After 12 years of marriage, three kids and many arguments, both big and small, I’ve come to this important conclusion: Marriage is hard as shit! Even the healthiest of marriages require maintenance and effort. A good friend of mine pointed out that, not unlike real life, the husband stuff section of my blog has been sadly neglected. With everything else we have going on in our lives, it’s easy to just go through the motions day to day, all the while putting our marriage on the back burner.
For my husband and I, date nights have really helped us reconnect and remember that we actually like each other. The standard dinner and a movie date can be pricy, so here are some budget-friendly ideas to help you connect with your spouse this fall. You can even have fun together without finding a babysitter because you can try many of these ideas from the comfort of your own home.
20 Cheap Fall Date Ideas:
- Go pumpkin picking. Check the link from Richmondmom.com for local resources.
- Take a scenic drive or a hike to see fall foliage.
- Visit a haunted house. Here’s a link to tons of local scares from virginiahauntedhouses.com
- Try on costumes at a Halloween costume shop.
- Go star-gazing at a local park. Bottle of wine + soft blanket + some chocolate= a perfect evening
- Find Youtube videos on Halloween makeup and practice turning each other into zombies or skeletons. Afterwards you can take a shower together to get “clean”.
- Go for a walk together.
- Write your bucket lists together and then discuss them. Make a plan to accomplish one or two things on your lists each year.
- Have a moonlight picnic in the backyard.
- Get a fire pit and enjoy s’mores and red wine by the fire. We just got this one from Amazon and have been enjoying it.
- Make a meal together that you normally wouldn’t have time to cook or try a new type of cuisine.
- Sing karaoke together or just watch and heckle those who sing.
- Go to a high school football game. Share a hot chocolate and relive your youth.
- Visit a local grocery store, Super Target or Walmart and have a contest to see who can find the most Pumpkin Spice flavored things. Winner gets to pick which of the things the loser has to try.
- Have an apple pie bake-off. Choose two different recipes and let the best baker win!
- Make popcorn and put on your favorite Halloween movie.
- Visit a local harvest festival. They often have free admission, great food and local musicians performing.
- Try one of these fall crafts: Trick or Treat Wooden Blocks, Mason Jar Jack O’ Lanterns, or Ghost Face Picture Frames.
- Visit a thrift shop to look for Halloween costume ideas. First prize goes to the person who can find the most hideous outfit.
- Volunteer together. There are many volunteering opportunities this time of year. Check out these sites for more info: HandsOn Greater Richmond, Volunteer Match, Feed More
Richmond readers: Check out these great fall resources from Richmondmom.com.
Find time to connect with your spouse this fall. I promise you that the effort will pay off!
Happy Fall!
♥ Erin
