98 Super Fun, Cheap, or Free Date Night Ideas

Family, Friends, & Relationships· Social· Staying Out of Debt· Things To Do • Author: Anna Newell Jones

>> UPDATE!!! I’ve updated this MASSIVE list! CLICK HERE to get all 110 Super Cheap Date Ideas delivered right to your email. <<

If you’ve been married 50 years, together for 6, or just getting ready to go on your first date, don’t worry about how you’re going to afford all that “relationship stuff.” There are a ton of fun, cheap date ideas!

98 Cheap Date Ideas…

1. Play in the snow, build a snow person, then drink cocoa

2. Go to a community play, a dress rehearsal, a high school or college play

3. Do an inside or outside picnic

4. Work out together

It’s fun to subtly flirt with each other at the gym because the other gym patrons don’t necessarily know you’re together.

5. Go roller skating or ice-skating

6. Movie marathon with ice cream sundaes

Pick a genre, queue up some movies, and make the most obnoxious sundae you can.

7. Play hide and seek in a cornfield (or the woods)

8. Go on a very long walk around your neighborhood at night

9. Go to a real-live movie store, pick out a movie together, then pop homemade popcorn at home

10. Go to estate sales together

11. Spa night together

Spoil each other with home treatments like bubble baths, exfoliating face and body scrubs, foot massages, etc.

12. Make a romantic dinner at home

13. Play ping-pong

Ping-pong is very inexpensive.

14. Bowl

Most bowling alleys have specials and fun things like black-light bowling with loud music.

15. Go yarn-bombing together

Channel your inner rebel.

16. Go on a midnight bike ride together

17. (Mom, cover your eyes) Practice Kama Sutra

18. Go to the hardware store

Wander around and dream of everything you would do to your house if money was no object. $2,000 chandelier? No problem!

19. Build something together

20. Go canoeing!

21. Go camping!

22. Go hiking!

23. Go fishing!

24. Find the best happy hours in town and make the appetizers your meal

My husband and I go to a place in town that has a happy hour where you can get a burger, fries, and drink for $5. Then, we split it.

25. Take advantage of coupon sites to get great deals on things you wouldn’t normally do

26. Go to a trapeze class!

Seriously. They have them in my city and might also have them in your city. For only $10 each, it’s a steal.

27. Have friends over and play board games

28. Go to an antique store and talk about the past lives of old objects

29. Get some thrift store tennis rackets and go to your city’s free courts

30. Go to the neighborhood pool

31. Fly kites!

32. Test drive an expensive car

33. Go on a tour at breweries or at restaurants

Find out what tours businesses in your city offer and try one out.

34. Go thrifting or garage sale-ing together

35. Do a breakfast date

Breakfast is the least expensive meal option (and tastiest if you ask me).

36. Make a new recipe together

37. Play strip poker

38. Find a free (or very cheap) class and take it together

39. Go for an ice cream date. then walk and talk with your cone

40. Find cheap sporting event tickets or go to your local high school or college games

41. Drive up to the highest point in your city, spread out a blanket, and then gaze up at the stars

42. Go to the animal shelter and pet the animals

43. Teach each other something

You probably know something your partner doesn’t, and they probably know how to do something you don’t. This is the perfect opportunity to teach each other

44. Take photos of each other

Maybe your social media profile pictures are out of date. Spend an afternoon photographing each other.

45. Research your local train and bus lines

There might be a train that goes right up to the mountains, or a cheap bus ride might get you to the beach. Either way, it’s definitely worth looking into.

46. Open Mic or Improv nights

I feel like this one is on every list, but there’s a good reason. It’s fun!

47. Volunteer together

48. Babysit together

49. Make a time-capsule

50. Take advantage of the season

Maybe it’s carving pumpkins, decorating the Christmas tree, or hiding Easter eggs. No matter the season, there’s usually something fun happening.

51. Go through your old yearbooks

Tell your partner all about your high-school days.

52. Reminisce about your 1st date

53. See how creative you can get

Take turns planning dates that have a $10 limit.

54. Train for a race together

55. A book club for two

Select a book, check out a copy for each of you from the library and then discuss it as you go.

56. Paint a room together

57. Take swing dance classes together

58. Make a pizza at home

59. Write out the story of how you met

60. Talk about your future together

61. Write love letters to each other then read them to each other

62. Do a puzzle together

63. Wash the car and flirt with each other

64. Draw each other

Close your eyes and draw each other. Yes, eyes closed.

65. Yoga

Most yoga studios offer free yoga. It’s fun to go together and see how each other pose. The worse you are at yoga, the more fun it is;)

66. Play frisbee

67. Pretend you’re in a movie

If it rains, go outside, get soaking wet, then run to each other, embrace, and kiss passionately (of course) for like 5 minutes, at least.

68. Pick fruit

This is a good one for the spring and summer months.

69. Go to a friend’s art gallery or art exhibit opening

70. Bake a cake together

71. Make each other breakfast in bed

72. Be a tourist in your own city

Roam around like you don’t know what’s happening and try to see your city in a new way.

73. Experimental food

Pretend you’re on a food show and pick out ingredients for the other person (use as many ingredients as possible that you already own). Then you each try to cook something edible. Sweet and sour corn muffins? Sure!

74. Scavenger hunt

Spend some time planning a scavenger hunt around town or in your house. Leave something (like a sweet letter) at the end of the trail for your partner to find. Take turns doing this for each other.

75. Take online relationship tests

The Love Languages one is specifically good.

76. Pick a TV show and then watch episode after episode

Any Dexter, Breaking Bad or True Blood fans out there? (I’ve heard Homeland is amazing too!)

77. Get to know each other even more

You might think you know each other really well, but if you’ve been together for any length of time, some of the answers from the beginning of your relationship might be out-of-date. Don’t assume you know your partner so much that they’re not allowed to grow or change their minds.

78. Pray or meditate together

This will make you feel very close and can also be intimating and make you feel vulnerable. But humor me and give it a try (easier said than done, I know). Plus, I’ve got real-live proof that this works! Get this, I know of a couple, and they are each 92 years old, and they’ve been married 70 years! Their secret? Transcendental meditation for 20 minutes at least twice a day!

79. Tell each other why you like/love each other so much

This is another thing that’s easy to take for granted in relationships. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, we love each other! But, really telling each other? Worth a shot.

80. Make life lists

Create lists of things you’d like to do together and separately, and then share them with each other and get some of the plans in the works!

81. Break a record

Look at the Guinness Book of World Records and see which record you two should try to break together. It’d be fun to try even if you don’t break the record.

82. Dream about your dream house

Look at Pinterest and dream about what your house would be like if you had no limit on money! (This is my dream home board)

83. Be a kid again

Remember when $5 seemed like SO much money? It can still go pretty far in an arcade. Go to the arcade to play skee-ball, air hockey, and video games.

84. Hit golf balls at a driving range

85. Go to a midnight movie

86. Pretend you don’t know each other, get dressed up, and meet in the bar or at an event

87. Make a mix tape together

88. Play basketball

89. Go look at dream house status real-estate

90. Find a cheap psychic and get a reading

91. Give each other haircuts

Yep, I went there. (Still trying to convince my husband to let me try giving him a homemade hair cut)

92. Make wishes in a fountain together

93. Watch YouTube videos all night

Prank videos or kitten videos for hours?! Yes. It’s amazing.

94. Stay up all night talking or “talking”

95. Climb a tree

96. Go to a bar and cheer for a team

This one could get expensive, so don’t drink, drink beforehand, or bring a flask.

97. BBQ

98. Ask around

Keep your ears (eyes) peeled on your social media sites for free events going on around town or ask your friends if they have any ideas.

BONUS!

Here are a TON of additional fun home date night ideas and easy city date night ideas that don’t cost a lot of money. There are so many creative date ideas that you will love!

Netflix and chill
Try a New Food Truck
Hit Up a Garage Sale
Write Each Other Love Letters
Have a Book Club Session
Buy a Lottery Ticket
Meditate Together
Visit An Animal Shelter
Do A Puzzle Together
Look Through Old Yearbooks
Fly A Kite
Build a Blanket Fort
Have a Picnic
Visit a Museum
Plan a Binge Watch
Go Antiquing or Thrifting Together
Take A Ferry Ride
Go Window Shopping
Relax in a Jacuzzi
Learn Something New
Visit a Pop-Up
Look for a Spectacular View
Make Something
Ride a Train or Trolley
Find Your New Happy Place
Visit the Library
Play Paintball
Taste Test an Assortment of Chips from the Chip Aisle
Write Out Your Goals
Make an At-Home Spa
Hit the Bases
Arcade Night
Karaoke Night
Glamp Where You Are
Volunteer
Go Stargazing
Enjoy a Brewery or Winery Tour
Hobby Swap
Attend a Reading
Go Bowling
Spend Time on the Water
Find a Carnival
Browse a Book Store
Find a Cookie or Chocolate Factory Tour
Have a Wine and Cheese Night
Get Ice Cream
Pull Up to a Drive-In Movie
Discover Dive Bars
Have a Foreign Film Night
Try Fruit Picking
Hit the Trails
Laugh It Out
Strategic Cooking
See a Concert Under the Stars
Go Mini Golfing
Get Political
Find Local Art
Have a Game Night at Home
Coordinate a Potluck
Grow Something Together
See a Psychic
Go Bike-Riding
Rock Climb Together
Learn How to Skate
Bake Something
Sign Up for Trivia Night
Play Tourist
Start Your Chess Master Journey
Learn a Dance
Host a Low-Key Fancy Brunch
Have a Backyard Cocktail Hour
Guide a Walking Tour
Ride tandem bikes
Take a ferry ride
Go antiquing
Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Do a photo scavenger hunt
Seed bomb a special spot
Explore a nearby town or city
Cheer on an amateur sports team in your city
Bowling
Go to a park where you can feed the ducks
Hike anywhere nearby with a great view
Take a community education class together
Go to the beach
Go for a walk downtown together on a Friday or Saturday night
Find a coffeehouse that has live music
Go on a ghost hunt
Find out the free or reduced-price days to go to your local planetarium or museum
Buy two lottery tickets
Get a laptop out and dream up a bucket list
Go to bingo night somewhere
Take up tennis
Go to IKEA
Do a themed happy hour bar crawl
Go to a community play, a dress rehearsal, high school or college play
Work out together
Hit golf balls at a driving range
A taco tour
Trivia night
Rock-climbing session
Boozy picnic in the park
An hour at a pet cafe
A round or two of karaoke
Go to a used bookstore or library
Shop for crazy outfits to wear out together
Take your dog(s) to the park
Attend a local festival, convention, or fair
Get breakfast and do a crossword puzzle
Attend an amateur animal show
Play Frisbee golf
Volunteer at your local animal shelter
Play a game of mini golf
Food truck hopping
Take a long walk in the park
Take a city tour
Skip dinner and just get dessert
Go apple/ fruit picking
Lay out a blanket and stargaze
Go to Costco/ SAMs Club/ Trader Joe’s and eat all their samples
Have blind taste tests of different foods and drinks
Pick a country’s cuisine that neither of you has tried and give it a shot
Pick a TV show and then watch episode after episode
Savor a sunset picnic
Enjoy Korean BBQ
People-watch
Have a Netflix double feature
Clean up the neighborhood
Play on a playground
Rent kayaks or canoes
Go to a zoo or aquarium
Plan a day trip
Go to a poetry reading
Stretch it out in aerial yoga
Find a local river or lake and go swimming
Go on a drive around town and see where you end up
Rent motorized skateboards and zip around town
Find some cool science experiment videos on YouTube and try them out
Join a fun-looking meet-up together
Go to a local fundraising event
Go foraging for edible plants and berries and make a meal with them
Do a seasonally themed date
Both of you download an app/game in which you have to walk or travel around the real world to achieve goals in the game
Go ziplining
Get some coloring books and color
Learn about local history and visit some historical spots
Go to a rodeo if you can find one
Go to a car show
See a play
Buy some Lego kits and put them together
Go to a shooting range
Have a coupon date
Play 20 Questions
Learn a language
Play two truths and a lie
Sit by a fire
Walk on the beach
Grab a coffee
Visit a candy store
Share a milkshake
Go for a night run
Chocolate tasting night
Explore the local art scene
Grab a bite to eat at a dive bar
Camp out in your backyard
Dinner by candlelight
Power outage date night – do everything in the dark or by candlelight
Park on a hill and look out at the city lights
Take a relaxing bubble bath together
Go paintballing
Go donate blood together
Make a list of missions to accomplish and see how many you can get through
Go to an escape room
Play laser tag together
Stage your own movie festival at home
Couples casino date night
Host a BBQ cookout
Host a potluck
Go house-hunting
Host a game night
Play charades
Play spin the bottle
Host a fondue night
Go snow tubing
Iron Chef at-home date night
At-home spa
Play a Monopoly game until someone wins
Learn how to cook together
Make a batch of salsa together
Have a mini wine and cheese party at home
Make a blanket fort
Have a YouTube battle
Play video games
Turn your living room into a club
Literally, just talk
Make a new recipe together
Make a time-capsule
Go through your old yearbooks
A book club for two
Paint a room together
Wash the car and flirt with each other
Draw each other
Take online relationship tests
Drink and write dirty limericks
Go to a local nonprofessional sports game
Try on ridiculous clothing/outfits you would never normally wear
Use just a compass and a map to get to someplace cool
Replicate science experiments from YouTube
Drive around looking for secondhand shops and see if you can find any cool stuff
Upload something to YouTube
Take a trip to the local cemetery
Watch the sunset or sunrise
See a local band
Go to a car show
Check out a local film festival
Complete a DIY project together
Play a game of charades
See an improv show
Decorate your dream house together at IKEA
Hobby Swap
Go to the Lake
Go Camping
Hit up a Sports Game
Go out for Breakfast
Work on a Home DIY Project
Plan a Future Trip Together
Play Tennis
Explore a New Coffee Shop
Start a Blog Together
Meet out for Coffee
See a Movie
Meet out for a Drink
Go to a Local Trivia Night
Go to an Aquarium
Do Some Wine or Beer Tastings
Play Minature Golf
Take an Art Class
Do a Taste Test
Take a Cooking Class
Go to a Food Festival
Visit a Nearby Town/City to Explore
Go to a Drive-in Movie
Plan a Beach Day
Nailed It Challenge
Take a Dance Class
Go to an Arcade
Go Rock Climbing
Go out for Hibachi
Start a New Hobby
Play Board Games or Card Games
Find a Local Escape Room
Go to a Trampoline Park
Go to a Comedy Show
Go Kayaking
Enjoy Brunch at a Local Restaurant
Do a Food Truck Tour
Go to an Amusement Park
Play Laser Tag
Go to a Museum
Take a Dinner Cruise
Have a Progressive Dinner Party
Attend a Wine & Paint Night
Sight See Your City
Challenge One Another to a Game of Chess
Cook a new Meal Together
Make Milkshakes or Build Your Own Sundae
Have a Spa Night
Make a Craft Together
Put Together a Puzzle
Create Your Own Mixed Drinks
Dip Food into Fondue
Watch a Scary Movie
Complete Couples Questionnaires
Play Pool
Go Shopping
Browse Around a Flea Market
Go to a Local Farmers Market
Go to the Zoo
Go to a Bakery
Feed Ducks at a Pond
Go Ice Skating
Watch Funny YouTube Videos Together
Attend Open Houses
Take a Scenic Drive
Go to a Car Show
Make your own Book Club
Re-Live Your Childhood
Plan Your Dream Life
Go on a Picnic
Go to a Concert
Get Ice Cream and Walk a Local Park
Stargaze in the Backyard
Make a Fire and Roast Marshmallows
Pick Apples or Pumpkins
Drive Around to Look at Fall Foliage
Go for a Hike
Run a 5k
Go for a Bike Ride
Go Up In A Hot Air Balloon Ride
Browse a Bookstore
Workout Together
Look at Old Photos and Videos
Test Drive an Expensive Car
Make a Pillow Fort and Watch Movies
Create a Bucket List
Volunteer Together
Take a Photo Walk
Make Drinks and Sip Them on the Back Deck or Front Patio
Go to Your Local Library
Drive-In
Glass Blowing
Wine Tasting
Hiking
Art Museum
Cooking Class
Bowling
Coffee Shop
Camping
Miniature Golf
Meal Kit
Zoo
Dinner and a Sunset
Bike Ride
Outdoor Concert
Botanical Garden
Kayak
Picnic
Specialty Cocktails
Driving Range
Rent a Movie
Comedy Club
Sporting Event
Try a New Food Truck
Open Mic Night
Painting Class
Board Games
Scavenger Hunt
Binge a Show
Yoga
Road Trip
Stargaze
Farmers Market
Visit a Local Brewery
Library
Dive Bar
Rock Climbing
Trivia Night
Dance Class
Go for Run
Make Dessert Together
Karaoke
Puzzle
Roller Skating
DIY Home Project
Ice Cream Bar
Laser Tag
Charcuterie Board
Trampoline Park
Sushi at Home
Pool Shark
Happy Hour
Local Art
Struggle Meals
Grab Breakfast
Build a Snowman
Arcade
Plan a Dream Trip
Food Festival
Groupon
Ice Skating
Fondue
Open House
S’Mores
Locally Owned Bookstore
New Year, New Bucket List
Community Play
At-Home Spa Night
Holiday Market
Test Drive
Pizza Night
Pottery Class
Volunteer Together
Try a New Food
Run Errands Together
Bonfire
Scenic Drive
Pet Sit
Batting Cages
Create an Escape Room at Home
Make Your Partner’s Favorite Meal
Watch a Scary Movie
Watch a Sporting Event
Watch a Musical or Play
Have a Nerf War
Decorate Candy Houses
Host a Paint Night
Have a Progressive Dinner with Neighbor Friends
Have a Cooking Competition
Have a Baking Competition
Spa Night Date Night
Play Qeixx
Chocolate Tasting
Virtual Double Date
Play “Would You Rather?”
Tackle a Project Together
Tell Jokes
Test the Capabilities of ChatGPT
Rearrange the Furniture
Build a Fort
Make Ice Cream Sundaes
Write or Record Your Love Story
Take Online Dance Lessons
Do a Puzzle
Complete a Service Project
Blind Taste Test
Create a Couple’s Bucket List
Have a Picnic
Go Through Old Photos
Dance to “Your” Song
Have a Candlelight Dinner
Eat Blindfolded
Eat with Your Wrists Tied Together
Plan Your Ultimate Dream Vacation
Try Takeout from a New Local Restaurant
Make Pizza at Home
Draw Portraits of Each Other
Blindfold Yourselves and Create Blind Portraits of Each Other
Stargaze
S’mores Night
Fancy Drinks on the Porch
Watch the Sunrise or Sunset
Decorate Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Fondue Night
Play Catch Outside
Catch Lighting Bugs
Make a Pie
Learn Something New
Have a Root Beer Taste Test
Make a Dessert at Home
Tell Each Other 10 Reasons Why You Love Each Other
Make Ice Cream in a Can
Have Breakfast in Bed
Plan an Ice Cream Date
Try a Youtube DIY
Go to a Food Festival
Play a Sport
Make S’mores
Go Fruit-picking
Go See a Play
Karaoke Night
Play in the Snow
Go Ice Skating
Make a Time Capsule
Go Bowling
Go Fishing
Have a Two Person Bookclub
Go Canoeing
Go Thrifting
Paint Together
Go to an Animal Shelter
Do a Puzzle
Go to a Museum
Go to an Arcade
Have an at-home Spa Day
Go to the Carnival
Play Mini Golf
Do a Photo Scavenger Hunt
Seed Bomb a Special Spot
Grab Some Bubble Tea
Skateboard
Volunteer
Go for a Bike Ride
Go to a Coffee Shop
Have a Picnic
Have a Game Night
Binge a Show on Netflix
Cook Together
Hit Up the Mall
Go on a Hike
Go Swimming
Stargaze
Do Yoga
Have a Photoshoot
Give Each Other Makeovers
Go for a Run
Attend a Concert
Head to a Bookstore
Act Touristy in Your Town
Peruse an Indoor Market
Get a Psychic Reading
Write Short Stories