"Romantic Antics" - Guaranteed to add romance! | home
Cheap Dates
These ideas are just right for anyone on a limited budget. All the ideas listed below can be done for $5-$50 or less depending on how creative you are. The primary goal of a first date, after having fun, is to find out more about the person you're with.
Sunrise
Long before I met Joy I spent five years in the Navy. For about a year I worked on the midnight to 7-am shift in the computer room aboard ship. One of the things I really enjoyed was ending my workday by walking outside to see the sunrise. The beautiful colors reflected on the water were an inspiration. Back then I really wished that I had someone to share it with.
So after I met Joy, very early one Saturday morning, I called her for a surprise date. “Rise and shine, my love, I’ll be by to pick you up in half an hour.” The grunt on the other end of the line should have been a warning. I arrived promptly at 6 am to hear Joy grumble "This better be worth it..." And it was. We had a delightful stroll by the waterfront monuments downtown. I’d stopped for bagels and orange juice before picking Joy up. We found a park bench that gave us a great view of the sunrise and the Jefferson Memorial and sat down to eat. We ate and talked and watched the world come alive as the sun came up. It was very romantic.
On the next gorgeous weekend, get yourself and your mate up before the crack of dawn. Go to a favorite park, lake, garden, path, or waterfront. Hold hands and enjoy the dawning of a new day together.
Clue
Sometimes the romance is in the anticipation of a date as much as the date itself. Early in our relationship Joy asked me to dinner for the next Friday night. On Tuesday she left a message for me at work. "Clue number one for Friday night is that you need to feel adventurous."
I quickly called back for clue number two. A while later I received a call. "I'm sorry, sir, but you have reached your maximum clue limit for the day, please try again tomorrow." The next day, clue number two indicated the appropriate attire (blue jeans and the green polo shirt Joy likes). Clue number three on Thursday was about the time of the date.
On Friday morning there was no clue waiting so I called Joy. “Be patient,” she teased.
Later I received a call from the reception desk. “Please come down and pick up your flowers.” Clue number four was with the flowers. Wait for me outside your office at the appropriate time this evening. Love, Joy. When Joy picked me up she had a huge smile on her face that matched mine.
We went to my favorite park for a picnic dinner. Joy had spent Thursday evening testing new recipes and they were packed in her basket. We spread out a blanket, feasted on the delightful food she had prepared, walked around enjoying the sunshine until it waned, and then watched a glorious sunset together arm in arm.
Joy really surprised me with this date. The clue process was original and very creative; I really didn’t know what to expect each day. She put a lot of thought into this date, built up my anticipation, and delivered with a marvelous finale. Create your own clues to a date and deliver them in a special way as Joy did. It will certainly keep your mate guessing!
Dance Lessons
Ever watch those old Fred and Ginger movies and wish you could dance like that? While you and your partner may not be able to duplicate the fancy moves of Fred and Ginger, you can still learn to do a flashy dip and graceful spin with your partner. Take dance lessons!
Joy and I signed up to take a series of eight classes together. We learned the foxtrot and waltz, as well as the tango, cha-cha, and swing. For those not into ballroom dancing there's Cajun and Zydeco dancing, country two-step, line dancing, Celtic dancing, and swing. There's round dance and square dance, samba and lambada. Or the health conscious can even take aerobic dance together.
If you feel awkward don’t let that stop you; almost everyone has some sense of rhythm. It's not hard to learn a few steps, and it's fun to do together. Sign up for some dance lessons now!
Musical Picnic
Joy and I are lucky in many things; just one is where we live. During the spring and summer there are free outdoor concerts featuring a variety of performers. These performances are sponsored by radio stations, or by the city or county. The military also has some excellent groups. One of my favorites is the Air Force jazz band, Airmen of Note.
It was a sunny Friday evening, still plenty of daylight left to enjoy after a long work week. Joy had packed a picnic basket full of goodies. Couples and families were spread all over the lawn on blankets and kites flew high overhead, bright splashes of color against the blue sky. The brass on the band's uniforms sparkled and the rich music wafted over us along with the summer breeze. It was a very relaxing way to ease into the weekend. We even got to enjoy the sunset on our drive home.
Most city newspapers have a listing of upcoming cultural events. Find out where outdoor concerts are listed in your city, get a copy of the coming events, and make a date!
Browsing the Bookshelves
One thing that distinguishes the area in which we live is the number of antiquarian bookstores. There are almost 40 used bookshops. They present great opportunities to be romantic! Kevin and I love to browse the stacks of old books. We've even created games for it:
- select a section and see how many books you can find with the words love or romance in the title (really difficult if you get stuck with the archeology section).
- find the shortest, longest, worst, or best love poem among the poetry books. Reading it aloud is mandatory.
- find the oldest book on love or marriage. What are the best and worst ideas inside?
Many used bookstores are housed in rambling old homes, with various rooms, hallways, nooks and crannies filled with books. Nooks and crannies not only provide excellent places to steal kisses!
We usually leave with at least one or two books and at $1 or $2 a trip it's a fun yet inexpensive date. You can also try this at your local library.
Spend an evening browsing the bookshelves to find romance.
Putt-Putt
I made plans for a Saturday afternoon to surprise Joy. I just told her to dress for a spring afternoon. The weather was perfect for outdoor activities.
When the appointed time came I handed Joy a golf ball on which I'd drawn a big red heart. Joy had a puzzled look on her face. "We're going golfing?" Joy and I can be competitive but the difference in our sizes can give me an unfair advantage in some sports (Joy is 5'1" and I'm 6'1"). "Golf with a twist," I replied and off we went to play miniature golf (also known as putt-putt).
Putt-Putt is a great opportunity for us to compete without taking ourselves too seriously, enjoy the weather, and also be romantic. We gamble on our putt-putt, for kisses. And a hole in one gets a bonus kiss. Sometimes I'll even carry a few Hershey's kisses in my pocket for a change of pace.
Our favorite courses are the silliest ones, with loops and terraces and goofy obstacles. That way when we do miss we can blame it on the course, laugh it off, and still have fun.
Get competitive and gamble on the golf course! A putt-putt course, that is, and don't forget the bonus kisses.
We Volunteer
It didn't appear to be the most romantic date when Joy invited me to join her as a volunteer to serve meals to the homeless. It seemed like an interesting and worthwhile project though and I was glad to help. Four other volunteers joined Joy and me in the dining hall and set to work preparing the meal. The quantities seemed huge but we had a lot of people to feed.
As our guests arrived Joy and I began preparing plates of food and drinks. We served dozens of people over the next two hours, playfully bumping into each other in the small kitchen as we kept hot food flowing.
By the time the doors closed we were exhausted but we still had work to do. We all pitched in and cleaned up, scrubbing pots and floors, and leaving the kitchen and dining room ready for the next crew.
When we signed up as volunteers, we didn't really know what we were getting into. What we got was a feeling of accomplishment, the knowledge that we are truly blessed, and a renewed love and appreciation for each other.
There are so many ways you can volunteer to help out your community:
- read stories to children
- deliver meals to shut-ins
- tutor in computer skills
- staff a charity walk, such as March of Dimes
- teach English as a Second Language
- play with kids
- give blood
- help build a house
- clean up a nature trail.
Some take only a few hours, others require a longer commitment. There are many local organizations that match volunteer opportunities to your schedule and interests.
Volunteer together with your partner. It's a uniquely romantic way to share with each other as well as with others.