Cheap Date Friday (Don't Be One....Plan One!)

Maybe the biggest challenge of all when having to live frugally on a tight budget - date nights.  It's not always easy to plan out a budget-friendly date or give up eating out.  We've been there.  Actually, we still are there.

Which is why every Friday we'll be posting a Cheap Date idea for your weekend ahead.  Hopefully this will help you (and us!) to approach dates in a budget-friendly, adventurous way!

{March 2 Edition}

Dinner In + Ice Cream Out + Movie Night

• Dinner In:  Pick this out ahead of time, if you can!  Even if it's something already made that you will heat up, plan ahead.  It will save you from quick, tired decisions later that will likely not be great for your wallet.  Our favorite is Ben's honey mustard rosemary pork with roasted sweet potatoes and onions.  Another one of our easy and quick favorites is quesadillas.  It's especially fun if you work together to cook!  Catch up on the day, listen to music, or catch up on your favorite shows on Hulu while you're cooking together. 

We LOVE our ice cream...

• Ice Cream Out:  We save money (and calories!) by picking only one part of the meal to eat out (we especially like saving this for dessert).  Going out for ice cream will gets us out of the house and ends the meal on a sweet note.  Local Peeps: If you live in the Lancaster area, check out Carmen and David's Creamery (for delicious homemade ice cream) or Splits and Giggles (really cheap ice cream and a great selection of flavors!) in the city.  If you're a fan of frozen yogurt, there are lots of great places that serve low-fat frozen yogurt with as many toppings as you like.  

         (Lancaster area: Check out Berries, a new fro-yo spot!)

• Movie Night:  Usually by the time Friday night rolls around, we're beat! The combination of a week of work, school, errands, meetings, etc., etc. adds up.  Friday night, we're ready to crash, relax, and curl up with a good movie.  We have Netflix, so we often surf that, but if nothing catches our eye, then Redbox is a great second option.  $1 for a movie, so if it's not great, we don't feel too bad.  Sometimes we even get two to keep our options open. 

 Enjoy your night to relax together!

“Familiarity does not breed contempt. On the contrary the more familiar it is the more rare and beautiful it is. Take the quarter in which one lives, it is lovely, it is a place rare and beautiful and to leave it is awful.”
-- Gertrude Stein