No Money for a Date Night?

Over the past few days, I've been browsing blogs online that give ideas for dates!  I've found a lot of date ideas that cost money - - certainly more money than we can afford!  But there were a few that I thought I would share with you, because they're super cheap.

I highly recommend this site to anyone who wants ideas for date nights with your spouse!!  I got a bunch of these ideas from the dating divas.  Most of them I toned down so that they can just be done on a whim because I'm making a date jar for my hubby on our 3rd wedding anniversary!

Here are the dates I'm putting in my jar... most of the ideas taken from the dating divas, some of my own in there, and some of the ideas that Jennifer originally posted in her date jar blog (again, both sites are linked above).

Like Jennifer did, I'm color-coding the Popsicle sticks that I use to signify planning needed as well as amount of money.  That way when we need a simple last-minute date after the baby is in bed, we can pull from the white Popsicle sticks.  When we want to plan a date in advance that costs a little more money, we can pull from the blue ones.  The purple sticks are going to signify cheaper dates that can either be at home or out of the house.

So, here we go!

Blue Sticks = Expensive, Planning Needed

• Couples Massage
• Concert and dinner (his/her choice)
• Hotel stay for a night
• Letter Date (choose a letter and everything you do starts with that letter)
• Italian Date
• Dinner and a Movie (his choice/her choice)
• Laser Tag
• New Cuisine
• Drive-In Movie
• Red Robin (you can put your favorite restaurant in here)
• Choose Your Own Adventure
• Dinner at a fancy restaurant

Pink Sticks = Cheap, Minimal Planning

• Make dessert for dinner
• Dollar Date (dollar store, dollar menu dinner, dollar theater)
• Walmart BINGO
• Strip HORSE
• Bite-Sized Treats guessing game
• Root Beer Floats
• Visit a Bakery and pick out some treats, eat by the canal
• 2 Redbox movies
• Dollar Store presents
• Milkshake w/2 straws
• Ice Cream sandwiches w/ the sunset
• Dollar Theater
• Window Shopping
• Bowling
• Coffee House
• Bookstore Date
• Go Picasso
• Go to the park
• Sledding/Rollerblading
• Go to a game together
• Garage Sale

White Sticks = Cheap, No Planning (Home)

• Takeout and board games
• Game Night
• Blackout Date (turn all lights off and think of things you can do in the dark)
• Make chocolate bowls
• Play Guess that Tune
• Watch home videos
• Harry Potter Marathon
• Blindfold Night
• At-Home Spa Night
• Nature Walk
• Popcorn Fun (find as many uses for popcorn as you can)
• Bubble Bath
• 1,000 piece puzzle and pizza
• Make a home video (idea - - interview each other for your kids to watch one day)
• Stargaze
• Feed Ducks
• Homemade Pizza
• Popcorn & a chick flick
• Make soap sculptures
• Crossword and breakfast for dinner
• Saturday Morning Cartoons
• Flavored Gum comparison
• Pillow Talk
• Love notes in books
• Sudoku together
• Name that treat

Even when - - no, especially when - - money is tight, it's SO important to make time for each other!  This means getting some time alone with the hubby and being together... finding reasons to laugh and ways to reconnect.  Sometimes the best way to be together is to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie, but a lot of the time what we really need when our pocketbooks are empty is some fellowship with that man we fell in love with!

Introduction

Well, I'm not really a blogger... not yet, anyway.  For a while now I've been trying to decide what I might blog about.  A week ago I had this idea to write about the two things that soak up most of my attention throughout the day: money and Jesus.

You might not think so, but the two are very closely linked.  My husband and I have always struggled with finances.  We have trouble staying on a budget, and we just can't seem to keep money in our savings account!  After we had our first baby, our budget went down the drain.  I tried going back to work and sending our little munchkin to daycare, but it was just too expensive.  At the end of the day, I only made about $40 a week after paying the daycare!  So I stay at home now.  I picked up a little "job" (if you can call it that - - I'm an independent consultant for Usborne Books & More) and I have continued working at my church for very little pay.  My husband has taken all the raises and overtime he possibly can, but we still don't make enough money to meet the needs of our budget each week.

So, what do you do when there isn't enough money in the bank account to pay all the bills?  That's what this blog is going to be about.  We're going from rags to riches!  (Well, we hope...)  But even if we don't end up being "rich and famous," we already have all the riches we need.

My hope is that this blog will help me cope with the stresses that close-to poverty brings.  I aspire to become a better writer through this blog.  My goal is to come back at least every other day to update.  But most of all I pray that this blog will bring someone closer to the Lord, and the peace, comfort, and joy that He brings - no matter what life's circumstances may have to offer.