of choices.

Simple Lionheart Life

Wednesday 1st of June 2022

Sounds interesting! Thanks for reading :)

Shakir | The Life Hype

Tuesday 16th of March 2021

These date night ideas are simple yet so amazing!

Simple Lionheart Life

Thursday 18th of March 2021

I agree, it's a great list! Thanks for reading :)

NATALIE

Sunday 27th of December 2020

I have a wonderful night we have done for years. We use the tour Europe video's from the library. Say you do Germany. Look up food, music etc, on google. You can get really indebt or just food and music. We've traveled the world doing this for many years! Couldn't afford to travel like we would have liked at time but now I'm disabled and unable to travel. Very fulfilling!

Simple Lionheart Life

Tuesday 29th of December 2020

What a fun idea! I love that!! Thanks for sharing :)

Shristi Patni

Wednesday 30th of September 2020

Hi Sheila! I really liked your ideas especially the idea of cooking/baking something together. Do you have have any easy recipes in mind?

Simple Lionheart Life

Wednesday 30th of September 2020

Hi Shristi! Melissa here. Sheila wrote this guest post for me but is no longer actively blogging, so I'm not sure if she'll be replying. I always find it fun to bake together. We've made apple pie, cupcakes, cookies and more. It's always fun! Thanks for reading :)

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Friday 8th of February 2019

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