This is something that originally started as an anniversary gift for my husband, but can (and should) be used at any time.
The whole idea behind having one date a month is to give you something to look forward to, create a date you both will enjoy, keep the cost extremely low (or FREE!) and create awesome memories together without the stress or guilt of blowing your budget. As a bonus, if you sit down and plan out one year of dates on a budget all at one time, the rest of your year will be smooth sailing!
So how does it work?
- Pick out 12 inexpensive dates (one per month = one year of dates on a budget!)
- Figure out what their cost will be to you
- Pick the month they will be best suited for
- Write them out on our cute and FREE 3×5 Printable Cards (you can easily get those by signing up below)
- Seal them in envelopes
Then each month your husband can open the appropriate card for that month, you set aside the amount of money designated for that date and pick the day you want to do it. Put it on the calendar and have a blast!
Pro tip: If you receive a bonus or any extra income throughout the year that could be used as date savings, I recommend setting it aside so you have a certain dollar amount to work within for planning your dates for the coming year (I have even used Christmas gift money for this). I had a bonus that I took some money out of and set aside for our dates for a year. This made it super easy to know what my date budget should be.
If that isn’t an option for you, just think about what a reasonable dollar amount would be every month for a date (and yes, $20 will be sufficient).
Pick out your dates.
This is probably the most fun part of the whole project. You get to pick out all the activities you would like to do for the year. To have this be a success think about things that are available in your area, what your natural activity tendencies are, what equipment you have access to, what time of year is best suited for this activity. Will you enjoy this? Can you make this fit into something we were already planning on doing (more cost-effective)?
Here are a couple examples of fitting something into an activity you were already doing.
If you were planning on going to pick out pumpkins for the Fall, transform that into a date. Instead of just buying pumpkins, find a facility with a corn maze (typically entrance is $8/person) and make a day out of it.
The same thing applies when going to get a Christmas Tree. Instead of just finding a tree, find a tree farm that has hot chocolate, yummy treats, or carriage rides and make a date out of it.
Or,
Another common one, if you know you have a wedding coming up that you need to travel to, make a date out of it! Focus on the trip out there and find roadside attractions to stop at (FREE!), stay in a cheap hotel as an adventure (it’s character building to do this stuff together and it makes for some interesting memories) focus your money on a nice dinner out or on the world’s best breakfast at a Diner with rave reviews.
All of your dates are really just a matter of perspective and how creative you can get. If you are both on board for calling it a date, then you can really stop and enjoy the little moments no matter what you are doing or where you are.
Call these places or do research online to make sure you know what is available at certain times of the year, you can also check prices at that time.
Pro-tip: Pay attention to seasonal or days of the week they have specials on (ie. like $1 bowling night or bring your own popcorn bucket day, etc.)
Based on our list of 35 budget-friendly dates, Google stuff in your area to find out what’s available before you decide what you are doing.
Broaden your perspective on what constitutes a date, and I think you will be surprised at how many cheap options are available. Some of the most fun we have had has been on our super budget-friendly dates.
Once you have picked out 12 dates for the next year (one per month) that will be appropriate for the intended time of year, then you can fill out the date cards.
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