Frugal Christmas Date Ideas

There are only a few days left until Christmas! Who's excited?! {Me! Me! Me!}

Maybe you're looking for some ideas for some last minute frugal Christmas dates?

Here are a few things you and your sig. other could do together to celebrate the holiday season:

-Bundle up and take a walk around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights! If it's too cold for that, hop in the car and visit your favorite decorated areas. Make sure to take some warm cider or hot chocolate. If you're in the car, crank the Christmas radio station up loud {or find the Pandora Christmas station on your smart phone}!

-Make ornaments together. Yeah, not all guys are crafty or want to sprinkle glitter on ornament balls, but if you're feeling a little adventurous, grab some plain ornaments and decorate away!

-Decorate a gingerbread house together. You can buy the kits at the grocery store. Just don't eat all the shingles off the roof before you're finished decorating!

-Bake gingerbread or sugar cookies and decorate them together! Or, if you're in the traditional mood...learn to bake a fruitcake or a rum cake.

-Watch classic Christmas movies together. Pop some popcorn and drink a cup of eggnog while watching movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Rudolph," and of course "Elf."

-Wrap your presents together. Not everyone enjoys the wrapping process of being Santa, so "suffer" together in sharing with the task. {This is not for everyone. Some of Santa's elves would prefer to work alone.}

-Start a Christmas tradition--something that fits you and your sweetie's couple personality. Be creative and have fun!

Do you have any additional Christmas date ideas? I'd love to hear them!

MOBILE: $17 for $35 2-hour Painting Class {Buy TODAY only}

MOBILE Fans: Here's another great date idea for you!

Spend a fun evening with friends or your sweetie at Paint Party Studios in West Mobile! Today's Living Social deal is a Two-Hour BYOB Painting Class for $17 (a $35 value)!

Buy this deal TODAY (before time runs out!) here.

Piggy Bank Dating idea: Sweet and Nostalgic!

Reminisce childhood/teenage memories and have a sweet and nostalgic cheap date!

Buy your favorite childhood cereals (you know, the ones your mom rarely let you get) and enjoy a marathon of your favorite old sitcoms together. I'm thinking Seinfeld, The Wonder Years, Saved by the Bell, Who's the Boss?, etc. To make this date cheaper, rent the tv sitcom dvds from the library.

Mmm, Berry Berry Kix and the first season of Friends...Now THAT would be a great date!

Spring Date Idea!

Hello!  It's a beautiful day in the Deep South!  And the perfect time to do a little gardening! 

Today's cheap date idea is just in time for Earth Day (4/22)!  Grab your honeyboo and plant a garden of veggies.  Or, plant a salsa garden--complete with peppers and spices! (I know of a great salsa recipe at The Pioneer Woman's website!)  If you're not into the fiesta, sow some mixed wildflower seeds in a large planter and be surprised at what colors bloom!  The planting possibilities are endless!  Seeds are inexpensive, and you don't have to purchase a pot or soil if you have a little space you can clear in your backyard (unless you live in a townhouse like me!).  Have fun getting dirty together (I meant...actually dirty with dirt...ha) and enjoy watching your plants grow!

Just don't forget to water your garden every day!

And the winner is...

We have a winner of the $10 Starbucks Gift Card!

Karisa @ Karisa Tells All! Karisa, I hope you enjoy your coffee date with your man!

Thank you to everyone who answered the poll and entered my giveaway! I'll make sure to have more giveaways, so check back often! 

I enjoyed reading your comments about your favorite dates. Many of you liked creative and fun dates, while others enjoyed a nice dinner and dessert, the beach, nature, etc. 

No matter what your idea of your perfect evening with your honey is, you can be frugal and have fun!

Here are some suggestions for spending less the next time you plan your favorite date:

-Beach Day:  Grab your swimsuit, kite, and picnic basket and head to the nearest body of water!  Enjoy the sunshine with your sweetie and make sure to take pictures for photo gifts later (you can find these deals on my blog)!  Get some free TCBY ice cream on your way back!
-Go out for a nice dinner and dessert: Purchase gift certificates at restaurant.com when they have 80% off sales (I always remind you of their sales on my Twitter) and you will score $25 gift certificates for about $2 at local resturants.  The choices of restaurants usually range from low-key eateries to very nice, upscale resturants.  JerrBear and I love going to some of the nicest restaurants in town and sometimes add an appetizer or dessert to our meal--which is balanced out with the money we save with our gift certificate.  For dessert: grab a Dairy Queen Blizzard (buy 1 get 1 for $.25) or B1G1 smoothie at Jamba Juice.  Follow me on Twitter for details about other dessert offers!
-Low-Key evening together: Grab some cheap take-out from Panda Express with this coupon and rent a free movie with this Redbox promo code: DVDONME.  Then, enjoy snuggling on the couch together eating Chinese and watching the newest release together!
-Creative Date:  I try to periodically add new and cheap creative date ideas.  Look back on previous blog entries to find some ideas.  The weather right now is perfect for heading to your local playground and acting like kids together or create a scavenger hunt for your babe, complete with clues that will take the two of you around town to discover some new places!  Also, I loved this great date idea from Niki (see her comment on the giveaway post): "I love to put the kiddo to bed, have hubby make a fire in our patio firepit in our own yard and snuggle on the patio, roasting marshmallows and drinking a coffee or two while we catch up with each other."
-Spend time in nature: This week is the perfect time to head to your closest National Park and enjoy FREE park entry with your nature-lover!  Hike, camp or take pictures of wildflowers, wild animals and landscapes!
-Head to the movies: If you want to catch the newest blockbuster hit, get a free movie ticket with this deal!  You'll also have plenty of candy to "sneak" into the movies!

I will continue to post cheap date ideas, as well as have giveaways for all my favorite followers!  Be on the look out for a fabulous guest post soon!  Also, you can follow me on Twitter for more deals!

Happy Dating!

Piggy Bank Dating Idea: Library

You don't have to visit your local library for books...

Check out your library's schedule for interesting, free and fun events! (Thanks for the reminder, frugal friend Emily!) Some libraries sponsor off-mainstream movie viewings or poetry readings (<--- not everyone can handle poetry readings!)

Or, you can take your sweetie to the library to browse through your favorite magazines or mystery books. 

Most libraries carry DVDs for rent ($1 or free)!  Forget about REDBOX and rent a stack of movies to watch with your movie buff over your Good Friday day off!  Go with a movie theme: Rent Alfred Hitchcock mysteries, the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or the 4th Season of The Office.

If you have a lot of extra time to kill: Pick up some books about your hobbies and read through them to learn more each others interests and passions.

National Park Week! Date Idea

My dad was a Park Ranger, so I have to advertise this great (and cheap) date idea!

You and your sweetie can discover and enjoy nearby nature on a beautiful spring day for free! The National Park Service is offering free entrance the week of April 17-25 to all the 392 National Parks in the US! This is really exciting to me, and I can't wait to find out which parks are in driving distance of us! Go to the National Park Service website to find a park close to you!

Thanks,

Free "Baking" Class at Willams-Sonoma this Sunday!

Williams-Sonoma is my FAVORITE cookware store! I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go there...except there ain't nothin' cheap in William-Sonoma!

My newest Twitter/Blogger friend, Kayla of 365 Cheap Dates, let me know that Williams-Sonoma has been offering Baking Classes every Sunday the month of March. You and your sweetie can learn how to bake together! What a fun date! The classes are free, but you will want to call your local store to find out what time they are holding their class and to reserve your spot. This Sunday's class is all about Pies and Tarts (and I noticed they mentioned quiche!). You can find out more about the "Technique Classes" on their website!

Photo at Williams-Sonoma

I will let you know about future classes/potential cheap dates at Williams-Sonoma soon!

Check out Kayla's awesome blog for more information about the class and her Date Idea #112!

Fun Spring Date Idea!

The birds are chirping, the sun is beaming and the flowers are blooming! It's finally spring again! (Well, at least for those in the South, like me!) What other way to celebrate the spring season than decorate Easter eggs with your Easter bunny hunny? (I'm getting pretty creative with these pet names.)

What a throwback to your childhood...while making new and fun memories!

 Photo from The Urban Garden Project

All you need for this fun date is a dozen eggs, a Easter egg dye kit, and vinegar. {Remember those kits that had the white crayons you used to draw on the egg before slipping it into the dye? Those were awesome!}


Easter Egg Date: approximately $10

Look what I found on Amazon?!

Snow White!

Go one step further and hide your finished eggs around the yard or park for your significant other to find!

*UPDATE: You can also use Kool-Aid to dye your eggs! 

Happy Dating!

Piggy Bank Dating Idea: Volunteer

I haven't posted any Piggy Bank Dating ideas recently, so I decided it's about time I get back on the band-wagon...errr....dating wagon.

So here goes...

Piggy Bank Dating idea: VOLUNTEER TOGETHER

About half of you just got really giddy and half of you just gagged at the thought of spending time around new people, strange places and potentially awkward situations.

I LOVE to volunteer. You could call me the Ultimate Volunteer. I have an extensive volunteer resume, including being Key Club President in high school. So, if you're one of those people with the crazy gag reflects, please have an open mind as I talk about volunteering.

Volunteering together is a great way to learn about each other and grow as a couple. You will have a chance to watch your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife as he/she interacts with others in your volunteer activity.

REASONS TO VOLUNTEER TOGETHER: 
-First of all, volunteering is free!
-You can usually spend as much (or as little) time on your volunteer project as you would like.You may want to spend the whole day, or maybe just a few hours. (Or long term if you fall in love with your volunteer activity or the organization!)
-You're helping others and that organization.
-It is a bonding experience.
-Volunteering is rewarding.

Okay, now that I've sold you on the idea, decide where you and your sweetie would like to volunteer. Here are some ideas:
-local pound
-nursing home (they LOVE young people)
-local festivals
-food kitchen
-well-known organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Team In Training, etc.
-lawn maintenance for the elderly
-church youth group
-Children's Church

The possibilities are endless!

If you think of more volunteering ideas, please leave a comment on this post. I love to hear from you...especially when you are sharing your great ideas!

Happy Dating!

Free Dave Ramsey FPU lesson!

It's a great idea for every couple to talk about finances (at least before getting married). Even better: going a step forward and taking a financial planning class together.


That's where Mr. Dave Ramsey comes in....

Dave Ramsey is offering you and your honey bunny (and your mom and his mom and your neighbor, etc.) a free Financial Peace University lesson. The registration for the complimentary class is here. From my understanding, you register for the free lesson and you will receive an email with information about class locations near you. The free classes will be held sometime during the week of April 5-12. 

**Be aware that there are 13 lessons in all, and this free offer is just for the first lesson. I am not aware of how much the full class cost to attend.

Valentine's Day "Cheap" date ideas

Dave Ramsey asked his fans for their ideas for budget-friendly V-day ideas. Here they are: DaveRamsey.com

Enjoy!

I personally liked this idea:
One year I made 101 paper hearts and on each one wrote something I loved about him. I stuck them all over the house. It took him a week to find them all. –Rhonda

Fun Fall Cheap Date!

Pumpkin carving, anyone?


Pumpkin: $4-$16 each
Pumpkin carving kit: $5
Design templates: FREE online or use your imagination
Total money spent: approximately $17 (can be more or less depending on where you buy pumpkins and if you already have a carving kit.

Piggy Bank Dating Idea #2

My friend, Wendy, recently had a "date day" with her honey (and her roommate), and being students they had to conserve money. Wendy describes her day and how she saved big bucks:

We spent the entire day together Saturday for under $50 (and had my roommate along, too!) The 3 of us split Chili's 2 for $20 (appetizer, 2 entrees, and dessert) and had a lot left over. Then we went to the mall to shop (but not buy), got drinks from Chick-fil-A ($7 for a milkshake, dr. pepper, and bottle of water), walked around the campus, went to Goodwill and spent a total of $5 on sheet music and a puzzle, played pool in the dorm lobby, sat around (but didn't buy anything) at the campus coffee shop, bought 2 hot-n-ready pizzas from Little Caesar's for dinner for $10 (and had almost an entire pizza left over), and had a great day!

Wendy, thanks for your great example of "budget dating!"

Piggy Bank Dating idea #1

Want to go on a "cheap" date? (Not be one!)

Idea #1:

"Let's Go Fly a Kite" date

*Make a kite together, or two. There are instructions online.

OR

*Buy two cheap kites.

*Go to a local park on a slightly windy day.

*Race your kites or enjoy taking turns flying just one.

*Take lots of pictures!

*Take a blanket and a snack/picnic and relax!
*Take this time to talk and learn more about each other.

Total cost of date: approximately $10 for kite and snacks. $5 if only kite is purchased or made.

This date would be best in the fall or spring in the South. A summer kite date may cause major sweating and passing out! I may have to wait a couple months to try this one!

More date ideas to come...