Quarantine Dating: 6 Frugal or Free & Fun Ideas (Together or Apart!)
/Hey guys! Today, I have a guest post I wrote for The Money Minimalists blog. My friend, Kseniya, is a licensed real estate agent in Florida and a personal finance blogger and gives advice on achieving financial independence through real estate investing. For more content by her, check out the article she wrote on the first steps to first time home buying.
Dating is challenging as is, and given our circumstances it’s extra difficult, but it’s also been fun to get creative with it. At first I was resigned to not dating until the whole coronavirus situation was over, but now that it seems shelter in place is here to stay for the foreseeable future, I’m ready to get back out and try dating again under these new “normal'“ circumstances.
However since we can’t just meet up for drinks, I’ve brainstormed 6 free or frugal ideas for your next date night, all doable whether you’re physically with a partner or not!
1. PICNIC IN THE PARK
Together: Pack a picnic and a blanket and hop on your bike to your local park. It’s a nice change of pace to get out of the house for some fresh air. You can people watch over a beautiful charcuterie plate!
Apart: BYOMeal and blankets and sit 6 feet apart while eating your food. You can still watch people and talk together. Just because we’re physically distant doesn’t mean we have to be socially distant!
2. SOCIALLY DISTANT WALK & TALK
Is it just me or is everyone and their mom going walks these days? Or maybe you’re like me and going on walks with your mom.
Together or apart: Hiking trails, by nature, are very narrow. It’s much easier to stay the recommended 6 feet apart from either your partner or people around you when you’re on a well paved sidewalk or street.
Grab your face mask and head to a fancy neighborhood to walk & talk, look at nice houses, and fantasize about which one you’d own! Talking about home ownership is a casual way to bring up my ultimate fave topic, life goals. This way I can ask questions about how they’re using their money to attain said goals! SUBTLE. (Or maybe not so much?) I have no chill.
If the relationship progresses, one day you might be using Kseniya’s free Home Buying Guide to start looking for your actual home together! ;)
3. QUARANTINE COOK-OFF
Sheltering in place seems to have turned everyone into quite the chef! I myself haven’t baked in years and all of a sudden I’ve turned into a Martha Stewart wannabe.
Together: Create the most extravagant meal based on what you have at home. Get creative here! Put those Goldfish crackers and Kraft mac & cheese together and create the ultimate mac & cheese Goldfish crusted popper. Ramen egg frittatas? Canned bean and corn taco salad? It’s all fair game!
Apart: Assemble a recipe roulette and have each person contribute 3 recipe ideas. Have one person randomly assign them numbers and the other person select one. Both make the same dish, video chatting as you put it together. Bonus points to whoever can plate it better!
For the final finish, leave your sweatpants behind and get fancy for the night! Pour some champagne and light the candles. Whether in person or virtually you can still share a meal together.
4. TAKE PERSONALITY TESTS TOGETHER
To say I love personality tests is a gross understatement. But whether you “believe” in personality tests or not, I think paves the way for bigger discussion points like the way you think about the world and self-reflection!
Together or apart: Find your Myers Briggs type, Enneagram, Harry Potter house, Love Language, and Big Five score. If you’re into astrology try the Co–Star app, then discuss! Together or apart, this is a fun way to get to somebody more intimately.
5. MOVIE & GAME NIGHT
What would we do without technology keeping us socially connected?! Thank goodness for interwebz, or else you wouldn’t even be reading this right now haha.
Apart: Watch and discuss Tiger King together via Netflix Party. Share your screen via Zoom and play virtual interactive Jackbox Games, play Animal Crossing if you have a Switch, or House Party for some fun rounds of Heads Up.
Together: Do a puzzle. If you have two, do a puzzle challenge and see who can finish faster. If you’re together, still watch Tiger King...because you need to understand what all the cool cats and kittens are wilding out about. Or brush off those old cards and play some classic gin rummy or nertz.
6. WINE & PAINT AT THE MUSEUM
One of my favorite in-person dates to go on in Los Angeles is the museums. Unfortunately most are closed right now, but that doesn’t have to stop you becoming an art aficionado.
Together or apart: Experience art and culture without ever leaving the comfort of your couch by going on a virtual museum tour. Visit The Broad in Los Angeles, The MoMA in NYC. Waltz through the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and many more museums via Google Arts & Culture! All of these amazing art institutions are offering FREE digital tours of their world class art collections.
After you’ve both found your favorite piece on display, grab a glass of wine and create some art yourself by drawing your partner. I’ve been attempting blind contour drawings–classic art class exercise. They often end up so bad that they’re kind of great. It’s hilarious and honestly makes for a pretty good abstract masterpiece. Maybe you will become the next Picasso!
Hopefully this list gives you a few frugal ideas to jump start your next quarantine date night. Leave a comment below with some fun date ideas you’ve tried! We’ll get through this COVID-19 together and back to real life soon.
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)
