In college, balancing all of your responsibilities on top of a relationship can be daunting. Between assignments, exams, clubs, and trying to maintain a social life, it is not always easy to make time and prioritize your relationship, but it is important. Spending time with your partner doesn’t need to be extravagant or expensive; you just need to find easy yet fun ways to carve out time for one another and enjoy each other’s company. As a junior in college who’s been in a relationship my entire college experience, I have had a lot of practice with finding new, exciting dates that don’t break the bank. Here are some of my favorites!
- ) Go On A Walk
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Going for a walk is one of the simplest date ideas, but always sticks out as a favorite for me because it can have so much variety and fit anywhere into your schedule. Even if you only have an hour between classes, you can meet up with your partner, get your steps in, and clear your head. Walking is great in general because it is an easy, low impact, physical activity and doing it with your partner just makes it even more enjoyable. It is a time you can be off your phone, not stress about school, and simply talk and catch up with one another. With the fast pace of college life, it is important to find moments when you can slow down, take a breather, and just be together. You can also switch it up depending on your mood. You can walk on Horsebarn Hill and visit the animals, head downtown and shop around, or just walk to a part of campus you don’t go to often and see what you find.Â
- ) Study Date
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A study date is another super easy one to work into your schedule. You don’t have to take any time away from your studies or responsibilities, but still get to spend time together. This is the perfect examples of just putting in a little extra effort to make time for each other, without taking away from the rest of your life. Even during super stressful times like midterms or finals, simply doing your studying together can count as a date, and also help alleviate some stress. To make it fun, you can grab food or coffee to enjoy while you work, and you can also keep it interesting by trying different study spots around campus. Some of my favorite places to work where you can also be talking are the first floor of the library, the Student Union, Rowe Building, and the Business School breakout rooms. Working on school work together is also a great way to involve your partner in your future goals, you can both help each other out and hold each other accountable to be the best you can be.
- ) Movie Nights
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Since my boyfriend and I live together this year, movie nights are our recent favorite date idea. We each take turns getting to pick the movie and it has been so easy and fun, and I’ve also gotten to watch a lot of movies I never would have on my own. By alternating who picks, you get to keep things interesting while also taking interest in things your partner enjoys, even if it’s not your cup of tea. I thought I hated horror movies but I’ve actually gotten really into them recently. Some of our favorites have been Weapons, The Black Phone, and Hereditary, but I also threw in Sex and the City: The Movie for one of my picks to keep it light. We always like to set the vibes with candles, blankets, and all things cozy. You can go to CVS and buy your favorite candy, or extra points if you cook or bake something together to enjoy while you watch.
- ) Find A New Coffee Shop
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Finding a new coffee shop is the perfect little adventure for those lazy weekend mornings when you want to relax and take it slow. During the week I do my best to make my coffee at home so I can treat myself on the weekend, and also make a fun date out of it. Recently, my boyfriend and I have tried (and loved) LuAnn’s Bakery & Cafe in Stafford, Vernon Coffee Roasters in Vernon, and Radial Coffee Co. in Tolland. These places all have great ambience too if you want to stay and hang out or even study and do work together. If you don’t have a car on campus, you can still have a fun coffee date by trying something new at Starbucks or Dunkin, or you can walk downtown to Dog Lane Cafe for a better cafe vibe.Â
- ) Game Night
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Playing games is the perfect date activity to keep you off your phone and really engage with each other in a lighthearted way. If you have board games that is great, but even if you just have a deck of cards there are a ton of games you can learn together online to keep it new every time. My boyfriend and I have been doing this for years, we started by bringing a deck of cards to our dorm lounges, so even if you live in a dorm there is no excuse to not have a fun date night. We also really like to play the New York Times games online, typically over coffee or as a brain break from studying. A lot of the games are free without paying for a subscription (RIP Mini Crossword) and it’s fun to compete against each other. Â
Dates made easy and affordable
Being in a long-term relationship can be a unique experience in college, and it’s not always easy to navigate when you feel like it’s outside of the norm. Just remember, all that’s really important is doing what you enjoy with who you enjoy doing it with. Especially with social media, it can be easy to feel like every date has to be perfectly aesthetic and curated, but I’m here to remind you it’s just never that serious. Dating is all just supposed to be for you and your partners enjoyment, so do what is fun and realistic for you and your circumstances. If you take anything away from this article, I hope it is to romanticize literally everything and get creative, turn the mundane moments of life into a fun date with your partner!Â