I can count on one hand the number of times my husband and I have sat inside a restaurant on a date night. This is CRAZY to me since going out to dinner, enjoying a glass of wine and having one 1 on 1 conversation was a regular occurrence for us.
For Valentine’s Day we don’t usually go out to eat ON the exact date… usually a date before or after to avoid crowds or prix-fixed menus. We like it better that way! But since this year is a little different we will probably be enjoying date night at home.
It’s safe to say that since March through a lockdown/quarantine as then having a new baby, date nights do not come around so often. But I know that setting aside time to enjoy kid-free nights is super important- and provides sanity and time to connect.
I’m sharing three creative and fun date nights that you can do at home. They don’t cost a ton and will give you an out of the box way to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year!
Read through the list and let me know your favorite in the comments!
LEARN YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE
Years ago I read the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Basically the book explains how every person has a different “love language” or a preferred way they receive and give love. When you discover your love language and share it with your partner you can communicate more deeply and express love in a way that they will be receptive to.
I loved the book and I think that it is so spot on! The best part? You can actually take the Love Languages quiz online (for free!) and discover your love language together with your partner.
The 5 Love Languages Are:
*words of affirmation
*gifts
*acts of service
*quality time
*physical touch
Chris and I did this together and his primary love language is “physical touch” and a secondary language is “acts of service.”
My love language is “gifts” and “words of affirmation.”
It’s fun to discover this together. A great date night idea is to pour a glass of wine (or your beverage of choice!) and pull up this quiz on your phone or laptop. Then once you have discovered your love languages you can make a list of different ways you would like your partner to show love. Keep it in the notes section of your phone for ideas all year long!
It also opens up so many conversations. I am the total opposite of “physical touch” and it’s not how I like to receive love. Chris on the other hand prefers to show love this way. We had a great conversation about it and it allowed us to communicate better about the things we like/dislike or what we wish the other would do more often.
MAKE IT A SNACK AND GAME NIGHT
Funny story- I love snacks. I am a SNACKER and would much prefer a “snack dinner” than an actual meal. For this reason Chris has my listed in his contacts as my company beings “Snacks & Co”. LOL He did this 10 years ago when we met and has never changed it.
Anyway, yes I do love snacks. So a snack + game date night sounds perfect to me. I shared an awesome recipe for buffalo chicken dip here – it’s my favorite.
If you don’t want to make anything homemade another thing we love to do is grab a few appetizers from the frozen section of our local supermarket or Trader Joes. The Trader Joe’s spinach dip with pita chips is awesome. If you want to go even easier- order this massive box of snacks. It has 25 different kind- sweet and salty!
Put together your platter of snacks, grab your favorite drink and head to the living room for a few rounds of “The Ultimate Game For Couples.”
This card came is SO fun. You basically ask each other questions and challenges. Some of the questions are really silly like “If I came with a warning label what would it be?”
Other questions allow you to learn more about your partner like “What was my favorite TV show as a kid?”
There are TONS of cards (2 decks!) so you can play this all night long. We had such a fun time and a lot of laughs. You can grab the game here – it is affordable AND you can even play it with up to 10 people in the future.
Other awesome two player games include this murder mystery game or escape room in a box!
TAKE A VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS TOGETHER
This is something Chris and I started to do over the quarantine last spring. We downloaded The Kitchen app by Food Network and learned how to make some great dishes!
The app is a subscription based app, but comes with a FREE 30 day trial. You can browse the classes (many are live but can catch replays of others) and pick one class or a few you want to take.
Purchase the ingredients ahead of time so you can cook while watching. I love to pick a recipe we have never made before or something that seems a little challenging. If you want to spruce up your pots and pans for the occasion, this set is my favorite and is the best quality for the price!
Another great way to take an online cooking class is through Masterclass. You can learn restaurant classics from Gordon Ramsay, Texas BBQ with Aaron Franklin or Mexican with Gabriela Camara.
I have taken in person cooking classes before and they have been SO fun. Virtual classes are the next best thing!
Making time for date night all year long is so important. I hope these ideas inspire you to think outside of the box and create some quality time for you and your partner.
If you have kiddos and can secure a sitter for the night, even if someone is just watching a movie with them in another room, it is so worth it! Since you won’t be spending money out you can save a bunch and put it toward childcare.
Which date night idea was your favorite? Tell me either in the comments or on this IG post! And don’t worry- if you are spending Valentine’s Day with your kids OR are are single this year I have more ideas coming for you! Be sure to follow me over on IG and subscribe to my email list to be the first to see them!
