The Perfect, Inexpensive Date Night…according to a romance author

Movie Night

I am an unrepentant and sappy romantic. I love all things that have to do with romance. That goes double for romantic dates, which probably isn’t surprising since I write romance. But there seems to be a disconnect somewhere between men and women. Women say they want romance and men see dollar signs. They think they have to spend a lot of money to be romantic, but putting romance into a relationship doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It just takes a little imagination.

I adore scary movies. I mean, I absolutely love them. I can’t get enough of them. So to me, the best date night would be watching a scary movie. And I don’t mean at the movie theatre, which can easily run $50 or more, depending on where you live and how many snacks you buy. With technology today, you can watch movies in your home shortly after a movie has hit theatres. But doing a hum drum dinner and a movie in the living room of your house is no fun. Why not take dinner and a movie outside? If you’ve got a plain white sheet, a clothes line, and a projector, you can pull this off. You don’t even need the fancy chairs seen in the picture. Just use a blanket and an assortment of pillows. Light some candles around the space to add atmosphere and you have the makings of a great evening. Most women will take one look at that setup and fall madly in love. Well, okay, maybe they won’t. But you’ll definitely win a lot of brownie points.

Stargazing

This one is a bit iffy, even without the princess blanket seen in the picture. Not every woman will go for this. Some ladies are a bit more high maintenance. But if you’re in a relationship with someone who is truly in love with you, there’s nothing she’ll enjoy more than piling up blankets in the back of a pickup truck, driving out to a spot where you both can see the stars, and spending a quiet evening staring up at the light show. Get under the comforters and cuddle (and don’t forget to bring pillows, because if you don’t…ouch). Bringing along a cooler of craft beer wouldn’t hurt either, but that’s probably just me. Some ladies prefer wine. And hey, some prefer whiskey. And some don’t drink alcohol at all, so you’ll have to have soda or juice on hand for them.

If you haven’t been dating someone a long time, but have been on at least three dates, this is a great way to get to know them better. Why? Because while you’re staring up at the stars, you’ll be talking.

Picnic

I think everyone underestimates the power of a simple picnic. Seriously. They’re great…although I haven’t actually been on one in ages.

Picnics are pretty versatile, too. If you live in a town/city with lots of summer music festivals, what better time is there to grab a blanket, a couple bottles of wine, fry some chicken, and go listen to live music. If it’s a music festival that doesn’t allow outside food/beverages, that’s not a problem. Still bring the blanket, just buy the food and drinks once you’re inside.

Or, if the music festival route seems too noisy, most towns/cities have parks. Pack up the blankets and pillows, fill a basket with food (I’m not a fried food eater, but there’s something about eating fried chicken outside on a blanket that seems perfect), and grab a few bottles of wine. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? And what better way to inspire conversation! There are no distractions here, just you and the woman you love (or are pretty sure you could love).

So that’s it. My top picks for the perfect (and inexpensive) date night. I’m also a fan of combining movie night and the picnic by having a picnic on the living room floor while watching a scary movie. And by having a picnic on the living room floor, I mean throwing down a blanket and pillows.

Until next time, happy reading….