The Ultimate List of Date Night Ideas for Couples on a Budget

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While there's nothing wrong with dinner and a movie (it's a classic for a reason) you might want to jazz up date night with something special and unique.

Here's a list of over 100 date night ideas for any mood and any season, even if you are on a budget.

Train for a race together

Visit a farmer's market

Rent or borrow a tandem bike

Go for a nature walk

Go yard sale hopping

Visit the garden department and get seeds for flowers or vegetables to plant together

Visit a swap meet or flea market

Visit a botanical garden

Take a ferry ride

Summer 

Go fishing

Go swimming

Go out for ice cream

Play miniature golf

Have a BBQ with friends

Visit the fair or carnival

Go to a drive in movie - Variation: Project a movie onto a sheet strapped to your fence in your backyard or watch a movie from your laptop on your balcony or roof.

Find an outdoor concert to attend in your local area

Picnic in the park

Hit the beach

Attend a street fair or parade

Pick berries

Go to a baseball game on discount nights (some fields have a grassy area you can sit in)

Find a new place to watch fireworks on the 4th of July

Fall

Have a snowball fight and hot chocolate

Go ice skating

Drive around and find houses with Christmas light displays

Drive through a professional Christmas light show (for a small fee)

Go sledding

Build a snow fort

Make s'mores in the fireplace

Get Active

Go to a batting cage or park with a baseball field and hit baseballs, then have hot dogs

Play Frisbee

Go to the driving range

Play tennis at a public court

Rent or borrow a canoe, kayak or paddle boat at a local lake

Go rock climbing - visit an indoor wall or go outdoors with an experienced friend

Set up badminton in the yard

Go bike riding

Go for a run

Go roller skating or inline skating

Take a dance class

Play table tennis

Play racquetball 

Cook up Some Fun

Take a cooking class from community education programs

Make candy together

Make your own pizzas at home for each other

Bake and decorate a cake from scratch together

Make fondue

Bake a pie from scratch (maybe using the berries you picked!)

Try a new fancy recipe and have a candlelight dinner

Have a Quiet Night Indoors

Binge watch your favorite show on Netflix with popcorn and treats

Redbox movie night

Reminisce the glory days of high school while perusing your old year book

Reminisce over old family photos

Find funny YouTube videos to watch

Work on a puzzle together

Read a book aloud to each other

Get to know each other better with the "How Well Do You Know Your Spouse" books

Be a Kid Again

Buy cheap water guns and have a water gun fight

Whip out the kids game station and play video games

Go to an arcade, some areas have a Nickle-Cade where you play games for nickels

Race go carts

Have a paper airplane contest

Get Outdoors

Play tourist and visit historical sites in your local area

Take a long evening stroll through the neighborhood

Go to the zoo

Star gaze, get out your telescope if you have one or borrow one

Feed ducks and have a picnic (instead of bread try canned corn, frozen peas (defrosted), oats, lettuce, duck pellets or bird seed)

Visit a state park

Walk a dog (yours, a neighbors, or earn some cash by walking dogs for Rover.com)

Watch a sunset from a scenic view

Have a Game Night

Play trivia games together

Double date with friends or family and play board games

Have an at home spa night with bubble bath, facials and massages

Play Catch Phrase (my husband and I just see how many we can get in a row before the timer goes off)

Play "Never Have I Ever" (here's one place you can get a list of questions)

Scavenger hunt (there are a few different fun Scavenger Hunt ideas here)

Go Out on the Town

Hit a comedy club on amateur night

Go to a museum on a discount night

Go to a community or high school play

Go to a high school, college or other inexpensive sporting event

Visit an art gallery on public or free nights

Visit a planetarium

Karaoke night!

Visit a jazz lounge

Play pool (billiards)

Go to a bookstore

Be Traditional

Find a new Ma-and-Pa type restaurant to eat at

Go to the movies at a dollar theater or matinee movie

Go bowling

Visit the library

Attend a book reading at your library, coffee shop or book store

Be Unique

Go pretend house shopping and tour your dream home

Create an "anniversary registry" (similar to a wedding registry or bridal registry) at your favorite department store

Go out to breakfast

Find a painting date class (where someone hosts a group and teaches them to paint while having ice cream or refreshments)

Browse an antique store

Teach each other your talent: how to play a song on the guitar, how to crochet, how to paint, etc.

Make pottery

Make a craft

Work on a new language (check out a book or audio from the library, or see if your library gives you access to Rosetta Stone)

"Eat out" at a food truck

Recreate your first date

Visit the elderly at a nursing home

Find a service project you can do together

Don't forget to check out 20 Free (or Cheap) Ideas for Family Fun

Share some of your favorite creative and unique date night ideas that you can do on a budget in the comments below!