Dating Advice: Dating In A Down Economy

A friend of mine recently made the comment that "You cant walk out your door without spending a $100 on a date". Let's face it. Dating costs money and lots of it. This got me thinking about the current economy and dating. What did they do before texting, e-mail, and chat rooms? I'm sure dating in the Great Depression was a real gas! Since our economy is heading in that direction I thought I'd get down to the basics. I was gonna prove my friend wrong and come up with simple ideas to get to know one another in an inexpensive, yet creative way. So in the spirit of dating on a budget, here's my list of 10 creative things to do for under $20.

1. Mini-Golf. Average cost: $7./person. Bringing a gal out for a little putt-putt goes a long way in the vein of saving some cold hard cash. Even the worst klutz can have fun being terrible at this game and it gives you something to talk about when you're fishing your date's ball out of the waterfall.

2. Batting cages. Average cost: $1.50 for 15 balls. What better way can you show off your incredible sporting abilities and still not come off looking cheap? Batter up, baby. Bonus tip: it's a great way to get close by showing your date the proper swing as you hold them in your endearing grasp. Go Team!

3. Hayride. Average cost: $5./person. This works best around October and Halloween. Most farms will advertise in the local paper and sometimes they throw in a free pumpkin. After the hayride you can take the pumpkin and carve it into a jack-o-lantern over some warm drinks. I'd be impressed by this unique and cheap way to get to know my date.

4. Maple Syrup Sugar House. Average cost: Free. If you live near trees, which hopefully you do, February is the month for this yummy treat. Most sugar-houses will give free tours of the sugaring process on the weekends. Fascinating, tasteful and free. If you want to be a big spender get a jug of the stuff and go back to her place for pancakes. Pancakes make people happy.

5. Tag Sales. Average cost: Free to look but could cost you a few bucks. Happen to be a fan of "Antique Roadshow"? There's nothing anyone loves better than to save a buck and possibly find a rare treasure worth millions. At the very least, you've had fun driving around and talking about 1940's Jim Beam bottles.

6. Paint your own Ceramic Shops. Average cost: $5-7/hour plus price of pottery. This is a new thing popping up all over the country. You go to a ceramic shop that specializes in this sort of thing, pick out a plate or a vase, and paint away. They'll fire it for you and voila, cheap art to go.

7. Hiking. Average cost: Free. If you're adventurous, get your heart pumping at any state park. If your date doesn't want to break a sweat you could just walk and talk through a local botanical garden.

8. Ice Skating. Average cost: $7/hr. and $3 skate rental. What better way to woo that special someone than with sharp objects? If you don't have a skating rink near you but have your own skates you can find a local pond and do this one for free.

9. Fruit Picking. Average cost: up to the picker but the average is under $20. Find out what fruit is in season and get going. This is fun and tasty. Take your date out for blueberries in the spring, cherries in the summer and apples in the fall all for under $20. When you're done picking go back to the kitchen and cook up some love.

10. Cards and Homemade Pizza. Average cost: $10. Instead of eating pizza out and renting a movie which will cost you over $30 and do nothing but zone you in front of the tube, change it up a bit. Buy a bag of pre-made dough from the grocery store, a jar of sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Roll it out together. Any "idiot" can do this and slap on the sauce and cheese. As it's cooking you can explore the ever so popular game of "Texas Hold'em" using pennies for chips. Who doesn't have a coffee can full of pennies? Let's face it. If you're reading an article called, Dating on a Budget, you probably have one in the back of your closet right now.

Hope these wonderful, inexpensive, fun ideas get your romance life back on track while saving your bank account it's precious worth. Dating on a budget is not easy but in the end is worth the effort all around, both creatively and financially.

Seed Newsvine

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