In this post, Find Keep Love looks at a few cheap date ideas that won’t break the bank and won’t make you appear to be a cheapskate. You can show your date/partner a fun and/or interesting time without having to take out a loan to do so!
1. A coffee date
A date at a café can be an inexpensive way to get to know someone over a cup of tea or coffee (and even cake!). This is a great option for first/initial dates – it’s casual, and the bill shouldn’t end up being too expensive. It is also a suitable alternative to a pub, where alcohol can sometimes have a negative influence on a date (see our post on First Dates Dos and Don’ts), but you can also easily end up with an expensive bill if things are going well!
2. Visit a National Park & enjoy the great outdoors
England, for example, has 10 National Parks that cover almost 10% of the land area. There are 113,000 National Parks worldwide, which cover about 6% of the Earth’s land surface! Many of these are free/cheap to enter, so provided the weather is good, why not pack a picnic basket with yummy food and enjoy some beautiful scenery that have been specifically protected for us to enjoy. There are many ways to get in touch with Mother Nature, and it doesn’t have to be at a National Park. Besides enjoying the weather outside, you can watch the sunrise/sunset, watch birds and other animals, pick fruit, gaze at the stars, and so on.
3. Visit a National Trust property
The UK’s National Trust protects and opens many historic gardens, mills and monuments for the public to visit, and for a small yearly membership fee (even cheaper when you get a joint membership), you have access to National Trust properties and events, as well as opportunities to join local supporter groups. National Trust properties include something for everyone: grand houses and mansions, caves, lighthouses, gardens, beaches, castles and abbeys!
4. Go on a day trip on a bus or train
With advance/cheap bus or train tickets, you can take a trip to another village or city and spend the day there. Super Off Peak Day Return train tickets can let you have a day trip on a weekend for just over £10 to travel from Cambridge to London, for example, where a normal ticket would cost over £40. With megabus.com, you can get a bus from Cambridge to Oxford for as low as £1! For other offers and tips, check out Money Saving Expert’s post on cheap train & coach deals.
5. Go for a walk/jog/run/cycle somewhere together
Many cities have walking or cycling trails and getting some exercise together can be a great way to release endorphins. You could stop off at a village along the way to browse the shops, sample the local produce, have a cup of tea or coffee or a beer, and then continue on your journey. The exercise will have a positive impact on your cardiovascular system and have you both feeling (and possibly even looking) better, and with the help of Google Maps you can tailor your route/distance to your specific fitness level!
Stay tuned for the continuation of this post, where we’ll explore five more cheap date ideas!
Find Keep Love 