If you are finding it difficult to spend time with your husband, you may be in need of some fun date night ideas. Keeping romance alive is crucial to a happy marriage. Romance is also another factor to consider in your work-life balance. Take time, once a week or even just once a month (if that's all you can manage), to have a date night with your husband. Here are 10 low-cost, easy ideas for date night:
1. Movie Night
If you can make it out to the theater, then by all means go for it. But if you can't find a sitter, you can still have movie night in the comfort of your own home. Rent classic romantic films like "Casablanca" or "Breakfast at Tiffany's," make a few bags of microwave popcorn, and snuggle on the couch with your hubby.
2. Picnic
"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou" was everything the poet Omar Khayyam needed for a romantic evening. Pack a picnic dinner, and find a spot with a terrific starry view of the night sky. Or, make microwave s'mores and a picnic on a blanket in your living room.
3. Free Museum Night
Most local museums offer a free admission night, and some even offer live music or interesting lectures. Check out your area for intriguing possibilities. Museum night can broaden your horizons--it will give you something to talk about other than the kids and work.
4. Coffee, Tea or Me?
Your local coffee house is a great place to go and have uninterrupted conversation with your hubby and your favorite brew. Coffee houses also offer live music nights.
5. Happy Hour
Check your local sports bars for the best deals on wings and draft beers. It goes without saying, but one of you should be the designated driver in case happy hour gets too lively.
6. Putt-Putt Golf
Recapture your youth, and get a little exercise--miniature golf is a fun and inexpensive option for date night.
7. Geocaching
If you and your hubby are treasure-seekers at heart, go find a few geocaches. Geocaching is a kind of treasure hunt, in which you search for hidden caches (left by other geocachers) using a GPS system. Try googling "geocache" for further information and to find caches in your area.
8. Bowling
Bowling is another inexpensive activity that gets you moving, and it can be a fun double or group date idea.
9. Universities
Colleges and universities are a gold mine for inexpensive date night ideas. Check your local college's schedule for concerts, ballets, outdoor movie screenings, and other fun and intellectually stimulating events.
10. Planetariums
Gaze at the stars with your beloved, or enjoy a light show at your local planetarium.
As you can see from these tips, date night doesn't have to be difficult or expensive to arrange; in fact, you don't always need a babysitter. Keep your romance alive by making date night a priority in your quest for work-life balance. Spending quality time with your hubby (and without your kids) is essential to marital bliss.
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Sarah Baker is a documentary filmmaker and writer currently living in New Bern, NC. Her first book, Lucky Stars: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, will be published December 2009. Read more about her.
