15 free ways to bond with your lover this Valentine’s Day

I use “lover” in the non-serious, funny because it’s awkward kind of way. I think it’s totally creepy to refer to my husband as “lover”. Makes me think of this classic skit from SNL. But anyhow…

Valentine’s Day is a mere 9 days away. As most parents know, not only finding the time but carving out a portion of the monthly budget for a “date” can get tricky. We like to find a creative solution for this by doing free (or pretty much free, if it’s already in your house that counts right?) date night activities. So as long as you can rope a family member into watching your kiddos, there’s no need to pay a babysitter, either! Here’s just a few examples…

1. Have a candle lit dinner. This is the least creative idea of mine. But, everyone loves a good candle lit dinner.

2. Go geocaching. This would be one of our favorite cheap date activities. As long as you have a smart phone with GPS you’re set! Our favorite geocaching app is C:Geo.

3. Build a fort. Sounds ridiculous, I know. But when we were in our dating years we decided to re-live our childhood and build a fort and we had SO MUCH FUN. Try it and see.

4. Go house hunting. Or, house stalking as I call it. Sometimes we like to just take a drive and ogle the gorgeous homes in our area that we know we could never afford. It’s fun to dream.

5. Photo scavenger hunt. We did this over Christmas last year with Christmas lights and it was, as corny as it sounds, such a blast!

6. Movie night. Another not-so-creative idea. But if you’ve got a Netflix account, you already have hundreds of movie options to have a cozy movie night at home.

7. Fill out an in-depth “get to know you” questionnaire. We had a book at home full of questions that both you and your significant other would answer separately. After, you would read them back to each other and discuss. It was both fun and educational 🙂 I found this great resource of 365 questions for you and your spouse.

8. Play chef. The rule is you can only make something with the ingredients you already have. Bonus points if the one who never cooks gives it a try alone.

9. Have a bubble bath. Together. Duh.

10. Take an online personality test. There’s a lot to be said about personality traits. When you become more aware of how different people are wired, you appreciate your differences a lot more. At least that’s what I’ve found. This personality test is one of my favorites. I am an ISTJ through and through!

11. Go backyard stargazing. Set up a comfy spot to lay down underneath the stars, pull out the trusty Google Sky Map app (or a physical chart of constellations if you live in the stone age) and see who can identify the most.

12. Youtube night. I feel like my husband always has an endless supply of internet videos that I “just have to watch!” Turn it into a date activity with a little homemade popcorn.

13. Make a silly vlog together. You don’t have to publish it. Just set up the video camera in front of the two of you and see what sort of funny stories you might tell. Hey, it could just be the next viral video.

14. Make a bucket list. Maybe it’s places you want to visit, or adventurous activities you want to tackle as a couple. Give it a deadline and start coming up with items to add to the list.

15. Have a picnic. If it’s in the middle of winter like it is here right now, set up a blanket in the middle of your living room. If you’re lucky enough to live in a warm climate year round, take the fun outdoors. Don’t forget the wine 🙂