Dating on a Budget: Home Sweet Home
It is cold! Even the sunshine state has had a cold snap. There is no doubt about it; winter is here. If you are anything like me, warmth is a good friend. How do you go out on a date and not freeze your tushy off? This is not the time for long walks in the park or a picnic on the beach. Unless you are President Obama and our First Lady, walking down the street in 20 degree weather is not fun. Forgive me; I just have a thing about participating in seasonally appropriate activities.
Some of you don’t have to worry about the cold weather. You are fortunate enough to live where the warmth from the sun caresses your skin on a pretty regular basis. You can frolic outside no matter the time of day. Even some of you who do live where the high for the day is -3 ° F don’t mind the cold at all. And that’s good. As for me, even when I am inside some establishments, I wonder why they don’t have the heat cranked up higher.
Lately I have found the ultimate warm date; staying at home. Your home has its own ambiance. You can make the date at home what you want. It can be fun and frisky or tender and romantic. In the past few weeks I have learned this first hand. The best date, in my honest opinion, is one where it is a part of you; where you are able to put your personal stamp on the date. Game Nights: My absolute favorites are game nights. They are always fun. Games for two leave room for great conversation and inuendo. You can invite other couples over and make it a group date night. The bonding over Monopoly, Scrabble, or Connect 4 is immeasurable. If you are a gamer, then hook up the Wii, Xbox or PS3 and get your game on!
The only tip I have for game night is to make sure you have more than one game to choose from. If you get tired of one, you can move to another. Just don’t try to play all of them in one night. Have a natural ending point: the end of the game, winning score, dinner, or drinks. If you want, you could also have people bring a dish to offset the cost of food.
House Parties: Another option is to throw a house party. Not necessarily of the loud music variety, but more Tupperware a la 21st century. The good thing about these types of parties is the host usually gets a big discount, freebies for hosting, and signed up for other bonuses. There are a variety to choose from: jewelry making, pottery, candle making, and erotica (Passion parties, Pure Romance, etc) just to name a few. Whatever floats your boat is appropriate. Before you invite your partner to an erotica party, make sure that your relationship is ready for that step. I have also seen tattoo parties, but that just doesn’t seem health conscious to me. Be creative and I am sure it will be a hit.
Movies: Have you heard of Red Box? It is a movie vending machine that I have found in local grocery stores. You can rent movies for $1 a day. The movies are newer releases and usually available. Make this a part of a nice romantic evening and you are sure to enjoy yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed the movie altogether after a scrumptious meal, the fireplace blazing, and a few kisses.
Pamper Me Date: I have decided to learn how to give great massages. The kind of massages that melt muscles into liquid so quickly that relaxation is not even the right word to describe it. Why pay for this type for luxury? I know this comes naturally for some, but if not, a few books from the library will make you into the masseuse you’ve always wanted to be. Again, a nice fire going, maybe a glass of wine, where you all end up is none of my business.
Photo Credit: Stock Xchange
Tamara, you are too cute. I love these suggestions. Game night is a great way of finding out how much you click with someone. Do they care more about winning, no matter what the cost, or are they more concerned about making sure you have a good time? Personally, I find it a big turnoff when someone is just in it to win it. I’m a girl who likes to have a lot of attention lavished on her, so it’s a good thing my partner and I had a game night early on in the relationship. (Second date to be precise.) I kicked his ass at Trivial Pursuit and he returned the favor with a game of Scrabble, so I knew we might have something brewing.
Tamara: Jeanine and I still have a Scrabble night every couple of weeks. I’m not sure how early on in our courtship we played, but six years later, it’s still a fun and inexpensive date!
Hey Tamara,
I noticed you mentioned a Pure Romance party as a great in home night, and I totally agree! There is nothing better than learning about your body and how it works to make it work better! And laughter is a great for learning.
Another fun and free idea is dancing … tune your tv or radio to big band or ballroom dancing station and belly rub all night long. No need to actually BE a professional dancer to enjoy it, but most named studios offer an inexpensive grouping of beginner lessons to get the basic steps [like $25 per couple for 3 lessons, try Fredastaire.com or arthurmurray.com for more details or for something in your area.]
…raylene
Serena: I like to play games therefore, I love it if someone is into them as much if not more than I am.
Nina: Awwww we don’t have anything scheduled, but Scrabble and it’s sister game, Upwords, is one of our favorites.
Raylene: That is so true. If you are really into sex, better to find out if your potential partners attitude towards sex, earlier rather than later.
Dancing is one of those things that I want to do, but have never tried. Those lessons seem like something I can try and not break the bank.