Whether you’re unwilling to venture out into the chilly winter weather or you don’t have the money to blow on a fancy date night, there are some nights that you and your guy just don’t want to leave your cozy dorm or apartment. The next time you’re feeling a date night in but you want to do something more exciting than sit on the couch watching a few hours of TV, try one of these date ideas instead!
1. Be a Gamer
Guys associate video games with chilling out with their bros, so if you can pick up a controller and hold your own against him, it’ll be a major turn-on! Whether you’re playing Call of Duty on Xbox or you’re going old school with some Mario Party on the N64, if you can hit the right buttons, you’re in for a great night. Get some guy foods—wings, pretzels, chips, etc.—and show him that you’re just as much fun as a night with his friends! (Bonus: he gets to kiss you after the game’s over!)
2. Give Each Other Massages
Actually going out to the spa is crazy expensive, so why not get all of the pampering of a spa treatment in your own living room? All you need is to pick up a little massage oil from your local drugstore, put on some relaxing music, and light a few candles. Then melt his troubles away—but make sure he melts yours away, too! Check out this tutorial to become a master masseuse in time for your date night in.
3. Get in the Kitchen
Scroll through your expansive recipe board on Pinterest together (or check out The Food Network’s “Let’s Cook: Best Recipes” board and pick out a recipe that sounds delicious. Go to the grocery store to pick up all of the ingredients, then get in the kitchen and make it together! While the food you’ll eat together at the end is great (hopefully—be careful to follow that recipe), it’s the process of making it together that will help the two of you bond. The mood will be sizzling just as much as whatever you’ve got cooking!
4. Break Out the Board Games
Search in the dorm hall common room or in the toy section at the nearest Target or WalMart to find a fun board game to play! Whether it’s Scrabble or Monopoly, the competition you’ll get going will create some heat between the two of you, which is what makes it so exciting! Bonus points if you play something like Twister instead… and even more bonus points if you turn whatever innocent game you’re playing into something flirty! Strip poker, anyone?
5. Go Theme-Crazy
Pick a theme—whether it’s Cinco de Mayo, A Night in Paris, or Kung-Fu fighting—and go nuts! Everything from the music to the to the drinks and food should go along with whatever theme you choose. For example, if you go with Cinco de Mayo, you could have margaritas and fajitas while watching “Frida” or listening to Juanes and Enrique Iglesias. If you picked “A Night in Paris” theme, you could watch Casablanca while eating baguettes with cheese or Nutella. You could order in from your favorite Chinese restaurant if you’re watching a kung-fu movie, and hang paper lanterns up to feel like you’re on a mini-vacation. This is only fun if you really get into it, so be creative!
6. Belt It Out
Maybe you’d sing at karaoke bars if you were older or if there weren’t so many people watching you. Fortunately, in your own home, neither of those is an issue! You can download an app called iKaraoke that will turn your iPhone/MacBook/iPad into a makeshift karaoke machine. You can sing any of your favorite songs as loudly and as off-key as you want! Maybe start with a few drinks first to lower your inhibitions a bit, and then giggle at each other as you croon your favorite tunes together.
Whether you go for one of these creative ideas or you actually do end up cuddling on the couch and watching TVs for hours, your night in is bound to bring you closer together than spending tons of money at a restaurant or bar. If you and your guy have any ideas for out of the ordinary date nights in that we missed, let us know in the comments!