Budget Date Night Ideas: Playing Games Isn’t Just for Kids

One of the most wonderful things about dating is that you have a partner to play with. As an adult, much of your day is spent being serious. When you go on a date, you get a chance to loosen up. You can laugh together, act silly together and relieve the tension that comes with being a grown-up. One great way to get relaxed with your partner is to play games. An added benefit of playing games on your dates is that it is an inexpensive way to spend time with someone you like.

Budget Game Nights Out On The Town

Most people like to get out of the house on their dates. It’s definitely possible to play games together in local venues. Top budget game night ideas in your local area might include:

• Shuffleboard. Many bars have shuffleboard tables for couples to use.
  
• Billiards. It only takes a few quarters to play pool with your partner at the corner bar.
  
• Trivia. Show off your brainy side with a date to trivia night at the local bar.
  
• Arcade. Challenge each other to Skeeball, racing games and pinball at the local arcade. If you have a penny arcade then you can really enjoy playing games at a bargain.
  
• Bowling. This sport is more like a game if you’re not a professional. And it makes for a really fun date night!

Budget Game Nights at Home

You don’t have to leave the house to play games for date night. You can purchase some inexpensive games to play at the house. Enjoy these together alone with your partner or invite other couples to join you for a fun little party. Top at-home games for date night include:

• Card games. A deck of cards is very inexpensive and provides endless fun. From poker to war, you and your partner can play for hours.
  
• Chess. If your partner’s smarts turn you on then you can challenge each other to a game of chess. If you tend to be a wordier type then Scrabble would be another smart option.
  
• Shuffleboard. This popular bar game can also be played at home if you purchase your own shuffleboard set.
  
• Popular party games. Cranium, Scene It, Trivial Pursuit and Charades are some of the top games that people enjoy playing together at parties.
  
• Traditional kids’ games. Relieve your past and share some childhood memories while enjoying a date night filled with Monopoly, Checkers, Chutes and Ladders and Sorry.

Video Games and Computer Games

If you already own a video game console and games then this can be an inexpensive date night. Choose a game that is interactive. You can play against one another or you can team up together to beat the bad guys. Notably, video games and computer games have a bonus benefit to them, which is that they can be played even when you aren’t together. This makes for a fun budget date night to enjoy when you and you’re sweetie are at a distance from one another. Simply make a date to appear in the game at the same time and play together even though you aren’t actually together. It doesn’t replace an in-person date but it’s certainly a nice supplement to them.

Shelly Towns is an experienced blogger and expert on living on a budge, as well as a freelance writer for McClure Tables, a shuffleboard company. In her free time she likes to play board games with her family and hike with her dogs.