Mommy needs a date night!

I am sitting here surrounded by laundry and various toys dreaming of a night off with my hubby where somebody else will cook for me and then clean up my mess, but my lovely daydream is quickly replaced with thoughts of who would watch the kids, and the typical calculations of the budget. I am sure many of you are also in need of a date night so I thought a post about cheap dates and also dates where kids are without a sitter would be helpful.

First off is cheap dates for those of us who can find a babysitter-
1) Use coupons from a daily deal site to enjoy a meal or activity at a lower price. Groupon, Living Social, and Restaurant.com are good sites to try.
2) Go to Costco or Sam's club for an adventure. Both of these places provide stuff to look at, enough samples of food products to be considered a meal, and also cheap snack bars.
3) Geocaching. My hubby and I just started geocaching a few years ago and it is a great way to build teamwork in a marriage and force yourself to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, geocaching is like high tech hide and seek using a GPS to find a certain location where a box is hidden that may contain prizes or who knows what. For more information click here.
4) Dress up as though you are going to a five star restaurant but instead dine at a fast food joint.
5) Click take a pic( sorry my two year is on a Dora and Diego kick)! Grab a camera and your hubby and go click crazy. Take pictures of everything you see including places, people, things and of course each other. When the roll or the memory card is full print them and then sit down for coffee and enjoy the memories made.
6) Be a kid again. Go to an arcade and play video games with one another or even go to a park and take turn pushing each other on the swings.
7) Movie night. If you have a laptop with a dvd drive or a portable dvd player find a nice secluded area to park your car under the stars and enjoy a modern take on a drive-in movie.


Dates for parents who cannot find a babysitter
1) Buy the ingredients to make your favorite restaurant meal at home.  Cooking together can be fun and you also end up with a great meal to feed yourselves and your kids
2) Purchase popcorn from your local theater and grab a Redbox movie to enjoy at home after the kids have gone to bed
3) Play a board game or a card game with one another ( make it interesting and more adult oriented by making any game a stripping game)
4) Play video games on your computer or gaming console. Make sure you play games that both of you enjoy and can fully participate in