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With the holidays well behind us and January coming to a close, we’ve been full speed ahead into 2019 here on the Funny Farm. Between holiday and business trips, we haven’t spent much time at home, let alone spent time reinvigorating date nights.

My husband and I have been doing “designated date nights” for the last few years now, and it has been a fun way to stay close with each other. Having time set aside for just the two of us–that means no phones, books, tablets, TV–has been really important to us and our marriage. I’m sure many of you can relate, but when a work week comes around, it’s pretty easy to fly through on autopilot. We all know the same routine of ‘how was your day,’ ‘good, how was yours’, ‘good’ and then all of the sudden it’s time to clean up after dinner, feed the critters and head to bed.

With the input of a few of my friends, as well as my personal favorites, here’s a categorized list of some budget friendly date night ideas. If you don’t have designated date nights, here’s a chance to get your spouse on board! 😉

Winter date nights

• Go ice-skating at a local rink. If you’re in the northern Colorado area, you can hit up two outdoor rinks in Fort Collins and Loveland or skate year-round at the EPIC rink. Skate rentals are budget-friendly!
• Go on a winter hike. Regardless of where you reside, there is always at least a few mild days through the winter season that could be utilized as a hiking day. Our favorite is Horsetooth Mountain because it’s beautiful and close by, and it only costs you around $7 for entrance to the park. Hint: if you want a quick hike, take the trail to Horsetooth Falls. It’s short, easy, scenic and perfect for a not-as-intense type hiking day. Don’t have access to hiking? Bundle up and take a walk.
• Go ice-fishing together. Ice-fishing is an inexpensive way to get your feet wet in the outdoor world, not to mention getting a free meal out of it! You don’t need much to get started. Have no clue where to start? Check out your local Division of Wildlilfe/Parks/Recreation site. Here in Colorado, CPW (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) offers FREE ice-fishing clinics that teach you the basics of ice safety, gear and even how to cook your catch. All you need beforehand is warm clothes and a fishing license.
• Go to a hockey game. Here in northern Colorado, the Colorado Eagles are a local team with affordable ticket prices and the games are very fun, regardless of your prior knowledge of the game. Grab dinner beforehand and make it an awesome date night.

Anytime date Nights

• Paper dates. I got this idea from one of my fabulous friends–and I want to do it! Here’s what you do: take an afternoon together and write down date night ideas, restaurants, movies, etc. on small pieces of paper. Put them all in bowl and when it comes to your date, pick one or more! My friend said one day her and her spouse had appetizers at one restaurant, went and saw a movie, got dessert at a different restaurant and ended the night with laser tag. Sounds like an awesome date to me 🙂
• Park-n-Eat. This one is another idea from a friend! Her and her hubby drive downtown (or perhaps wherever there are a plethora of restaurants in your area) and eat at the restaurant closest to where they find a parking spot. Fun, adventurous and spontaneous!
• New Meal & Movie. Another stolen idea from a friend: her and her husband pick out a new recipe to cook together and find a new movie to rent/watch. Not a bad way to find new staples to add to your recipe book!
• Mommy Needs a Cocktail night. Instead of hitting up an expensive brewery or bar, find a cocktail recipe and make new concoctions together, or pick up a six-pack on your way home of some sampler brews to try. Another idea: this reminded me of Girl Scout Cookie season…buy a box of each type of cookie and pair them with wine/beer. Support a good cause 😉
• Play a game. This might sound boring to some, but it’s actually pretty fun. My husband and I love playing UNO together at the dinner table while snacking on chips and salsa. Plus, UNO cards are only around five bucks!
• You-Tube night. Let me explain. We kind of fell into this idea. I wanted to show my husband a funny video I saw on social media and it just kept evolving as “related” videos began popping up. The internet is a strange, but hilarious place! We ended up looking at funny videos for the entire night and laughed our a$$es off!

Farm date Nights

Here are some fun dates to those who can’t get away from farm chores.

• Beer Cooler & Cow Checks. My friend raises cattle with her hubby, and she said her favorite date night was loading the Gator up with a little cooler of beer or mixing up a drink in her YETI tumbler and heading out to check on the herd. *Only try this at home, responsibly folks 😉
• Dog Walks & Picnic Dinners. Ok, this one is pretty much just because we have access to irrigation ponds behind our property and our doggos love to swim. We love to take the dogs out back in the summer and pack a picnic style dinner.
• Tractor Cab Dates. Another friend of mine barely sees her hubby in the summer through fall months, as there’s no such thing as quittin’ time in farming! In order to get some quality time in, my friend will pack a dinner and meet her spouse in the field while he’s working. They eat supper together and chat in the cab while he goes about his work.
• Garage Dates. I’ve had many of these! When my husband gets working on a tractor or project, it’s hard to get him to come inside and sit down. Sometimes I’ll whip up some burritos and sit with him in the garage with the smell of diesel fuel for a romantic aroma 🙂

I hope you’ve been inspired by a few of these designated date night ideas! I encourage you to get creative and have fun with your spouse.

Have an idea to share? Comment below! I’d love to hear them.

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xoxo Chelsea