Five Great Date Ideas (And How To Shamelessly Save Money On Them)
Ever had a great idea for a date, then realized you don’t have or want to spend the cash on some girl you might never speak to again? No? Well lucky for you, I have. Here’s five great date ideas, and how to make them cheaper.
1. Cook For Her:
Inviting your date over for a meal prepared by you is a sure way to impress their pants off. Not only can you showcase your burgeoning culinary skills, you can turn up the spice by lighting some candles and showing your romantic side. But buying all the ingredients for a big meal can get awfully expensive (have you seen the prices on oysters these days?).
Instead of breaking the bank on your date, why not just cook with what you have around the house? Frozen pizza? Sounds like your main course. Chips and salsa? Can you say “appetizer?” Chocolate syrup? I call that a dessert. Plus, when she’s so impressed by your chic thriftiness that she demands to stay the night, that syrup could sure come in handy.
2. Take Her On A Nice Summer Stroll:
When the weather’s nice, a summer walk can do wonders for the soul. The key to this one working is to be very vague to your date. Tell them you have a surprise for them at the end of your walk (totally not creepy right?). A horse drawn carriage ride would be a great surprise, but who has the money for one of those? Rather, just walk to some really nice view of the city. You don’t have to pay for views of the city, and she’ll be so underwhelmed by the surprise that you’ll only have room to improve from there.
3. The Italian Date:
Tell your date you want to take them on an authentic Italian date. She’ll picture a fantastic pasta meal in a dimly lit, romantic little Italian restaurant followed by a gondola ride or something. The perfect date.
Of course, a more authentic Italian date would be to drive to some random place, park, then get it on in the car. No seriously, Italian men and women often live with their parents well into their twenties, meaning that they need to get creative when they want to “hang out” with their significant others/dates.
Given that the Italians have apparently not grasped the concept of motels (or they’re just visionaries in this whole cheap date thing), they choose to do the drive and park instead. Italy even has car parks designed for this function. Again, seriously. Your date will be laughing so hard at the hilarious misunderstanding of what an “Italian date” meant that you’re bound to get lucky, all for the price of gas. Now that’s amore.
4. Take Her To A Concert:
If your date has similar musical interests as you, going to a concert can be one hell of a first date. Regardless of what the chemistry is between the two of you, you know she’ll have a great time enjoying music she loves. Have you seen concert tickets these days though? Coldplay clocks in at 71 dollars per ticket, and they’re a walking punchline. Who has that kinda money to see some wimpy Brits that aren’t the Beatles?
Instead of going to her favorite band’s concert, tell her you’ve got tickets to an up-and-coming indie band’s show, then just take her to your buddy’s band practice. Everyone has those friends who decided to be in a band even after they’d grown up and turned 15 – take advantage of their misguided aspirations by pretending you don’t know them, then, convincing your date that they truly are the next big indie band. All of a sudden, she’s amazed at your ability to get “backstage” passes to their practice session.
5. Take Her To A Ballgame:
With summer comes the smell of hot dogs on the grill at the old ballpark. Taking your date to a baseball game allows for plenty of conversation, and a shared enthusiasm for the home team. On a warm summer evening, a night out at a game can be an extremely conducive atmosphere for love. Ball games sure can be expensive though. After parking, tickets, hot dogs and a drink, your wallet is toast. Instead, tell her you’re going to a ballgame, then bring her to a local little league game. They don’t charge for admission there (I’ve heard). When she gets really confused about why you’re at a little league game, tell her your nephew is playing. The dedication you show for your family will endear you to her. Make sure to come up with an excuse for leaving before the game ends though, so she doesn’t figure out that you don’t have a nephew.
Disclaimer: Please read this before going out if you have any inkling that your date is neurotic enough to try out any of one through five (especially the Italian date).
Category: Cooking, Dating, Dating / Sex, Humor, Other, Saving, Seduction, Thrift
