Thrifty stay-at-home date ideas!

It can be hard to concentrate on keeping the spark alive with your partner when you’ve got an overdraft the size of Texas and you’re having leftovers for dinner again. Going to the movies or out for dinner can seem like a frivolous way to spend your dough when you’re struggling to pay the bills, and longer working hours can leave you too exhausted to leave your cozy couch and out of your sweats.

Neglecting your relationship can be counter-productive if you’re looking to save money. Putting on the ritz with your partner every night isn’t necessarily realistic – but not making the effort can leave you closed off, stressed out and depressed. Luckily, you don’t have to go out to have a good time – there are plenty of cheap thrills to be had at home. Run a bath, put on some mood music and light enough candles to give your bank balance a romantic glow!

Dinner for two Cook a meal from scratch – one night you could cook and the next they can. Why not make it a friendly competition, with points for thriftiness as well as taste? Make it truly special with home-made cocktails: the ingredients of a mojito are cheap, just disguise the taste of budget rum with lime, mint and sugar. Make it extra-special by having an indoor picnic. Set up a rug in the living room or on the floor of your bedroom and spread out a cheap feast. Changing the scene can be that simple – different environments are stimulating (and there’s no table acting as a barrier between you).

Bring entertainment home Get a DVD from the library, microwave some popcorn, turn off your phones and snuggle up. If you don’t have time to get to your library, there are online clubs you can pay monthly subscriptions to for cheap access to thousands of movies and some films are available online for free. There’s loads of music available online, too – have a DJ night where you raid your old CDs, MP3s and the Internet, taking it in turn to choose tracks. Rediscover lost classics and have a little boogie while you make dinner or find some dance instructions online: it might feel silly to have a go at the meringue in your kitchen, but no-one can see you.

Challenge yourself For the kind of face time you simply can’t get out on the town, dust off your old board games: dazzle your love with your intellect or relive the boom years with Monopoly. There’s no need to break into your savings if the only money you’re losing isn’t real! There are plenty of games and quizzes online that you can download for free. You could even make up a quiz for each other or play twenty questions – it may sound a bit naff but even if you’ve been together for ages the chances are you’ll learn something new.

After dark Our last suggestion is certainly the most priceless fun you can have together: good old cooing and wooing - being creative is free. Remember the board games from earlier? Play strip Scrabble or get kinky with Kerplunk. Why not have a spa evening with candles from the pound shop and a bumper bottle of massage oil? You could even buy some roses from the garage and strew the petals on your pillow. With this, as with all romantic gestures, it’s the little things that go a long way.