10 Favorite Inexpensive Date Night Ideas + My Favorite Date Night Dress

I’m really excited about sharing today’s post! Blake and I have been together for 9 years (married for almost 4!) and therefore have had tons of date nights. We have always put a priority on getting out and trying new things together, and some of my favorite memories have been last minute or surprise date nights.

When we first started dating, I was finishing up my last year at Georgia Tech and Blake went off to Duke to get his Masters degree.  Neither of us had a lot of extra money to spend, so we had to get creative when we got together. Even when he moved back to Atlanta and we both started working full time, we both valued new and fun experiences together rather than an uber expensive dinner out.

Although our date nights have become less frequent now that we have a six month old, we still try to carve out time for just the two of us when we can. This maxi dress is one of the items in my closet that I grab time and time again – it’s so comfortable and easy to style, and it’s perfect for any occasion. It’s casual enough to wear out and about during the day with sandals, but it’s also perfect to dress up with wedges and fun statement earrings. I bought these new Kendra Scott earrings as a birthday present to myself – did you know you get 50% off one item at Kendra Scott stores during your birthday month?? One of my coworkers mentioned it to me and I’m pretty sure I bought these pretties the next day!

This dress is currently on sale and also comes in a navy color (the dress online looks like a lighter blue, but some of the comments mention that it actually is a true navy in person). It has adjustable straps and I love where the waist hits – it makes my legs look longer which I’ll gladly take any day! Check out this post for another favorite date night dress and this one for a more casual option!

And finally, here are my top 10 fun and inexpensive date night ideas:

1. Brewery Tour/Tasting – Atlanta has so many fun craft breweries popping up all over the city. Some of them still offer a tour option, where you pay around $8 and receive several tastings throughout the tour. Otherwise, you can purchase a pint or do a flight if you want to try different offerings.
2. Restaurant Roulet – Blake and I always have restaurants that we see around town or hear about and want to try. But of course, when it comes time to go out to dinner, we never remember what we want to try! We started writing down different options and throwing them into a cup. Whenever we want to go out to eat, we grab the cup and draw a random restaurant to try!
3. Top Golf/Mini Golf/Driving Range – Blake enjoys golfing when he gets a chance, but I’ve never actually played a round of golf. He took me to a driving range once and I was expecting to hate it, but actually had a blast learning from him! We also love going to Top Golf – you don’t necessarily have to be good to do well depending on what game you select, and it’s air conditioned with a bar…you know, just in case you decide golf isn’t your thing 🙂
4. Bowling – There are a lot of super pricey new bowling alleys around Atlanta, but when we lived in our apartment, there was a cheap bowling alley around the corner and we always had a blast grabbing a beer, playing a few games, and then heading over to the arcade.
5. Picnic – This one is obviously weather pending, but you can make this super cheap and easy by grabbing pre made sandwiches or sides from Publix (or your local grocery store) and heading to a nearby park. Blake actually proposed to me during a picnic one night after work!
6. Date Night In – It’s easy to get into a rut during the week of coming home from work, putting on comfy clothes, and parking it on the couch for the rest of the night. To save money from going out to eat, just throw on some nicer clothes, set the table, and have a date night in! We love this cookbook for fun dinners to make.
7. Themed Date Night In – To take it one step further, create a whole theme for the evening! For example, buy a bottle of wine from Italy, play some Italian music on Spotify and make a homemade pizza! You could even end the night with an Italian themed movie (The Godfather, anyone?)
8. Summer Concerts – While some concerts certainly wouldn’t fall under the “inexpensive” category, there are a ton of free concerts that you can check out during the Spring and Summer months. Get out and enjoy the weather in the evening while listening to some new-to-you bands.
9. Peruse Groupon – We did SO many Groupon dates when we first started dating! Not only were they inexpensive, but we would find things we would never do otherwise – we’ve done things from making your own pizza at a local Italian restaurant to making and bottling our own wine at a local brew shop/winery!
10. Rock Climbing – Blake and I found a local rock climbing facility near us and we had a blast learning how to spot each other. It’s also an amazing workout so it’s like crossing two items off at once!

What is your favorite date night activity? We’re always looking for fun things to do when we get a night out so share with me below!

xoxo,

Lauren