3 DIY Date Night Ideas for Stay-at-Home, Budget-Savvy Parents
Being the parents of little children can be one of the most exciting times in life and although you may be living on a strict budget, you wouldn’t trade this life for anything in the world. Of course, it would be nice to get out once in a while for some alone time, but if your parents are to be believed, those days will come soon enough.
According to your mum, your little people will soon be big people and off to see the world. Until that time comes, however, how to get away for date night when living on a budget? Sitters alone make the expense beyond your limited ‘entertainment budget’ so with that settled, it looks like it’s time to explore a few DIY date night ideas for stay-at-home, budget-savvy parents.
1. A Romantic Candlelit Dinner – With a Twist
For this DIY date night idea, you might want to set up that candlelit dinner somewhere away from little eyes if they should wander out in the night as they often do. Perhaps your bedroom would work well. All you need is a small table, a candlelit setting for two and a light meal with a bottle of chilled bubbly. Champagne is best but if that’s out of the scope of your entertainment budget, a bit of sparkling wine would do just as well.
The idea is to set the stage for a re-enactment of a 1940s Bogie and Bacall romance. Don’t forget to make a grand entrance in a black negligee and of course a pair of retro Heist patterned tights. What could be more romantic than that? Perhaps a cold salad plate would work best? With a grand entrance like that, you wouldn’t want the food to get cold, would you? On second thought, maybe the bubbly would be all you’d need.
2. Dancing Under the Stars
If you have a patio out the back, you could always set up a stereo with your favourite slow tunes you used to dance to at the clubs. Maybe your first date had you dancing in the park after strolling, hand in hand, wondering where this all would lead. Why not recreate this night without ever leaving home? Recapture that moment when he first pulled you to him to dance to some imaginary tune that you could almost hear yourself as your body matched his movements, beat per beat.
3. A Night at the Theatre
Everyone has a large, flatscreen television, don’t they? Why not plan a night at the cinema but in the family room of your home? There must be a film you had wanted to see when it was released at the cinema that you had longed to see but never found the time (or money!) while it was showing. The good news is that now that movie is probably free on Netflix or Amazon Prime, so it costs nothing other than a little buttered popcorn and, of course, the cost of your movie channel subscription.
There is always something romantic you can do for a DIY date night but don’t wait until the kids are grown and have flown the coop. Set aside a day each week, taking turns to plan the fun. Make it a family tradition and see how fast your family grows!
