I don’t know about anyone else but the older my children get, the harder it is to find the time (or the energy) to have some quality alone time with Mr Frugal. We used to try and have two nights a week where it was early bed for the kids and we would do something together but now, they want to stay up later and join in with everything we do!
I don’t mind this really, I actually love our family game nights and movie nights that we can have now they’re a bit older but it does mean that we have to be a bit more flexible with out date nights….
Do Lunch together
Every now and again, we manage to get a day off during the week together so we ‘do lunch’ while the kids are at school. We don’t usually bother with going out – we just sit at the kitchen table with something yummy to eat and catch up on what’s been going on. It’s surprising how relaxing and enjoyable eating a meal together can be when you can just sit and talk.
If you fancy having a posh lunch date and eating out, don’t forget that lots of restaurants do lunch time specials which are much cheaper than when you go on a night so have a look around for a good deal.
Go to the Cinema together
This might not be the cheapest way to spend time together but sometimes it’s nice just to go out and do the things that you used to do together before the children came along! There are ways to save money with Promotions like Orange Wednesdays mean that you buy one ticket and get another one free and chains like Cineworld offer cheap tickets on a Tuesday so it’s worth a quick look round before you book your tickets.
Start a babysitting club
Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds!
If you’ve got friends with children around the same age as yours, take it in turns to have an afternoon – weekends, school holidays or even just a couple of hours after school – where you look after each others kids. It means you get a come child free time every now and again and the kids have fun playing at the same time. You can use the time to snuggle up on the settee and catch up with each other or you could do something more cultured – museums, library, art gallery….
Have Movie nights together
Before they got wise to us, we used to tire the kids out through the day, put them to bed early and have a peaceful night together watching a film. It’s not so easy these days though and we often end up having to start our film nights a bit later so we can have some peace! We still have them, although we’re a bit sneaky about it nowadays – we hide any popcorn or sweets that we buy and we don’t mention what we’re planning – if we did, they’d be up and down like yo-yos worried that they were missing out on some fun. I make it sound like a secret spy mission just to have a movie night don’t I? It’s worth it though to be able to watch a grown up film that’s not Disney or superhero related!
Go on Double (or triple) dates
Sometimes its nice to do things with other couples – we have some friends who we get together with every few weeks and we always laugh all night long (the wine may be a factor in this though to be honest). We play board games, sing karaoke play on the Wii and even have the odd casino night – none of which cost any money and they’re all are great fun. You could even do your own version of Come Dine with Me.
And don’t forget the obvious – go for a walk on the beach or somewhere equally nice, have a home spa – with free massage, have a picnic together…. Any I’ve missed?
