Cheap Valentines Dating – Manage My Money

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 7:47 am

Valentine Gift small Have you ever spent way more money than anticipated on a date trying to make a positive first impression or re-kindle an old flame? Here’s three ideas I use when I try to be responsible and manage my money while planning romantic outings without appearing cheap.

Hiking and a Picnic – When we were dating, I thought my wife would be impressed with an expensive meal and a show. Then, along the way I learned to manage my money and tried a cheap dating idea. I prepared a nice picnic lunch and took her out to a local National Park. We spent a couple hours hiking and chatting. When we got tired, we sat on a picnic blanket discussing how beautiful the views were and laughing at the spastic squirrels. Major breakthrough. We had much livelier and meaningful conversation on this outing than any dinner and movie. We weren’t hushed by other movie goers or distracted by the hockey game on the television. It was like we were the only people in the world.

Build Her a Fort – I can’t tell you how fun it was to turn my living room into a romantic refuge. I used flexible tent poles and blankets for the roof. I took the futon mattress and put it on the floor to sit on while I served her a simple yet elegant meal. When the meal is over, you can sit on the futon and watch television, or figure something out. It is so important for me to manage my money well. But I will not allow it to affect my relationship. The creativity and taking the time to think of something different is really appreciated.

Take Her Skating – We used to live in Ottawa and the Rideau Canal would freeze during the winter. Taking my wife on a romantic skate down the canal was always a nice time to chat. We really got to know each other this way, I was able to responsibly manage my money, and my wife saw me as a romantic person willing to do something outside the box. At the end we’d have hot chocolate which I’d have in my backpack. When we really felt like blowing the budget, we’d splurge on a Beavertail (deep-fried pastry with various flavor options).

These are only three of many frugal dating ideas I used to manage my money. Feel free to use them for yourself or be creative and think up some of your own. You will look like a romantic Casanova and not break the bank. Develop a good budget and predetermine what you will allocate towards romantic endeavors. You can find budget tools on google, or check out our ebook for more on saving ideas. We also have a comprehensive budget spreadsheet and other financial calculators. Check out our resource link.

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