Post your ideas here! What do you and dh do for a "date night" when money is tight?

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Restaurant.com certificates. I buy several of them when they are 60-70% off and use them for our weekly dinner out.

We also like to go get an ice cream at Dairy Queen and eat it at a local park. There is a large stream, ducks, a gazeebo, its very picturesque.

We take the canoe out into local waterways, take pictures, watch nature and enjoy the quiet and each others company.

We like going to our local drive in. We pay $12.00 and get to watch 2 new movies. I pack us some snacks and water and soda....get a blanket and have a nice "cheap date".

We also have Disneyland passes that we got as Christmas gifts....it comes with a parking pass. We go there alot.....and rarely spend any money.

We love to go on walks with our dog..........we go to the park and sometimes spend a couple of hours just walking along the lake and feeding the ducks.

I've realized that you don't have to leave the house to be on a date. When money is really tight, and we don't have any free babyistters (family) availiable, I will feed the boys dinner early, and after they go to bed my dh and I will eat dinner alone! It's really refreshing.

Well, my dh and I rarely have any time to ourselves, so we have learned to make the most of small things. Like last night dh was going to WalMart to buy light bulbs. My dd was home, so she watched the little ones and him and I went together. We just walked around the store for a long time and browsed. Or we will put the little ones to bed and retreat to the bedroom and watch an episode of Firefly from our dvd set. We always enjoy that and relax!

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~Happiness is a large family~

Our favorite date nights are right here at home. My mom takes the kids on over nighters once in awhile. That gives us time to cook a meal together. We pour a glass of wine while we are cooking and actually talk to one another uninterupted. It's a great way to reconnect. Then we serve dinner like we are at a restaurant, candles, table cloth, music or if it's summer time out on the patio. We usually rent a movie and cuddle on the couch. Somtimes we get silly and play games. I seem to remember a fun Ants in the Pants tournament that was particularly interesting <wink wink> lol

We love to go for walks, on the beach, at a lake or park, or just around the neighborhood. Sometimes we just walk to 7-11 and get ice cream.

We also have Disneyland passes (paid $150 total!) and we use them all the time.

My parents take the kids overnight every month or so and we have our date night. We LOVE chinese food, but the kids hate it. So we get carry out chinese from this little local place, it only costs $8.00 for both of us and sodas for $2.00 then go home, light a candle, eat our dinner and watch our favorite tv shows, without interuptions from the kiddos! A great date night for only $10!!!

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Jenifer
Proud wife to one amazing man
Proud mom to four awesome kids

April showers bring May flowers
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Most of our date nights are at home, after the kids are in bed or if the older two are spending the night at other people's homes. We put the baby in bed by 7:00 and then eat dinner alone by candle and maybe rent a movie.

On the rare occasion that we actually are alone, we pack a nice picnic with a bottle of wine, some meats, cheeses, crackers and grapes and other fruit. A little European style. We bought a cute little checkered tablecloth and cloth napkins a few years ago and they are perfect for picnics. Now that we have bikes, our next picnic will be within biking distance.

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Frugal is being wise with your money and resources and cheap is forcing everyone else to.

A few years back, my mom asked what my husband and I would like for Christmas. I had no clue, so I said a date. Ever since, we have gotten a gift cards for a restaurant and an activity. She also makes homemade gift certs for babysitting. We love them.

I belong to the mypoints.com club. I earn gift cards for all sorts of things. It takes very little effort, and we get a free date.