I have a Future and a Hope

Finding your hope in everyday life with tips and faith!

  • Home
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • About Me
    • Our Journey
    • Guest Post
    • Subscribe Here
    • Giveaways
  • Project Proverb
  • Homeschool
    • iHomeschool Network Linkups
      • 5 Days of Family Christmas Traditions
    • Curriculum Reviews
    • Buy my used Curriculum
    • 31 Days of Homeschool Supplies and Tips
    • 31 Days of Homeschooling Tips for Moms
  • Recipes
    • Slow Cooker
    • My Favorites
  • Life
    • Free Printables
      • Finance Printables
      • Life Style Printables
      • Home Printables
      • Essential Oil Printables
    • Money Savings
      • Budget
      • Finance Printables
      • Tips
    • Kids
    • Mom
      • Crafty Corner
    • Books and Reviews
      • Reviews
      • Books / Bible Studies

You are here: Home / Favorite Posts / How to Date your Spouse Again: 5 Simple and Affordable date ideas

How to Date your Spouse Again: 5 Simple and Affordable date ideas

November 25, 2014 by Alana 18 Comments

date spouse feature top

 

My husband and I have had our share of good and hard times. I feel like we have been put through a lot these past 4 years and we have been in survival mode. My husband survived Lymphoma, we have been hit financially with everything that comes with cancer, and raising 4 children while all of this went on.  Exciting? No not really. EXHAUSTING!

Our marriage suffered because of this. My husband picked up a second job, I home school our children, and I work from home. This left little to no time for each other. We have always been soul mates and knew we could get through anything together, yes we are the best of friends, but our romantic life has been last on the list of priorities.

We had a wake up call that made us put loving each other first on the long list of “things to do”.  You see when you love each other everything else seems to just work. It makes life “not so hard” when you know you have your love next to you no matter what.  We are realizing to be that best “us” we needed to have more fun, and carve out time for us no matter what goes on around us.

This past summer my husband worked 40 days without a day off. Our dating life was not happening. I got lonely, and depressed. He was tired, and mentally drained. We knew something had to change.  We couldn’t do this any longer. We were arguing when we were together about wanting to spend more time together. What a terrible way to spend our few minutes together.  Kind of an oxymoron.

So we knew instead of arguing we needed to be creative with our time, we had to figure out how to spend time together using the time we already had. EVEN with the kids around. It can happen, yes, you can date with your kids in the house. Below are 5 simple and affordable date ideas for dating your spouse again. Yes, again. You did it once ,when you first met, you can do it again, it will just be different.

wording date

1.   Cost: $1.25 - $4.99   Idea: We go on this date at least twice a week. We rent a movie from Redbox or Amazon and let the kids all watch it in the living room. Then we go in our room, lock the door, and watch T.V. together or a movie we’ve been wanting to see. Then you can do whatever you want. Wink, wink. Easy, and you don’t even have to leave home.

 

2.   Cost: $10.00 - $25.00  Idea: Our children go to Awana at a local church on Wednesday nights. We take that hour and a half and go on a dinner date. It can be a fast food joint, or a nice restaurant, whatever the budget calls for that week.  We go to a local restaurant order our food, eat, and then just talk for the rest of the time we have alone. We put this on the calendar and it is non-negotiable. This is time we get to talk uninterrupted, and can connect.  We coordinate our calendars, plan the weekends, talk about what is going on in our personal life, and laugh.  Just have fun!

3.   Cost: Free - $20.00  Idea: Prepare your favorite meal or desert together, get the kids a movie to watch, and then have fun. My husband cannot cook at all, so this make it fun for us. I get to teach him a new skill, and he loves learning. This is really a lot of fun to do together. Put the kids to bed and then enjoy your creation you made together. Then get a movie of your own to watch, and snuggle up together.

 

4.   Cost:  Free - $25.00 Idea: Canoeing at your local lake. This is so relaxing and fun. It  takes teamwork, and some skill. Take a blanket with you, and some lunch. Pull off somewhere private and lay the blanket out, eat lunch, and cloud watch.  This will be a date you will remember and look forward to having again.

 

5. Cost:  Free - $30.00 Idea: Go to a free concert in a local park. We have these at our local zoo too.  Bring dinner, special snacks, big blankets, and some pillows to sit on.  If you need to bring your kids they will enjoy this as well.  These are seasonal and depend on where you live. Check with your local parks, and Chamber of Commerce.

 

The main idea I want you to take away from this post is just fun,  get out and do something different, even if all the kiddies have to come along. Find the little moments and snatch those up. If you don’t have a lot of alone time together be creative with what you have.  My husband and I have had to become creative with our time with having 4 children.  I do look forward to the day where we will have lots of alone time and have plenty of  dates by ourselves, but until then we will have to make the most of what we have. I am hoping to give you some ideas that you can use, and strengthen your marriage. It makes it fun when you try to come up with creative ideas for alone time. It makes that time so much more important.

Have fun, make time, hug, kiss, and snuggle!

For more marriage tips I have started to follow: Dollars and Roses Blog They are a great resource for podcasts, and marriage challenges to have fun with. Check them out!

 date selfiesdate pinterest

Filed Under: Favorite Posts, Keep it Real Momma, Life, Marriage, Most Popular, Top 6 Posts, Uncategorized Tagged With: Budget, dates, dating, family fun day, fun, kids, marriage, Mom, Slider

Comments

  1. Katie Wassink says

    November 25, 2014 at 10:25 am

    This is such an important post! It is so easy to loose each other in the everyday. If we are not intentional we begin to drift in our relationships. With these date ideas, there is literally NO reason to not be able to date your spouse. Great post - pinning!
    Katie Wassink recently posted…5 Ways to Find Contentment This ChristmasMy Profile

    Reply
    • Alana says

      November 26, 2014 at 9:42 am

      Thank you Katie. Yes, intentional is the key. Thank you for sharing.
      Alana recently posted…How to Date your Spouse Again: 5 Simple and Affordable date ideasMy Profile

      Reply
  2. Kristine @ Big Dreams, Shallow Pockets says

    November 25, 2014 at 11:14 am

    This is a great post. We sometimes lose sight of each other in all of the day to day madness and these simple dates are a great way to reconnect, or stay connected! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Alana says

      November 26, 2014 at 9:44 am

      Thank you for stopping by Kristine! You’re right, it doesn’t have to be over the top, but simple. :)
      Alana recently posted…How to Date your Spouse Again: 5 Simple and Affordable date ideasMy Profile

      Reply
  3. Joyce @ My Stay At Home Adventures says

    November 25, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Hope you don’t mind but I’m going to steal a few of this tips. Thank you for sharing. :)
    Joyce @ My Stay At Home Adventures recently posted…Best Place To Buy Stocking StuffersMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Debbie (MAD Hippies Life) says

    November 25, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    “Find the little moments and snatch those up,” this statement you made jumped out at me. My husband wrote something that accentuates how true your statement is, “…only memories of what we were, what we are and what we want to become. All I could think of was for you to jump into my mind and see, experience and relive all those memories, but through my eyes, my perspective and maybe then you’d understand.” I can’t state strongly enough how important this post is. We had a piece published, please don’t feel that you have to read it, but it just reinforces what you are establishing in your marriage now. Beautiful! http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/10/how-weve-made-it-30-years-a-letter-from-my-husband/
    Debbie (MAD Hippies Life) recently posted……you’re not hereMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Danielle K says

    November 25, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    These are great ideas! We always try to have a movie and popcorn night once a week that’s just for us after the kids go to bed :)

    Reply
  6. Emily Smith @ The Best of this Life says

    November 25, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    Cute! These are fun ideas and great that you have price ranges too. My hubby and I have two Littles and sometimes making time for dates is just so hard!! We also have date night in once the kids are in bed to save the cost of a sitter and just set the whole scene at home…it’s romantic :)
    Emily Smith @ The Best of this Life recently posted…Custom Love Coupons for ChristmasMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Rebecca Jones says

    November 25, 2014 at 10:08 pm

    When life and kids and work get stressful, dating is always the first thing to go. And boy do we couples ever need it! It’s so, so important!
    Rebecca Jones recently posted…Top Ten Novels for Gifting this Holiday SeasonMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Claire says

    November 26, 2014 at 12:27 am

    Great ideas! We love finding free date ideas!
    Claire recently posted…Holiday Gift Guide for Baby 2014 {Giveaway}My Profile

    Reply
  9. Coralie Scott says

    November 26, 2014 at 12:37 am

    I think in the heat of rearing children it is easy to loose sight of the fact that these little people will one day grow up & hAve lives of their own- & we’ll be left with our spouse! We better make sure we maintain that relationship. Loved all your date ideas!
    Coralie Scott recently posted…Dashing Through the Snow! It’s my Favorite Time of Year!My Profile

    Reply
  10. Shaney Vijendranath says

    November 26, 2014 at 2:28 am

    Great post, I love everything you wrote! It’s so true and worth remembering.
    Shaney Vijendranath recently posted…Coca-Cola promotes a fit lifestyleMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Amberjane says

    November 27, 2014 at 7:52 am

    Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board. Some great Ideas here :)
    Amberjane recently posted…Pin worthy WednesdayMy Profile

    Reply
    • Alana says

      November 27, 2014 at 12:30 pm

      Thank you! I am very grateful for your kind words. Thank you for the pin as well.

      Reply
  12. Tegan says

    December 5, 2014 at 1:20 am

    These are great & budget savvy ideas. It’s important to find time for each other as a couple! x
    Tegan recently posted…Shop Pantone’s Colour of the Year - MarsalaMy Profile

    Reply
    • Alana says

      December 9, 2014 at 3:53 pm

      So important to crave that time out! Thank you for your comment!

      Reply
  13. Julie says

    December 8, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    These are great ideas! We do the movie in the other room a lot and there is a sitdown place right by our house we can both get a nice meal for about $23 that we like to go to.
    Julie recently posted…Life in my 30s Vs Life in my 20sMy Profile

    Reply
    • Alana says

      December 10, 2014 at 11:14 am

      The movie in another room is our favorite too! Thank for stopping by.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

CONNECT WITH ME

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Welcome To My Blog!

Alana Satterly is a mom of four kids that keep her on her toes, a follower of Christ, a wife of 18 years, and a lover of peppermint mocha coffee. Her husband is a cancer survivor, and that journey started her love of writing on her blog I have a Future and a Hope where she encourages women to find hope in their faith, home, finances, parenting, and more. Read More…

Free e-book

Categories

FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST

Visit I have a Future and a Hope's profile on Pinterest.
blogging planner

Favorite Posts

How to Date your Spouse Again: 5 Simple and Affordable date ideas
Two Tips to get your kids to sleep, and stay asleep!
So, you want to homeschool?

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

LikeBox

Facebook By Weblizar Powered By Weblizar

Archives


Archives

  • Disclosure Policy
© 2010-2015 I have a Future and a Hope