Monday, March 4, 2013

150 Date Ideas Gift

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." -The Beatles, The End

I don't have many shopping opportunities in the town I live in, so when I was shopping for my friend N's bridal shower I couldn't find anything on her registry!  Luckily a few weeks ago I cam across an idea on line where someone came up with date ideas for one of their friends weddings.  Now, of course, I couldn't find the original post, so I had to come up with my own version.


Date Night Jar

What I did was bought a kitchen jar with measuring spoon and wrote on the front with puffy paint.  It is not in this picture but I later drew a heart on the top of the jar lid and a heart on the handle of the spoon.  I wrote out 150 ideas on a word document and printed them off.  I numbered each idea, and made starter kits for 12 dates (1 for each month of the first year of married life).  I put things like candle sticks, a jar of pasta sauce, a deck of cards, ect in paper lunch bags and numbered each one with the corresponding number I gave it on the list.  Each date idea was cut apart from the list and put in the jar.  

Here are the 150 Date Ideas.  It took me about 4 hours to come up with the list, so enjoy!

 !. 1. Stay at home and watch a movie!  Cuddle up with each other and some movie snack
2. Have a bubble gum blowing contest!  Biggest bubbles, loudest pop, amount of face covered by gum, ect
3.  Make a home cooked meal. Light up some candles to set the mood.
4. Play a game of cards.  Bet dishes or other house hold chores
5.  Play with your food. Make a circus out of the animals.
6.Light some candles to make any night a little bit more romantic!
7.   Make your own fondue: Use a crock-pot or fondue pot and melt chocolate or cheese and dip away.  Here’s a chocolate fondue recipe: allrecipes.com/recipe/eagle-brand-chocolate-fondue
8.  Make homemade pizzas together. Here’s a crust recipe to try out: www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/homemade-pan-pizza-crust-pizza-night.html
9. Fly Kites: Can find them in dollar aisles!
10. Try a new sport together: Curling teams near-by, Lacrosse, rugby
11.   Be a tourist in your own city: Take cheesy pictures, eat at the local restaurants, and visit the local attractions!
12.  Go rollerblading: Check thrift stores for cheap ones to buy or go to an in-door rink!
13.   Go to a thrift store: Each person gets $5 to spend! See who ends up with the best item(s)
14.   Have a picnic: If the weather hinders you, indoors picnic!
15.   Go see a play: can be high school, community, or a bigger production.  They are all fun!
16.   Stargazing: Pack a blanket, pillows, and food.  Print off some information about the constellations. www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations
17.   Go to a park: Swing on the swings, play Frisbee, or go for a walk
18.   Check out a local museum. They usually don’t cost much, if anything, to get in!
19.   Have a “crazy dinner”. Each person gets $5 (or set amount) to spend on any item at the grocery store for dinner. Come home and prepare your meal!  You might get a very random meal!
20.   Make ice cream sundaes.  Head to the store to buy vanilla ice cream and your favorite toppings.  Relax and enjoy!
21.   Go to a local sporting event. Sports go on all year long! Grab some snacks and find a local game.
22.   Treasure Hunting: Head to the ATM and get out $10 -$20. Drive around to yard sales and see what you end up with.
23.   Have a living room camp out.  Make a tent out of blankets, watch a movie and sleep out on an air mattress.
24.   Go for a swim. Head to a local pool and relax in the pool and hot tub!
25.   Have a coupon date. Only eat or do activities you have coupons for.  Groupon is a good site to start looking for ideas.
26.   Go to a local fair or carnival. Be sure to bring some cash to play some games!
27.   Take a free factory tour. You would be surprised what factories are around!
28.   Visit the zoo.  Animals are always adorable!
29.   Have a movie marathon.  Back to the Future trilogy, Lord of the Rings movies, Stars WARS!
30.   Video Game Night: good night for pizzas and soda-pop!
31.   Go Bowling:  Try different styles like opposite hand, granny style, eyes closed, ect.
32.   Make indoor s’mores and read campfire stories. 
33.   TV show marathon.  Pick a TV show and get a whole season’s worth of DVDs (or use Netflix, the first month is free)
34.   Theme night. Pick a theme for the night and center around it. For example, Mexican night complete with Mexican food and Salsa Dancing! Here’s a Chili’s queso recipe: www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/chilic-copy-skillet-queso-recipe.html
35.   Try a new restaurant. Somewhere neither of the two of you have been.
36.   Take some lessons.  Try taking a lesson for a couples dance, pottery or cooking class.
37.   Restaurant hop. Go to a different restaurant for each course of the meal. Make three stops for an appetizer, main course, and a dessert.  Take turns picking where to go!
38.   Have a spa night. Massages, bubble baths, ect.  White towels and robes help make it official.
39.   20 questions.  Write a list of 20 questions to ask each other.  Go over answers afterwards.  Here’s a list for married couples.  www.the-romantic-couple.com/good-date-questions.html
40.   Make a breakfast together and eat it in bed!
41.   Go for a test drive.  Head to your nearest car dealer and test drive your dream car!
42.   Breakin’ records. Read through the Guinness Book of World Records together, and find something the two of you could achieve as a couple and try it.
43.   Visit a bakery. Go to a local bakery and pick out a treat for each other.
44.   Write a bucket list. Make a list of things you want to do before you die and go do one to cross it off the list!
45.   House hunting. Tour some homes and plan out your dream home!
46.   Restaurant at home. Find recipes from some of your favorite restaurants online, create a menu and have a lovely meal at home! Here’s an example:  www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/olive-garden-date-night-at-home-recipes.html
47.   Share your favorite YouTube videos with each other or find new ones!
48.   Go to the arcade. Get some quarters and head to your nearest arcade! Play some games and buy prizes with the tickets you win.
49.   Have a dance party in your living room and dance to your favorite songs from high school.
50.   Crack open a bottle of wine and eat some cheese, crackers, and grapes.
51.   Watch the sunset together. If you can sit on the roof to watch it give it a try!
52.   Get dressed in your most formal clothes to eat dinner or go out to the coffee shop.
53.   Sit on the sidewalk bench and people watch, making up fake names and stories about the people you see
54.   Play good old fashioned board games. Winner gets bragging rights!
55.   Go on a hike!
56.   Go to the travel section at the library and plan your dream vacation!
57.   Go to the farmers market and buy a new fruit you’ve never tried.
58.   Carry along a loaf of old bread and feed the ducks at the lake.
59.   Go to a new restaurant and split a decadent dessert.
60.   Cuddle on the couch and reminisce about “remember when”, telling your favorite stories of when you first started dating.
61.   Go to a garden and hold hands while you stroll.
62.   Hang up Christmas lights (outside or inside)and eat some chocolate treats under them.
63.   Bake a dessert to share!
66.   Look through high school yearbooks and reminisce.
68.   Play some madlibs. www.madglibs.com
69.   Try to paint portraits of each other. 
70.   Make paper airplanes.  See whose can do more loops, fly the furthest, ect.
71.   Make some homemade ice cream. Crafts.kaboose.com/ice-cream-in-a-bag.html
72.   Watch old home movies.  Enjoy them, Laugh at them, enjoy!
73.   Write out all the birthday cards you need to send for the year while watching one of your favorite movies!
74.   Listen to old music playlists.
75.   Deliver homemade cupcakes to friends that live near you that you haven’t seen in a while.
76.   See if there are any drive ins around you and go eat in your car or watch a movie in the car!
77.   Go to a comedy club.  Laughter is the best medicine and makes a fun date!
78.   Go to the racetrack.  Bring earplugs for auto-racing! They can be loud!
79.   Visit a nearby landmark.  Or go on a mini-road trip and stop at all the landmarks and parks along the way.
80.   Go to a roller derby! 
81.   Play with legos, erector sets or k’nex.
82.   Play laser tag!  Ice cream afterwards.  Loser buys!
83.   Go to a concert.  Check out free ones that might be playing at local coffee shops!
84.   Play Croquet.  Look for cheap sets at thrift stores or make your own: family.go.com/crafts/craft-1037510-red-queen-mini-croquet-game-t/
85.   Go sledding!  Stop for hot chocolate afterwards or make some at home.
86.   Walk around a beautiful building!
87.   Visit a nearby, quaint little town.
88.   Have a lakeside dinner
89.   Rent a paddle boat on a small pond or lake.
90.   Go to the local rest home and visit.  Find a couple and ask them what has made their relationship work.
91.   Go to a shooting or archery range. 
92.   Build and fly a model rocket.
93.   Build and shoot and potato gun or a marshmallow gun! www.instructables.com/id/Marshmallow-gun/
94.   Go paint balling! Go with a group for much more fun!
95.   Go cliff jumping.  www.redgranitewisconsin.com/quarry.html
96.   Raft or tube down a river.  Bring along some drinks in a floating cooler!
97.   Go camping, if not overnight, then at least to a bonfire!
98.   Buy all the ingredients for a new dish, then make it together at home.
99.   Go for a stroll along the beach
100.Have a water gun, leaf pile, or snowball fight.
101. Give each other a massage or back rub.
102. Re-live your first date! Get dressed up and visit the same place (or equivalent) and get to know each other all over again.
103. Enjoy a coffee (or hot beverage) together at the local coffee shop. Sit back, relax, and just catch up on each other’s day.
104. Go for a bike ride together.
105. Share a milkshake.  Two straws.
106. Visit a karaoke bar and sing a duet.
108. Tri-atholon. Challenge each other to three activities that you each enjoy.  Examples include: fooseball, pac-man, and pizza eating
109. Have drunch.  That is brunch for dinner.
110. Go back to school.  See what events are being held at the local colleges and are open to the public.  You could see some really cool speakers!
111. Go bird watching.  Some local parks have tours or just go in your own back yard!
112. Document the night.  Take photos of the evening and print out your favorite one to frame!
113. Take a trendy workout class.  Single classes can be as cheap as $5 a class!
114. Hit up a wine tasting.  Try local vineyards first!
115. Hit a matinee.  Less crowded and cheaper! How could you go wrong?
116. Sign up for a dirt or color run!
117. Go to a dinner party, or host one yourself!
118. Get caught in the rain.  Splash in some puddles!
119. Take a mystery trip.  Throw a dart at a map.  Wherever the dart lands go visit and check out the local cuisine and activities.
120. Match the movie to your cuisine.  Like Kung-Foo Movie and Chinese food.
121. Laugh like a kid again at the latest G or PG rated movie.
122. Go see a Fortune Teller.  Go in separately or together!
123. Create your own private black out.  No electricity and candle light!
124. Meet for a midnight snack.  Popcorn or something sweet!
125. Feed each other.  Fruits like pineapple and strawberries are good choices.
126. Mystery night date.  One person does all the planning and tells the other person where to meet them by text that day.  Rock-paper-scissors on who has to do the planning.
127. Spend the day at a weird and wild festival.  Check out eccentricamerica.com to find some really wild ones.
128. Pull an all-nighter and check into a hotel.  Everything’s more magical at a hotel.
129. Hit a local dive bar.  Play some pool and darts while you are there.
130. Play some mini-golf.  Bet on who wins. 
131. Go to an amusement park.  Check out themeparkinsider.com/reviews
132. Check out your local music megastore.  See what awesome music you can find for deals and listen to a new CD.
133. Watch the wedding video or go over the pictures!
138. Plan a scavenger hunt date.  Give person clues to find out where the date is located.  Example at www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/ice-clues-date-night/
143. Play real life angry birds.  Roadkillrescue.net/2012/01/tin-car-game/
149. Go to a corn maze, build a snow man, or plant some flowers!
150.  Print of some coloring pages from online and have a coloring contest.  Tickling does not count as cheating!

The Date Ideas!



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