35 Stay at Home Date Night Ideas

I'm sure you've all been there, especially if you are a parent. You want to have a date night with your spouse but you don't have the extra money to spend, you can't find or afford a babysitter, or you can't seem to find the time and if you do manage to get a night out you will usually end up spending half of your money on the babysitter or something comes up so you have to cancel your date last minute.

Regardless your situation, every parent needs a night out or in this case, a night in every once in a while. Not only is it good to spend some quality time with your spouse but it is also nice to take a break from the kids, your job and just enjoy yourself so next time you are dying to go out but can't afford it or just need some one on one time with your spouse - send the kids to grandma's house or put them down for bed a little early for bed and plan a stay-at-home date night.

Stay-at-home date nights are great because it allows you that extra time to catch up with your spouse, kid free, and they are a lot cheaper than going out.

Stay-at-home dates don't have to be just dinner and a movie, you can make them fun by trying new things. Here are a few fun, creative and budget friendly stay-at-home date night ideas:

1. Adult Fort - build a fort in the living room and camp out all night while watching your favorite movies and eating your favorite snack foods. 
2. Beer Tasting/Wine Tasting - buy several different brands of beer or wine, they don't have to be expensive brands, and host a beer/wine tasting. Make sure to keep track of which ones you like best. Have a tray of cheese, meats, nuts, and chocolate to snack on between tastings. You can create your own 6 pack at certain liquor stores, Meijer and Kroger.
3. Bible Study - have a bible study together, create a prayer list and pray together. Once you are done you can watch christian movies together. God's Not Dead, Heaven is for Real, Miracles from Heaven, Love Dare, and Fireproof to name a few.
4. Bonfire - sit by the fire roasting marshmallows or hot dogs, make s'mores and share some of your favorite memories.
5. Book Club - grab a cup of hot chocolate, tea or wine and relax on the couch, in bed or by the fire reading a book of your choice. To make it more interesting you both can read the same book and discuss it as you read. You can buy two copies of the book or check it out at your local library.
6. Bucket List - create a couple's bucket list or a family bucket list of all the things you would like to do together or as a family and try to do at least one of those things on the list before the night is over.
7. Chocolate Fondue - melt some chocolate over the stove, in the crock pot, or pull out a chocolate fountain. Prepare a bunch of sides or finger food type items and dip them in chocolate. You'd be surprised how good some things taste when you add chocolate. It's kind of like an at home, cheaper version of the Melting Pot.
8. Create a Game - get creative and try to come up with a new game. It can be a board game or an outdoor game. Set the rules, make the pieces if needed and play your new game. Share it with your friends and family next time you see them.
9. Dance Party - dress up, turn up the music and have a dance party. You can learn a new dance that you've always wanted to learn such as the Tango, Salsa, Hip-Hop or just stick to free style. Throw in a slow song every now and then. You can find dance tutorials online.
10. Date Jar/Hint Box - while watching your favorite movie or listening to your favorite playlist, create a Date Jar, a Hint Box or both with your spouse.
• A Date Jar is a jar that contains several different date for your spouse and you to go on. You can color coordinate the dates based on cost, etc... Whenever you want to go on a date, draw from the jar and go on it. 
• The Hint Box is a box that contains cheap or free items such as your favorite candy, drink, movie, color, lotion, ice cream, etc... and whenever your spouse feels like doing something cute for you they can take a hint! You both need to create your own Hint Box for the other to use.
11. Dessert Wars - bake cookies, cakes, or cupcakes and decorate them. You can look up tutorials on Pinterest (follow me if you'd like!) or ideas. Post a picture of the final desserts online and have your friends vote on which one they think looks the best. While the voting is taking place you can taste test your desserts.
12. Disney Movie Marathon - let the child in you come out while watching all your favorite childhood movies and pigging out on all your favorite childhood snacks.
13. Exercise - it may not be an ideal date idea but it may end up being fun because you can challenge each other. You both get to pick an exercise and the other has to participate so choose wisely... Zumba vs. Insanity, lets go!
14. Game Night - play your favorite games whether it's card games, board games or both. Add some appetizers, your favorite drink and let the games begin.
15. Ice Cream Night - either buy a bunch of tiny different flavors of ice cream to enjoy or find a recipe online and make your own ice cream. While you enjoy your ice cream you can play a game, watch a movie, or get the latest scoop on your spouse.
16. Karaoke - break out the hair brush and spatula or the fake microphones you have lying around and have a Karaoke party with you spouse. There are several free online Karaoke sites. You can also find some Karaoke videos on YouTube. 
17. Movie Marathon - pop some popcorn and grab your favorite snacks; pick a genre, an actor, or a trilogy and begin your movie marathon.
18. Newlywed Game - whether you are newlyweds or have been married for 20 years, this is a great game to play. This game allows you to see how well you know each other by answering questions about the other person. You can find several different versions of the Newlywed game online, just search Newlywed game or Newlywed questions. Make sure to write down your answers and keep track of who gets the most right. 
19. No Technology Date - turn off your phones, computers, TV and of coarse the lights. Do everything by candle light, have a candle light dinner, play a game of charades or cards and catch up. It's nice to unplug from reality every once in a while.
20. Painting with a Twist - find a painting that you like and try to recreate it. You can try to find an online tutorial or draw your own design. My husband and I painted a City Skyline Painting for our stay-at-home Painting with a Twist date night.
21. Picnic - pack a basket, maybe a bottle of wine and a blanket, go out back and have an at home picnic together while catching up or reminiscing on good times. If it's raining or cold you can have an indoor picnic.
22. Pinterest Date Night - select a few crafts you've been dying to make but haven't had the time to and get to crafting. You can both make your own crafts or work on crafts together. Once you are finished, decorate your home with your new crafts and find more crafts that you would like to make in the future.
23. Photoshoot - get dressed up, grab a camera and tripod, go outside and try to take some professional looking photos of the two of you. 
24. Putt Putt Golf - create a mini putt putt golf coarse in your house using tissue boxes, shoe boxes, or cups as the holes. Use toys or furniture as obstacles to make it harder. 
25. Puzzles - grab a couple puzzles or one hard puzzle and work together to put it together.
26. Scrapbooking - it's nice to go through old photos and reminisce on the good times. You can get to crafting and create a scrapbook, both making different pages and combining them at the end or you can make a digital scrapbook using sites like shutterfly or mixbook and get it printed. Make a themed scrapbook of your wedding, a baby book, a vacation, or a yearbook of everything you've done that year. Choose the theme, colors, layout, and pictures you want included together.
27. Spa Night - light some candles, buy some massage oils or just use lotion you have laying around and give each other massages. Take a bubble bath, try to get your husband to give you a pedicure, maybe make some chocolate covered strawberries, pop open some bubbly and catch up on everything while you relax.
28. Sports Night - cook your favorite appetizers, watch a sports game or sports movie together, go outside and play some one on one Basketball or just toss a ball back and forth. You can even wear sports jerseys if you want to go all out.
29. Stargazing - grab a few blankets, go out back and look up at the stars. Look for shooting stars or try to find different constellations. A trampoline is a great place to lay and watch the stars if you have one.
30. Theme Night - pick a theme and create your date around that theme. Your theme can be something broad like a Paris theme or something more specific like an all about the color Yellow theme.
• Yellow Theme Example: eat only yellow foods (banana, yellow rice, captain crunch, corn bread, corn, etc...), wear the color yellow, watch a movie (Old Yeller, Despicable Me, Minions, etc...), play games in yellow boxes or that use the color yellow (Mad Gab, Taboo, Twister)
31. Top Chef Date - plan out a fancy meal and get to cooking. You can cook together or divide the courses up to see who the better cook is. Once you are done, enjoy your fancy meal by candlelight.
32. Video Games - play a bunch of two player games or stick to just one and see how many levels you can beat together. 
33. Water Fight - pull out the water balloons, water guns, sprinkler, and slip-n-slide and have a blast acting like kids again.
34. YouTube Videos - look up some funny videos, homemade videos, movie trailers, etc... and have a good laugh. Keep clicking on recommended videos, you'd be surprised at some of the videos you can find.
35. 100 Reasons - while watching your favorite movie or listening to your favorite playlist, write down 100 reasons why you love your spouse and what makes them special to you and put them in a jar. You can share a few with your spouse but save the rest for when you need a reminder or just some uplifting words from your spouse. 

When planning a stay-at-home date night, try to come up with something you haven't done in a while and don't be afraid to act like a kid again. You can leave clues throughout the day for your spouse to find to get them excited for the date night or send a text letting them know you can't wait to spend some quality time with them.

Dating your spouse doesn't have to be hard or expensive, it can be as simple as cuddling on the couch and watching a movie while you catch up. The whole purpose of these dates are to spend some time having fun and relaxing with your spouse so don't get to stressed about planning a date.

I hope you enjoyed these date ideas and have fun partaking in them. Feel free to share more budget friendly stay-at-home date ideas in the comments below!

Incase you want to end the night with a bang, check out my homemade game, Tease or Please.

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