Ten Fun and Affordable Date Ideas

Drive-in Movie Theater found on Pinterest

This is a shout out to the population of male college students. It is finally summer, and I will bet several of you are thinking of hitting up the girls back home or maybe a special someone you met during the semester. You want to take the girl out for a special evening, show her you like her, but here is the hard reality: You probably have no money.

 

When school is over, most college students have no more than 20 bucks in their pocket. When you go home, or if you remain on campus, you have to find a job so you can pay off bills, your car, and necessities. In the end, you have no money to take that girl out for the special night she deserves. Boys, let me tell you a secret. It’s okay.

Speaking from the female side, girls do not care if you spoil them with a rich dinner, an expensive gift, or whatever lavish thing you saw in whatever movie. Yes, girls like to get nice things, but we understand it burns a hole in your pocket. We do not want you to go bankrupt.

Personally, I am content with renting DVDs and having a movie night at a guy’s apartment, maybe with another couple in the room to keep the silence away. The point is, guys, there are fun affordable date ideas girls will still enjoy and like you for at the end of the day.

Here are 10 fun affordable date ideas:

Go to a Flea Market: Yes, you could go to the mall, but the mall is expensive and sometimes you both may not see eye-to-eye on a certain store. Going to a flea market is great because you never know what you may find there. There are oddities and antiques, at more affordable prices. Who knows, you may find something valuable and land on Antique Road Show.

 

Go to a Gun Range: Believe it or not, girls like guns too. Shooting a gun is intimidating, but it feels great, even if you miss the target the first few times. This is an opportunity for you guys to be an instructor. From personal experience, I had no quarrels with a boy taking the time to teach me how to reload, aim, and fire at a target. Video games are a poor substitute once you’ve had the real thing.

 

Go to a Drive-In Movie Theater: This is a fun way to see a movie. Get a truck, stock up on snacks and drinks, bring two pillows and a blanket for the bed of the truck, and enjoy. I have yet to go to a drive-in, but I can honestly tell you that several girls I know have always wanted to see a movie from the seat of a convertible or the bed of a truck.

 

Go to a Haunted House: It does not have to be Halloween to get spooked; ghosts do not go on vacation. Admit it, you like it when the girl jumps into your arms, and we like jumping into them. Why do you think we tolerate scary movies? A haunted house has the same affect, only times five. Look up haunted locations in your town, find out the story behind them, and then take the girl for a skin-crawling evening.

 

Cook Together: If you cannot afford to take her out to dinner, then the two of you can make dinner. It can be something as simple as macaroni and cheese, if you are afraid of burning the meal. However, it can be more fun to try something new. Get on a recipes website, such as http://allrecipes.com/, and plan ahead; make sure whatever you choose she will like. Also, make sure the girl has no allergies. You can do the same thing for dessert, too.

 

A Day of Photos: Girls love cameras; in case you could not tell from all the face shots on Facebook. Cameras capture memories and girls like to preserve those memories. The location can be anywhere: the zoo, or the park. Heck, you could walk all around town taking pictures. Find things you never knew existed. Then, at the end of the day, you can both review your photos, choose your favorites, and either upload them online or make a scrapbook.

 

Go to a Local Bar: No, I am not advising getting wasted and landing in a brawl. Find a bar that has pool tables, dart boards, a dance floor, and maybe a karaoke night and have some fun. You can make it a double date or just the two of you, but the idea is one place with more than one thing to do for fun.

 

Go Dancing: Boys, I do not care if you cannot dance, that is perfectly fine, because about 70 percent of the time, neither can we. I am not implying Footloose or Dirty Dancing for your first time. Get the movies out of your head because those are actors. Start small, like two-stepping at a country hall. Yes, you could go to a club, but mind you, there is no space to really dance, just stepping left and right in one place.

 

Be a Kid: It is not cheesy; no one ever really grows up. Go to the park, day or night, and let go. Fly a kite, climb the jungle gym, push the girl on the swings, go down the slide, and do not feel embarrassed. Being a kid again invokes laughter, and every girl likes a guy who can make her laugh.

 

Exercise: Boys, if a girl does not like to sweat, this may not work, but then again, it’s about having fun. Play basketball, go rollerblading, go swimming, play tennis, run a trail, or go rock climbing. Heck, you could get a trampoline in the backyard and that defines fun. You could teach the girl something new like skateboarding or surfing, or she could teach you yoga or horseback riding.

 

There are plenty of ideas other than these for taking a girl out. Remember, you do not have to spoil us. If we said yes to the date, that probably means we are already half-interested. The date is just an opportunity to have fun and get to know each other better. Why let your money do the talking for you anyway?

The following are two websites with more ideas:

http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/relationship-issues/cheap-date-ideas#slide-1

http://powertochange.com/students/sexandlove/dateideas/

Hope this helps and remember, have FUN!

—April Henley

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