Dating doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun! When my husband and I
were dating we didn’t have a lot of money to spend – so we didn’t do the traditional dinner and a movie very often. Instead, we got creative, and had fun, meaningful moments doing more simple things:
1. We often went to different city parks and had a barbecue or a picnic. Sometimes we just spent time walking the trails or riding our bikes.
2. We had our own special walking route that we would take frequently, and sometimes after we would walk for a while we would just sit on a bench and stare at the sky. At night we would sit and talk and gaze at the stars.
3. When we did watch movies, we would wait to see them until they came to the cheap theater where the cost of tickets is about a third of the price of the regular movie theaters. Instead of eating out, we would often cook together, making interesting dishes and just enjoy each other’s company.
4. We had a lot of fun taking silly pictures of each other wherever we went. We didn’t have to go anywhere special, but we found that taking pictures is entertaining no matter where you are.
5. Sometimes we would go for a drive outside of the city and go hiking and exploring wherever we ended up. That was always a lot of fun. We still do that once in a while. It’s always nice to get out of the city.
The most interesting and fun part about dating is getting to know one another. Whether or not you spend a lot of money is up to you, but it really isn’t necessary to have a good time and create great memories.
Pam Entertainment
You can have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Try out some of the suggestions below:
1. Play board games or card games with family and/or friends. You can even entertain yourself by playing solitaire or free online games like spider solitaire, mahjong, etc.
2. On a clear night, go stargazing and watch for falling stars.
3. Visit your local library. Take advantage of the free books, movies, and music. Libraries are a great place to take your kids – instill in them a love for reading and learning.
4. Go on a picnic in your favorite park.
5. Go sledding. This is fun even if you don’t have kids. My husband and I go out once or twice every winter and it makes us feel like we are young again!
Read more…
Pam Entertainment
My husband and I don’t eat out a lot because it is expensive, and we can buy a lot of groceries for the cost of one meal at a restaurant. However, eating out is a lot of fun, especially because then we don’t have to cook and clean up. Whenever we eat out we try to order something really unique that we wouldn’t be likely to make at home. We also usually follow these simple suggestions below that help us to save money when we do eat out:
1. Drink water. Beverages are overpriced at restaurants. Instead of spending extra money on beverages, order some nice dishes instead.
2. If it works with your schedule, eat out at lunch instead of supper. At most restaurants, you can often order virtually the same dish at lunch and it will cost a lot less.
3. Skip the appetizers. Unless you are going out with a large group and everyone is splitting the bill, I wouldn’t recommend choosing appetizers. Your dollar will go the furthest if you order the main dishes.
4. Order main dishes that will be filling enough that you won’t have an appetite for dessert. Desserts are usually overpriced and, at least for me, they are often disappointing. Somehow they just don’t taste as good as I would have expected after looking at their pictures on the menu.
5. Use coupons. Restaurants often mail out coupons to their local areas, or you can find coupons in your local community coupon books. Some restaurants also offer promotions and coupons online on their websites.
6. If you are really hungry and want it all – appetizers, main dishes, soup, salads, and dessert – go for a buffet. For a flat fee you can eat as much as you want and it will cost a lot less than if you were to order everything individually. We especially enjoy going out for a seafood buffet - all you can eat crab legs and shrimp is absolutely fantastic!
Pam Entertainment
If you’re a big movie fan like I am, you may be spending a lot of money on movies. In order to avoid spending more money that you need to, here are a few recommendations:
1. Be patient! If a movie has just come out that you really want to see, wait until it comes to the “cheap theatre” before watching it. Try to limit the amount of popcorn and other snacks you buy because even the cheap theatres have expensive snacks. If you want to really save money, make it a habit to eat a snack or a meal at home prior to going to the theatre so you aren’t tempted to buy the overpriced items.
2. Matinees are cheaper than evening movies, so you can get a better deal at most theatres by going mid morning or early afternoon. If you have a whole day free, why not go for the matinee?
3. Better yet, rent movies rather than going to the theatre. That way you can watch with a group of friends or family members without each having to pay individually. You can also make your own popcorn and snacks.
Although going to the movie theatre can be fun, especially when a movie you really want to see has just come out, I highly recommend waiting. The movie will still be just as entertaining and you will have saved enough money to watch 3 or 4 movies for the price you would have paid to see one if you were impatient!
Pam Entertainment
Libraries are a great way to provide entertainment for your whole family at very little or no cost. You’re paying for them with your taxes anyway; you might as well reap their benefits. Why buy books when you can read them for free? Most of the time we only read them once anyway and then they collect dust on the shelf. If you don’t have a lot of spare time to wander through the library searching for books, check out your library’s website. You will more than likely be able to request the book that you want so they can put it on hold for you. That way you just have to pick it up and it saves you the extra time. Libraries usually also have movies that you can rent for little or no cost if you prefer movies to books. They have a wide variety of children’s books and of course many how- to books if you want to save money by learning how to do things yourself rather than hiring someone else to do odd jobs. There are also some great books out there for people who want to learn how to become financially free. I highly recommend the Rich Dad books by Robert Kiyosaki. They really inspired us. I will write more about those books later.
Pam Entertainment
Rather than spending a lot of money inviting your friends out to eat, invite them to have a meal at your home. You have to eat anyway, so it won’t cost that much more to feed a few extra people. Besides, having people over is great motivator to clean up your home! After the meal you can enjoy each other’s company by playing cards, board games, or watching a rented movie. Entertaining doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. In fact, our best experiences with others have been when we have chatted with them in our living room. It’s easier to make a connection and you don’t have to worry about being interrupted every few minutes by a restaurant employee. Try it out sometime to see how it works for you. It will make it a lot easier to entertain more often without having to worry about how much the bill will come to at the end of the evening!
Pam Entertainment
