Who doesn’t love a good date night in? We’ve found creative stay at home date ideas for couples that are fun, cheap, and romantic! So if you’re wondering what to do Friday night, we have several ideas that are a lot of fun listed below!
If one of your goals is to save more money this year, you’ll love these cheap date ideas that are also memorable and romantic!
Some of my favorite memories growing up were when my parents would empty the coin jar we kept in the kitchen and go buy a pizza with it! They’d then have my aunt and uncle over, and they’d play card games or board games all night.
When Jake and I were dating, we also had several memorable stay at home date ideas – including Valentines Day! Instead of going out to eat at a fancy restaurant, he grabbed a pizza and donuts on the way home, and we had a classic romantic comedy movie night! So much fun and so budget-friendly!
And yes – a movie night might sound pretty traditional, but this list of creative date night ideas has something unique and perfect for every couple!
What can you do at home on a date?
There are several ways to plan a stay at home date night! I’ve been making this list for a few weeks now, and it started to get a little overwhelming to be 100% honest.
So we’re breaking down the date ideas into 3 categories: Romantic Date Night Ideas, Fun at Home Dates, and More Date Ideas.
All of these ideas are cheap and can help you save money while spending time together.
Last year messed up some of our regular date nights, and we had to get pretty creative on different ways to create a romantic night at home. We hope these ideas will inspire you to try a new favorite game, connect on a deeper level over a great conversation, and overall just have fun together!
Romantic Date Ideas
1. Enjoy a Dinner by Candlelight
Whether you want to cook a fancy dinner or just order takeout, enjoying a meal and lighting some candles can be one of the best ways to enjoy spending time together.
2. Make Dinner or Dessert Together
We also love the idea of trying to recreate your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant at home!
One of my favorite things to cook together is a pizza! You could make the dough and get a little crazy with the toppings!
We also love these easy red wine chocolate shakes recipe for 2! You only need 3 ingredients: red wine, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate syrup, and it’s so fun to make together.
3. Give Each Other Massages
Grab your favorite scented lotion and Google to improve your massaging skills if you need to!
4. Go Down Memory Lane
If you have printed photos, albums, or memento boxes — dig them out and turn on your favorite songs from when you dated! Reminisce about how ya’ll met, your favorite date, any bad dates, and so on. If you don’t have printed photos, you could also create a digital photo book together and have it printed!
5. Take a Bubble Bath Together
Taking a bubble bath is a super romantic date on it’s own, but you can make it even more special with scented candles and romantic music.
6. Find Out Your Partner’s Love Language
If you’ve never read Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages, the idea is that there are 5 main ways to convey love, but your partner may only respond to one or two of them. So it’s important to identify their love language. You can take the quiz here and then you could base the rest of the night off of each other’s love languages!
Fun at Home Dates
I have to admit, I love a fun at home date, and they can be romantic as well!
7. Watch a Sports Game
I love watching a football game with Jake in the Fall. We get pizza, nachos, hot dogs, chicken wings, and whatever snacks we want, and then enjoy the game together. You could also bet on the game and have a fun prize for the winner. (Nowadays, you can even find a classic game being replayed too!)
8. Do a Puzzle Together
While it might not sound as sexy as a massage, it’s the talking that is the best part of doing a puzzle together. You can also find some high-art puzzles like this one and frame it after! Puzzles aren’t just kittens and light houses anymore!
9. Paint or Color Together
Just like doing a puzzle together, coloring or painting can allow you time to open up and share what has been going on lately in your lives and relationships. We also love this #MarriedLife Snarky Coloring Book for Adults. It’s hilarious!
10. Do a Craft or DIY Project Together
I can’t say we’re a crafty couple, but I am always impressed by a couple that we’re friends with who are. They redid their guest bathroom together one weekend, and they also have built a few pieces of furniture together! The craftiest thing Jake and I have done is painting mugs, but whatever project you choose — you’ll not only get to spend time together, but you’ll also have a memento from the date after too!
11. Build a Fort in the Living Room
We love the idea of building a fort like you did as a kid. You can throw down pillows, blankets, and bring in treats to enjoy all night! You could also bring an iPad and watch YouTube videos or listen to music after you have it built!
12. Host a Double Date
Just because you’re doing a stay at home date doesn’t mean you can’t have another couple over for dinner or a new card game!
13. Play Video Games Together
I absolutely am amazing at Mario Kart, and I don’t mind kicking some butt when we play. (It’s the only video game I’m good at). Pick out a classic game like Mario you both played as kids or pick something new neither of you have played to make it fun and a little less competitive.
14. Karaoke or Dance the Night Away
YouTube not only has songs with lyrics, but you can also find dance lessons on there! If you always love the atmosphere of a dance club or karaoke bar, bring that vibe home! Create a fun cocktail and turn on the music!
15. Check a Bucket List
Lots of individuals have a bucket list, but wouldn’t it be cool to have a bucket list with your spouse?! That way you could do the activities together, and there is more of a push to follow through on those activities you list!
16. Have a Nerf or Marshmallow Fight
You could always tie in a Nerf or marshmallow fight into any of these date ideas!
17. Have a Movie Marathon
This is our go-to for a great date night at home. We absolutely love movies, and we will pick a theme and food for the night. One of our favorite themed movie nights is The Godfather & The Godfather II movies. We have found a ton of free movie night ideas on Movie Nights at Home too!
One of our favorite’s is an epic Christmas Movie night with A Christmas Carol, National Lampoon’s Christmas, and Love Actually! We take an intermission to enjoy cream cheese squares and orange juice in the middle of the night!
(Grab our favorite romantic movies list)
18. Play a Board Game Together
Right now, we’re loving Monopoly and Scrabble!
Games for Couples
We mentioned a game night is something we love to do, but we also have a few other game ideas you might like!
19. Play “Would You Rather?”
You can come up with your own questions, or you can buy a game with a ton of questions to pick from!
20. See How Well You Know Each Other
Try out the Newlywed Game and have fun prizes for each other when you get the question right!
21. Break Out Twister!
We admit, Would You Rather or the Newlywed Game could go South with the wrong question – or answer – but one spin of Twister can lead to some fun.
22. If you have cards, you can always play strip poker
More Stay at Home Date Ideas for Couples
If you still haven’t found a good fit for this weekend, we have a few more cute at home date ideas for you!
These date night ideas weren’t necessarily romantic or nostalgic fun; they fell somewhere in between.
23. Have a Backyard Picnic
Just like candlelight, throwing down a blanket and enjoying a meal outside can enhance a dinner – even if it’s takeout!
24. Watch Your Favorite Movie Outside
This could be on an iPad, or if you know you’ll use it, you could even invest in an inflatable movie projector for epic movie nights outside!
25. Make Drinks and Sip Them on Your Patio
This sounds so simple, but when it gets warm, I love sitting out on the deck with a glass of wine and listening to a new album together.
26. Breakfast in Bed for Dinner
Mornings can be crazy — so why not make pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, or your favorite breakfast foods for dinner and curl up in bed!
27. Wine Tasting Flight Sampler
Did you know you can have a flight of wine mailed to you and have a tasting at home? It’s so much fun and affordable too!
28. Don’t like wine? Do a Chocolate Tasting!
We don’t have a kit for this one, but you could focus on all Milk Chocolate from different brands to find your favorite or vary it up!
29. Do a Fondue Night
You don’t even need a fondue machine! You can melt chocolate, caramel, and other dipping sauces on your stove or crockpot!
30. Host Your Own Book Club
Take turns picking a book each month and then choose a night to discuss it over a bottle of wine!
Here are a few more ideas for a great date night in!
Bonus At Home Date Night Ideas for Couples
Make a plan to put all technology and social media out of sight and out of mind. Then, spend a night where it really is just the two of you connecting!
Laughter really is the best medicine! That being said, get ready to channel your inner comedian for a night full of fun and laughter! It’s time to let loose and have some fun!
Create a Night in Paris, France with fun little touches, food, and French movies for a great date night at home idea for your husband or significant other!
Celebrate love with a date night dessert “picnic” indoors. Set up cozy floor seating and serve this dessert fondue board.
Everyone loves a little adventure. Use this free romantic scavenger hunt printable to have a fun filled date night.
Not making enough time for date nights? Why not have a cooking together at-home date night? It’s a fun way to connect and learn together.
What’s Your Favorite Date Night At Home?
We’d love to know if you have other Stay At Home Date Night Ideas that we should add too! Let us know in the comments!
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Love this list! I’ve never even considered some of these.
Love these ideas, especially the wine or other food- tasting idea. We would love that, we’ll have to try it with chocolate for me and cheese for hubby! =) Thanks!
Thanks Heather!!
Some good ideas!! Will definitely have to show these to husband…👍☺️❣️