Now that its summertime and were all itching to get out and do things with our favorite people, its time to start brainstorming affordable ways to make the most of the time we have together. Here are some ways we keep ourselves occupied without breaking the bank.
1.Take a day and go adventuring.
This sounds pricey but if you do it right, you can do it on the cheap. Fill up the car and start driving until you find a place that looks like a good spot to stop. Go out and explore this new place together, find a hole in the way place to try some new food for lunch and just live in the moment.
2. Picnic in a park.
Super easy, super cheap and you get some time out in the fresh air. Pack some sandwiches and a blanket and take the time to enjoy the sun and your sunshine for a minute. Maybe roll down a grassy hill for old times sake too!
3. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a good movie on Netflix.
Go to the store, or your local farmers market and get some bread from the bakery, slap some cheese in the middle, warm up some tomato soup and you've got yourself a yummy dinner to eat with your favorite person. Throw on a movie (one of your favorites or a new one for both of you) and relax for a night.
4. Go hiking.
Find some trails in the nearest state park and get hiking. Make sure you pack some snacks and lots of water and make sure you know your way back to the car but other than that, walk and talk and enjoy the sites side by side.
5. Spend the day on the lake.
Snacks are a must (and so is sunscreen) but a nice relaxing day on the water is just what you need after whatever it is you deal with all week. Lay out on the sand, splash around in the water and do a couple underwater hand stands too while you're at it. Tap into your childhood a little bit and just have fun together.
6. Play Hide-and-Seek in public.
Take a trip to Walmart or Target (later on at night works best) and play hide and seek in the shelves. This time you wont get yelled at by your mom for hiding in the clothes rack (but you've been warned, if you're too disruptive, employees have the right to kick you out.) Be respectful of the establishment and the other people in the store, but still have a little fun.
7. Go canoeing.
Usually renting canoes to float down the river in is fairly cheap so pack some lunch and drinks and you're good to go. A lot of places also have battle boards and kayaks to rent as well!
8. Take a bike ride in a place you’ve never been before.
There are tons of bike trails all over the state, pick one that looks the best for you and go for it. Stay hydrated and be safe and a nice bike ride with your S/O should make for a great little escape.
9. Walk around the hardware store and strategize for the zombie apocalypse.
If you haven't done it already (or even if you have because you can never be too prepared) walk around Home Depot or Menard's and come up with a plan for when the apocalypse hits. What would you stockpile the most? What would be your weapon of choice? How do you ensure maximum survival? Talk to you future zombie killing partner and figure it out.
10. Find a one season show and binge it (with snacks of course).
Decide on a show (it doesn't have to be one season but one season seems to be an adequate binging length) and watch episode after episode together. Make some popcorn, eat some candy and be lazy together for a while.
11. Go antiquing and make up past lives for all the old stuff.
Walk through the cramped aisles of a thrift store or antique shop near you and pick items to create a backstory for. Who did that fancy hat belong to in the 20's? What about that ancient record player? What kind of records were played on it in its heyday? Trade speculations with your love and see which one fits the best.
12. Go thrifting, pick out an outfit for one another and wear it the rest of the day.
Take a trip to the Salvation Army and pick out an outfit. You can go wild or tame with this one, depending on how nice your partner wants to be that day. Purchase the outfits for one another and go on a date in the outfits. You can even take on a different personality and name for the duration of the date and try to keep from laughing at how ridiculous you both look.
13. Go star gazing.
Lay out a blanket on the grass, shut off all the outside lights and pick out the constellations together. Enjoy the beauty that our galaxy holds and appreciate that you have such a wonderful person to admire it with.
14. Teach each other something you’re good at.
Take something that you love to do and teach your S/O. Then have them of the same for you. You probably know how to do something they don't and vice versa, its fun to teach them about something you love and you both gain a new skill! (Be patient though! Just because something comes super easy to you doesn't mean it will for somebody else.)
15. Have a photography contest.
Go on a walk or just go around the house and take artsy pictures and then compare them to see whose you like more. Maybe print it out and make something out of it or keep going until you're satisfied with the pictures you have. Maybe even take turns taking pictures of each other!
16. Plan a date under $20.
Have each of you plan an entire date under $20 and pick whichever one you like better to do! Do your best to keep it under budget and appreciate the little things in life and the happiness that comes from spending time together.
17. Play 20 questions.
You probably played this a lot at the beginning of your relationship (its the fastest way to find out what their favorite everything is duh) but now switch it up a little. You might know them a little better now, so ask them questions you don't yet know the answer to. Their answers might lead to great conversations or you just have fun discovering more things about them.
18. Write letters to each other and hide them for the other person to find.
There are two ways to do this. One you can both write letters to each other together and hide them for your person to find right then, or you can be sneaky about it and hide notes or letters in places that they'll find them at random times. I do this for my boyfriend and whenever he finds them, it always brightens his day.
19. Be a tourist in your own city.
Go to the places you've only ever driven past before. What would somebody else do if they had reached their destination in your hometown? Stop and take a minute to explore the place that's become boring to you after you've lived there for so long, find places you never even knew were there!
20. Pick a recipe that is out of your comfort zone and make it.
Find a recipe that neither of you has made before and try it out. Cook with some music in the background and try some new food together, maybe you'll find a new favorite!
21. Go to Home Depot and dream up your future house.
Wander through the aisles and pick out the tile in your future bathroom and the color of the cabinets in your future kitchen. Walk around and figure out what your dream home might shape up to look like and get some ideas for the future.
22. Go to a morning movie.
Going to see a movie in the morning and early afternoon is extremely less expensive than going to see a movie at night. And there are less people there so you might just get the best seats in the theatre.
23. Have an at-home relaxation night.
Eat some chocolate, slap on a face mask and get into some comfy clothes because sometimes, a little time to relax is much needed.
24. Work out together.
Not always my cup of tea but a healthy couple is a happy couple right? Couples who sweat together stay together and all that jazz.
25. Go on a quest to find the most romantic place near you, pick a spot, and dance together
Pick one of your favorite spots, or a spot you've never been before, play some music from your phone and take a minute to just be. Slow dance around in a circle, flail your arms and jump around, do whatever feels right and just enjoy the moment.
26.Play some board games.
If you didn't really know them as a person before, you will now. Nobody can hide their true selves when playing an excruciatingly long game of Monopoly.
27. Cloud watch.
Lay out a blanket and figure out which shapes the clouds make. It's fun to see things from your love's point of view.
28. Draw each other.
Not everybody needs to be the best artist ever, do your best and you'll have some fun seeing how you look from their perspective. (Stick figures count I guess but I think you can do better).
29. Make a list of your favorite qualities about each other and read them to one another.
Sometimes it's just really nice to hear what your significant other thinks about you. After getting caught up in the craziness of everyday life, you start to forget the little things about each other that made you fall in love in the first place. Make a list of those little things and remind each other.
30. Play paint twister in white clothes.
You'll end up laughing so hard you can't breathe and you'll have some kick ass tie dye to wear.
31. Try to get each other ready, you do their morning routine for them and they do yours.
It might take a little longer but switch morning routines for a day. It's hilarious to watch and you'll have more fun getting ready than you ever have before.
32. Take a drive.
Pick up and go. Roll the windows down, turn the radio up and go wherever the road takes you.
33. Do a small home improvement project together.
Has the color of the bathroom bugged you since you moved in? Go grab a bucket of paint and fix it. Turn up the jams and rock out with rollers in your hands. You might just end up with a big handprint on your butt too.
34. Have a Staycation.
Put you phone on silent, tell everyone you're busy for the weekend and stay home.Cook dinner, watch a movie, make a fort in the living room. Do all your favorite things and just spend time together.
35. Volunteer together.
There's no feeling better then lending a helping hand, so why don't you help others together? Improve somebody else life while spending time together, you'll end the day feeling accomplished and knowing you helped make the world a little bit better.
36. Try Yoga together, even if you’re not really into yoga.
Yoga is excellent for your body and after working a long week or stressing about something, its nice to just release it all and breath. Help you partner de-stress and get in some stretches yourself, you may end up being into yoga by the end.
37. Go to the Farmers Market.
There are so many people sleeping on the Farmers Market when it's literally one of the best places I've ever been. Farm fresh food and a lovely bunch of people make for a great time with you S/O and you leave feeling full.
38. Make a craft together.
Something cute to hang on the wall that you can look at and smile because you made it together. Pinterest is full of ideas to help you out!
39. Walk dogs at the Humane Society.
Who doesn't want to spend time with puppies who need some love? Volunteer at a humane society near you and walk some doggo's, you get the exercise and they get to walk around outside for a little bit. (be careful though, you might come home with a puppy).
40. Go on the Ultimate Movie Marathon.
Pick a series to watch (**Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hobbit**) or just a couple of your favorites and spend the day watching them together.
41. Have an alphabet scavenger hunt.
Go around town or around the house and find things that look like the letters of the alphabet, take a picture and spell some stuff out with them. It makes for a super cute craft and you get to compete against each other a bit.
42. Go camping in your own back yard.
Bust out that tent, blow up the old air mattress and transform the backyard into a camping trip. Make Hobo pies and roast marshmallows over the campfire. Catch fireflies too if you want (as long as you let them go)!
43. Fondue Night
Who doesn't like melty cheese and anything dipped in chocolate? Melt some down and dip snacks in it. Feel as fancy as can be as you dip that animal cracker in chocolate.
44. Nostalgia Night.
Spend a whole night watching your favorite childhood tv shows and talking about a simpler time. Throw on that Hannah Montana CD and slap some silly bands on your arm cause you've just been hit by a blast from the past. Talk about your favorite things to do as a kid and which bands you loved the most. Spend a whole night talking to your future about the past.
45. Cook each other’s favorite meal.
If you're gonna be together for a while, its super important to learn how to make their favorite meal right? Get the recipe, learn how to make it and cook it for them. It's a cute surprise and you might remind them of home.
46. Just be with each other.
It is so important to just take time to spend time together. There's no reason you have to spend a million dollars to do something fun. Get a little creative, stop to enjoy the little things and just be in the moment with the love of your life.
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10. Extra BlanketsJuwenin Home 100% Cotton Knitted Throw Blanket
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