Cheap date night ideas at home during lockdown

Posted on 11:50am Friday 12th Jun 2020

One thing that most people are missing the most during lockdown is being able to go to a nice restaurant for a meal, or even a pub garden with all the lovely weather we have had. Even my five year old has said the first thing he wants to do when coronavirus is over is to go for a pizza in a restaurant!

What am I missing during lockdown?

Firstly, I am definitely craving time alone whilst being in lockdown. I work at home, alone, and usually have 35 hours a week by myself. This is time by myself that I have got used having for the past two years, to so it’s definitely different having a houseful at the moment and trying to work at the same time with all the noise, interruptions and hustle and bustle surrounding me!

But secondly, I am missing alone time with my husband! I am missing date nights and evenings together. Pre-lockdown the kids would go to bed around 7.30pm, but now our routines have completely changed and it’s rare they are staying in bed before 9pm. With the interruptions in the day and more chores to do whilst everyone is here, I am working most evenings to catch up, so Ben and I have barely spent any quality time alone together since the lockdown began.

There have definitely been no date nights or a chance of going out by ourselves. No one can look after the children except for us. The number one thing I’d like to do when things get back to some sort of normality is to go on a date night with my husband, to a restaurant, for a meal! A night off cleaning and cooking. A night off work. A night to chat without interruptions!

For now though, quality time alone as husband and wife is not possible, so we need to come up with a solution. I think we need to plan a date night at home and try our best to get the kids to bed early!

Save money with a date night at home

One benefit of not going out to a restaurant for dates as normal is the money saved. It is much more affordable to have a date night at home, providing you don’t rack up the costs with an expensive takeaway!

Many of us are worrying about money at the moment so here are some date night ideas that are free or cheap. Much cheaper than going to a fancy restaurant anyway!

Lockdown date night ideas

Date night ideas at home

Outdoor cinema

With the warm evenings, it’s the perfect time to be outdoors. Most of us have a laptop and Netflix subscription, or similar, so why not watch a film outdoors for an outdoor cinema experience?

Set up an outdoor seating area with cosy blankets, cushions and candles and enjoy watching a movie surrounded by nature.

This is a great free date night idea, but you could splash out and buy some special snacks and drinks!

Turn your dining room into a fancy restaurant

Get out your best china and glassware, dim the lights, add a rose and candle to your dining table, ideally on a white tablecloth, pop on some music, and pretend you are at a restaurant!

Cook a great meal and even dress up for occasion. It will be a nice break from all the loungewear you might have become accustomed to!

You could even try recreating your favourite restaurant meals.

Create a spa

Treat your loved one to an at-home spa experience! Run them a candlelit bubble bath and set up the bedroom for a relaxing back massage once they are out.

At-home hotel

Stay for a night in a hotel! Well, your bedroom hotel. Check out this idea on Pinterest on how to make your room a hotel room for the night.

Order ‘room service’ (takeaway) and eat in bed whilst watching a movie! Make sure your bed is freshly made with your best bed sheets. Light candles and make sure you have drinks and snacks at your disposable - your own mini fridge even, but without the extortionate hotel costs!

To make your ‘night in a hotel’ even more exciting you could buy some massage oil or intimacy toys for a night of fun!

Have a comedy night

There’s nothing better than laughing together, so find some comedians on YouTube, Netflix or your own collection and have a night of great stand-up comedy!

Memory date

We all take so many photos nowadays, but how often do we actually look through them? Have a memory date night, put on your favourite music and songs that mean something to you and dig out the photo albums. Set up your TV with a digital photo slide show and start from the beginning of your relationship to reminisce.

Romantic picnic

Set up a romantic picnic for two in your garden, or even the living room floor if you don’t have a garden or the weather is bad.

Fill a hamper with your favourite homemade picnic snacks and lie together on a picnic blanket gazing up at the clouds and trees above.

Light a candle

Even your most normal evening meal together can have the feel of a date if you dim the lights and light a candle instead. The same is true when watching TV together in the evening - light a candle for an instant cosy glow and romantic feel to what might otherwise be a standard TV evening.

Have a quiz night

Find a couples quiz online to reveal how much you really know each other or even find a pub quiz. You could even make up a quiz for each other!

Games night

So long as you aren’t too competitive and this won’t end in an argument then whip out the board games and enjoy a games night together.

For something to make you laugh, and not quite as competitive, give Pictionary a go!

Go to the trampoline park

So you can’t technically go to an actual trampoline park, but if your kids have one in the garden then get on it! Trampoline together, get your heart racing, feel great and have a giggle!

Recreate your first date

Can you remember your first date and what you ate? Recreate the experience at home and cook the first meal you ever ate together!

Bucket list date night

Set aside a night to create a bucket list together of all the things you long to do and places you want to explore. You may not be able to do any of them just yet, but it’s exciting to think about the future and all the places we want to see. Look them up online, watch videos and get excited for the things you can do together as a couple in the future.

Once complete, decide on the first thing you want to do from your bucket list and make that a goal once lockdown is over!

Go clubbing!

Buy a disco ball or disco ball light and pop it in the corner of your living room. Turn on your music and take yourselves to a night club or even go to a concert if you can find a video of your favourite bands!

Hopefully these ideas will give you lots of inspiration for a cheap date night at home. Now to get my kids to bed on time…!

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