Since it’s the season of love, and the most loving day of all is approaching fast, couples rush around to make the night as special as possible. However, without planning ahead, it can be hard to find things to do that aren’t super expensive or stressful. But don’t worry! You don’t need super extravagant and expensive plans to make your date feel special! Here are some great date ideas that will give you an affordable, special, and fun time if you do them right.
1. Picnic
A super simple and cute date idea is a picnic. You could really make this as fancy or as low-key as you want, and it offers a lot of variety. You could either take it to a cute spot or stay inside and lay out a blanket on the floor. You could spoof it up with fancy drinks and snacks, or just stick to simple sandwiches. Whatever works for you and your partner is perfect, and this is a super easy set up and just involves buying a few groceries!
2. Museum
If you and your partner want to be a bit adventurous, a museum or art gallery night would be perfect! The calm and romantic vibes of most museums and art galleries are unmatched, and are normally pretty cheap to get into; sometimes they’re even free! This also gives both of you the chance to look cute, and feel important and special, with minimal effort and cost!
A lot of museums also offer special exhibits for Valentine’s Day. Here at KU, the Spencer of Museum of Art is showing some historic Valentines, so if this date idea interests you, maybe check that out! Admission is free and it could be super fun.
3. Craft night
Feeling creative? A craft night is a super fun way to make Valentine’s Day special, and super customizable! Whether it’s painting, scrapbooking, or something else, it is super relaxing and enjoyable. Even though there are great ideas all over social media, especially TikTok, some of my personal suggestions would be to make paper flowers, or switch paintings every couple minutes till they’re finished. Since most people will already have crafting supplies, this is super inexpensive, and will leave you guys with some special souvenirs.
4. Romantic Walk
If you and your partner are outdoorsy, this is the cutest and most simple idea on this list! Weather you pick a town to walk through with cute lights and a lively environment, just like Mass street, or a more nature based setting, this could be super relaxing, and give you and your partner the chance to talk and debrief from life, and just enjoy each others company. This date is completely free, and can be super last minute, so take note!
5. Movie Night
If you guys like being couch potatoes and staying in most of the time, a cute movie night is perfect. Really, the only thing you would have to spend money on is cute heart snacks and popcorn of course! My personal recommendation would either be to watch a movie that is special to your relationship, like one you saw on a date or had your first kiss to, or watch cheesy rom-coms, since it’s super fitting for Valentine’s Day.
6. Stargazing
Stargazing is probably the most romantic date idea on this list, and is great if you want to feel like the star of a romantic movie. This is also a completely free idea, even though it would be best to find somewhere with little to no light pollution, so the stars are actually visible. This date is a super intimate and subtle way to make the night notable, and could be made more extravagant if desired.
7. Spa Night
If both you and your partner have been stressed with school, work, or just life lately, then this is the perfect date idea. Go grab some cheap masks and scrubs from the store, and just relax together. Catching up in a peaceful environment could be super fun, and is super cheap and easy to make happen. I would also recommend playing some love-centered relaxing music to make the date even more special!