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How To Have A Cheap (But Awesome) Date Night

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We’ve been trying our hardest to save money and cut back where we can. And with the exception of Marlowe’s birthday party, we’ve been doing pretty good (I think and hope anyway). After what feels like forever and ever, everything seemed to line up perfectly for Alex and I to have a date night together… on a weekend… and not starting at midnight. You know, a real date where we could sit together, enjoy a meal, and just be alone in the evening outside of the house, at a reasonable hour. Well, dining out isn’t exactly high on the “okay to spend money on” list…. it’s actually currently pretty low on there…. but you know… the stars *FINALLY* aligned, so I knew I wanted to still get OUTSIDE of the house for a meal together. 

We did it with huge success. After dropping Marlowe off at grandmas, we hit up the supermarket, picked up our weekly grocery needs (plus ginormous wraps and a handful of dill) and headed home. After everything was clean and unpacked we prepared dinner together. I made homemade tzatziki sauce (one vegan, one not) and he made falafel from our long soaking dried chickpeas (so cheap!) along with a salad of greens, tomatoes, and radish and we wrapped it all together 🙂 We had a few maybe-slightly more romantic dinner food ideas, but something easy to pack, hold, and eat was key for us. I found a cheap bottle of wine that was leftover from Marlowe’s party, we packed everything up in our picnic backpack and headed out the door. We headed downtown to the docks, picked (what we thought would be) a quiet spot, and finally had a dinner meal together, alone out of the house. The best part is, it didn’t cost us any more money than it would have to cook ourselves dinner and sit at home. It was a REALLY nice change… and slightly hilarious when a random downtown dance party happened 😉 We ended the night walking around town and grabbing a drink at our favorite bar, you know, to splurge…. and making out in a few dark corners (okay, fine, we didn’t do that. this time anyway).  
Whether a saturday or tuesday evening, I hope that this becomes something more regular for us. I would totally recommend a late night picnic to anyone needing a date night out, without wanting to spend money on a restaurant. It’s so incredibly easy, fun, and cheap! Also, a late night picnic? It’s pretty high on my romantic list, dance party or not. 
ps. If you don’t have or have never heard of a picnic backpack, GET ONE NOW. Mine was gifted to me maybe in high school!?? (that’s crazy). I never used it &I thought I lost it. Ten plus years or so later, my step mom found it in their garage and gave it back to me. And now, I don’t know how we’ve lived without it for so long. It’s amazinggggg. There are some higher end ones out there with more insulated room for food and things, but mine is/was pretty cheap at 40 bucks or so and it has everything you need and more. A wine holder and wine key even? Magic. 
pps. this definitely isn’t a sponsored post, I really freaking love this backpack.
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14 Comments

  1. Alison M.

    These make for the best kind of date nights! My husband works a crazy schedule that doesn't line up with mine at all, so when we get a night together, we prefer the simple date nights where we can connect with each other rather than a noisy, chaotic, over priced restaurant!

  3. farragio

    This was a delightful read. I've never thought of doing a night picnic. Definitely going to try it.

  4. Jennifer S.

    I have a cute little picnic basket, but I wouldn't want to carry it very far. I love the idea of the backpack to take on bike rides or long walks or hikes. Such a great idea! I need to cut back on my food spending ASAP, we've been bad lately, so I definitely will be proposing picnicking!

    -Jen
    yourstrulyjen.com

  5. Victoria Solomon

    Hello! Long-time reader but first comment. I pinch pennies with food, too, especially during certain times of the year. One secret I learned about cooking chickpeas from scratch is to add a teaspoon of baking soda to them while they soak. I put mine in warm water with soda in the morning and then rinse them (really well), then cook for maybe 1-2 hrs. It cuts the time in half, really! The other thing that makes chickpeas magically delicious is to toss them in a crock pot in the morning on low. By dinner time — they are butter-soft. This is actually the easiest option! Sorry if you know all this already, but I had to share. And I love the date-night idea. Lovely. Cheers!

  6. Natasha

    We used to have lots of picnics on the beach, but we haven't done that in ages. There's not really any safe places for a night time picnic where we live, but I like the idea. I've been wanting to get a picnic backpack too. So much more practical than a basket. My mom was asking what I wanted for Christmas and now I know what to tell her.

  7. Finley S

    oh how fun for you both! Sometimes the simplest things are the most special…especially when you get to spend it with your special one! You've inspired me to go do a picnic again they really are good fun…minus the dance party haha!!!

  9. Emma Cherry

    Awww, you two 🙂
    It's such a lovely idea……we have a dock/waterfront area in our town, but it's quite bustling with bars and restaurants, it's so lovely though to see all the yachts and the lights lining the pathways. Not sure we could have a picnic there mind you, it's a bit hectic. Besides, it's too cold here right now!
    Love the idea though 🙂

    Emma
    (Dear Thirty)

  10. Cristina

    I was going to ask where you got that amazing picnic backpack from, but then I saw the link. That thing puts all others to shame! Whoa.

    Sounds like a really great night. We did pizza and wine last Friday night and just talked and talked and talked…until it was time to watch Say Yes to the Dress. Perfection. 😉

    The Rambling Fangirl