Cheap date night

[Denvergirlie]

We don't have to worry about getting or paying a sitter, so that is one less "headache" to worry about when considering a night out.

We don't really do movies, have been to the theatre 3 times in the past 4 years.
Dinner out isn't really that much of an "event" to let us escape the house for a few hours...

No bowling, no darts, or shooting pool, no bars unless their is a good act playing, but honestly, we are ready for bed at 10pm pretty much nightly, the fact that the calendar states it's Saturday night doesn't make any difference to my internal clock.

We used to go to the book store a lot in the winters, get a cup of hot chocolate, but one can only do that so many times.

What else do you all do when you want to escape the house for a few hours in the evening?

We've thought about going to high school plays/ productions, but honestly have had a hard time finding them... we are not involved in the local schooling system, so haven't a clue as to the names of the local high schools in the first place. Goggling them hasn't been very successful.

What do you and your partners do for a "cheap/ cheaper" night out. Theatre, comdey clubs, sporting events... those all run $50 a ticket, so that's out....

We can always find something to do in the daylight hours, it's the night time hours that we are having problems with. Likewise, it's not so much about spending time together (movie night at home, etc), but about getting out of the house itself and doing something together. (I work from home, so can go week+ without leaving the house)

thanks!

[Alyantavid]

Here, we have tons of geothermal hot springs. There are a few places we can go do that and its really pretty cheap. Its pretty fun and relaxing.

That and dinner out or with some friends is about all we do.

[rainbowmoon]

coffee or tea house with live music.

we stay in mostly and never actually have "dated". (met online and basically have been living together since we met!)

[annethcz]

Ice skating
Roller skating
Hiking
Dancing

[ArtsyMomma]

We mostly stay in - we joke about 'cocooning' - eat dinner, watch a movie - we like documentaries.

Our funnest 'dates' haven't really been dates, more like doing projects together.

DP is planning on getting a membership to the gym I go to. It's only $10 a month.

We go to plays at the community college - free since DP is a prof

We are involved in the local art community, so when events come up we do those sometimes.

We LOVE to take a trip to Ikea - that is a real adventure

Long walks at the park when it's warm out.

Invite friends over for a cook-out - usually they bring supplies.

Maybe find somewhere to volunteer?

Take a class together? That may be a bit more expensive, but you might be able to find something like a wine-making class that you could enjoy together

My parents have a hot-tub, once in a while we go to their place to take advantage of it.


That's all I can think of, we both kind of prefer to stay home - eating out is over rated (to us at least)

[Leilamus]

We haven't gone on an actual date in years now, it's quite sad really. But now that our youngest is getting over his separation issues we've been talking about going out. We like to go to the bookstore and get coffee and browse, we visit at a friend's house, kind of a double date but just with friends and eating dinner - they usually make the main course and we bring a side dish or dessert or something.

Another thing we've loved doing before we even had kids was making our own chinese food and watching a movie together. We have netflix but we've also gotten great stuff from our library too which is totally free. Might be an idea...

[rebeccalynn]

We go to the library and look at their variety of magazines. DH loves photography so we take walks and he takes pictures. Game night/cards - either just the 2 of you at the library or coffee house or invite an other couple. Some museums have a free day monthly to residents. Also, check out the announcements board at the library for local events. Skip rocks at a local pond/lake. We take the most random things and do them or we pick a random place and see if there is anything to do there.

[JesiLynne]

"Parking" is free

[notjustmamie]

Are you near a local college? They often have free or reasonably priced events (art shows, dance/music recitals, debates, lectures).

DH and I have also liked playing games. Mostly ours are "talking" games, so we tend to play in the car or while walking, but you could also play a card or board game at a local coffeehouse.

What about shopping? DH isn't a big shopper for clothes or whatever, but he likes shopping for stuff that interests him (music, gadgets, cooking).

Have you checked with your local visitors bureau or chamber of commerce to see if they have a calendar of events in your area? (I googled Denver CVB and found this page listing free events)

Good luck finding some new stuff to do out of the house with DH!

[lil_earthmomma]

Comedy clubs almost always have an amature night, and ours is only $8.00 a ticket, so that's cheaper than the movies! Ya some of the acts might stink, but they are short and there is a headliner, so the evening always promises to be an adventure.

We like to hike in the spring/summer/fall and have a picnic with some treat foods, like fancy cheese, nice bread etc.

Play cards with some other couple/s. Board games too. We just had so much fun playing cranium with some other couples. Hillarious.

That's all I can think of right now!

[crazyeight]

here we have a "tucson weekly" paper that is more arts/nightlife oriented. theres always something going on. at least 7-8 things each night from classes, bands, dancing, outdoor theater etc. its in every single of our local librarys. if your in denver i can't imagine they don't have something similar. the paper is free and many of the events are free and/or cheap

[momasana]

Do you live near an observatory?

We used to visit one a lot. Most of the time they are free, or very inexpensive (a dollar or two)

[Tizzy]

Bookstore, ice skating, roller skating, antiquing, look at model homes to get ideas for your own home, arboretum, bird watching, star gazing - get a book from the library and try to find as many constellations as you can see, go for a drive, hiking!!

[mysticmomma]

picnic? walk a trail? do you have a local craigslist? they often have stuff in the activities section.

[ewp11100]

yoga!

[mnt_mommy]

Denvergirlie-
How about 16th St Mall?
I've lived in Denver as well, so my suggestions are local.
There are free tours of the Coors factory in Golden (with samples). There is also sampling after the tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder.
Boulder... don't get me started. Sometimes just driving around is a trip! Pearl St art galleries. All the hiking is great. If you go for a state park, it is $6 per car to get in.
Best Kept Secret: Michelle Kwan is attending DU right now. So, you can see an Olympic ice skater at one of DU's shows for only $12/adult right now.
This Saturday DU is doing a gymnastic meet with several Olympic team members. Admission is the same thing (but watch out for parking costs. Take the light rail instead)
Hope this helps!~

[artemis33]

Originally Posted by momasana

Do you live near an observatory?

We used to visit one a lot. Most of the time they are free, or very inexpensive (a dollar or two)

Oh I love that idea! If only we lived somewhere that wasn't cloudy all the time!!! LOL

What about just going to a few restaurants in one night....not 'dinner out' but a tour of sorts....

Go to one or two places for just appetizers and drinks then visit another for dessert. More fun than just one place and can be cheaper if you plan it well (start during happy hour where appetizers are well priced!). You could do a theme night with the restaurant choices....

[DiannaK]

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[Denvergirlie]

Thanks for all the ideas.

I'll have to check out the local colleges more as well as really try to find more high school productions. We have a local newspaper, The Westward, like all the other "independent" newspapers, they have lots of bands and activities advertised, but not much catches out eye often. We did go to a gardening talk the other day, some 200 people showed up!

mnt_mommy - We are not really "trendy"/ into consumerism, so going to the 16th st mall, is really more of a torture that a fun evening out.
We've done Coors, Celestial Seasonings, Hammonds candies and the butterfy pavaillion all at least once, some of them twice.

We certainly take advantage of day time stuff like hiking (we have a state parks yearly pass), picnics, walks, museums, library, festivals, fairs, etc, etc.
It's really more of the night time stuff that we find lacking.

When we were younger a night out at a bar with friends was a lot of fun, just talking and what not and could be done on the cheap. However, I don't drink (he does sometimes but not a lot) and as I've grown older I really dislike being around people that do. When their personalities start to change after 2 drinks I find myself wanting to bolt for the door.

The observatory is a good idea, I think there is one up in Boulder, granted it's a 40 minute drive each way, but will have check it out none the less.

We went up to the casino's in Blackhawk last Saturday, it was fun but certainly not cheap. Granted gas is cheaper these days, but even than 40 minute drive each way plus money to gamble all adds up to not a cheap night out.

[lolar2]

The University of Denver has a good music school. Here is their arts calendar: http://ducal.du.edu/cgi-bin/webevent.cgi