Lots
of people think of a cheap date as a woman that you only have to buy
a couple of drinks for and she�ll be drunk enough to take home for
the night or a few hours. That�s not the only thing it means,
though. In today�s economy, dating is a whole lot different than it
was even just ten years
ago. Dating may seem to be only for the very wealthy these days
but there are ways to get around the astronomical costs of
activities.
First
of all, movie dates don�t HAVE to be unaffordable. Granted, these
won�t be the brand new releases that are showing in the theaters
because those ARE expensive dates. However, you can stage a showing
of a recently released DVD right in your own living room. If you
can�t afford the cost of buying the movie, renting is pretty
reasonable or you can see if any of your friends have it already and
borrow it for the night. Add some popcorn, also cheap, and soda to
your viewing experience, and you�ve got a movie date for a fraction
of the cost that you would normally pay in a theater.
Dinner
dates can also be done on a budget. One of the cheapest meals you can
find besides just sandwiches is spaghetti. Now, before you turn up
your nose, spaghetti can be delicious and quite elegant when done the
right way. Hit up your local dollar store and get the pasta and
sauce. Those are your basics. While you�re there, pick up a couple
of candles for a bit of ambience. All of that will cost around $5.
Next, head to the grocery store for either a head of lettuce and a
tomato, or one of those small already made salads. Depending on your
budget, you can add a
couple more vegetables to it. All that�s left now is some
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese to go on top of the spaghetti and a
loaf of garlic bread. You can probably do the �beefed up� version
of this dinner for around $15. Tell your date to bring the
wine.
Picnics
are also very cheap dates. This is the time for sandwiches, sliced
fruit, chips and whatever else you feel like throwing into the mix.
Food that you choose for a picnic is something that you can adapt
easily to your budget. Then, the two of you can head off to a nice
park where you can enjoy your picnic for free. If it happens to rain,
picnics are just as much fun on the living room floor. The point is
to have some quality time together without worrying about
money.
Play
tourist in your own city. Many times, when you live somewhere you
tend to miss all of the things that visitors come to see. Lots of
these things will have low to no admission prices and you can have
the chance to appreciate where you live. This can be done on more
than one occasion because you might not be able to do it all in one
day.
The
important thing is that you find ways to be together that are also
fun and don�t break your budget.
By Max Taylor