60 Cheap Date Ideas You’ll Actually Want To Do

10 Feb 2022, by Lydia Kah-Pavlou, min. read

Cheap date ideas to enjoy with your partner without costing a fortune!

Whether you’re in a longterm relationship, something new and exciting or you’re just dating around, dating can be a lot of fun. However, dating isn’t always cheap and there’s often a large societal pressure to spend loads of money on a date (not to mention the outdated expectation that the man has to pay for everything).

If you’re looking for cheap date ideas, here are 60 ideas that will hardly set you back to try out next time it’s date night.

Cheap food dates

1. Have a picnic (£10- £15)

Nothing beats grabbing your fave snacks and heading to a local park to enjoy it. A picnic can even be in your back garden or front room too if you’d prefer!

2. Cook a meal together at home (£10-£15)

If you can’t afford a fancy meal out, why not try and recreate your fave restaurant from your kitchen. Cooking together can be really fun and relaxing and there’s nothing better than enjoying a fully home cooked meal.

3. Make cocktails together (£15- £20, depending on what you have at home)

Forget the pub, who says you can’t enjoy cocktails at home? The price depends on what you already have at home, but a quick trip to Tesco for juices, mixers and alcohol shouldn’t set you back too much. You can even get dressed up like you would if you were going out out.

4. Bake a cake (£10 on average)

Bake a cake or cookies together to enjoy a tasty snack. Depending on what ingredients you already have this shouldn’t break the bank, but every supermarket will have the right ingredients at affordable prices too.

5. Have a wine and cheese night (£10-£20)

Build your own charcuterie board with your favourite cheeses and crackers and tuck into a bottle of your favourite (affordable) wine and relax!

6. Go strawberry picking (free- £5)

If you’re lucky enough to live near a local strawberry farm this is a great date to enjoy in the spring/summertime. You can even take them home to make chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy together afterwards.

7. Go out for ice cream or dessert (£10-£15)

Dessert dates > everything else. If you want to save the bill from a 3-course meal, skip the first two courses and just head out for dessert instead.

8. Try a new coffee shop (£6-£10)

Coffee shop dates are one of the most common types of dates, so why not try and find a new local spot to hang out and spend a relaxing afternoon.

9. Visit a food market (free to visit, but buying food will cost money)

Food markets are a great way to discover new food and spend time together, who can resist the delicious cakes, jams and breads a food market has to offer? If you don’t want to actually buy something, it’s a great free way to spend an afternoon.

10. Make milkshakes together (£5-£7)

You’ll need ice cream, milk and a few more ingredients to make milkshakes. If it’s a hot day a milkshake date in your garden or while enjoying a movie is a simple but affordable date.

11. Go to the supermarket for snacks at midnight (£5-£10)

There’s nothing better than visiting a 24-hour supermarket late at night.

12. Order your fave takeaway and put on a movie (£20-£30)

Sometimes a takeaway is better than going out. You can normally get some good deal on takeaways (shameless plug to use your Student Beans account) which makes it cheaper than going out and you won’t have to cover transport costs either.

13. Make homemade pizza (£8-£10)

Can’t afford to order Domino’s? Why not make your own pizzas together at home! You’ll be able to find the basic ingredients from any supermarket and you can enjoy your pizzas with your fave movie afterwards.

14. Go to the drive-thru late at night (£10-£15)

Going to the drive-thru just feels way more exciting when it’s the middle of the night.

15. Have breakfast in bed (£10)

Whether you’re surprising your partner or you’re planning this date together, breakfast in bed is a romantic yet affordable way to enjoy time together.

Cheap going out dates

16. Get on a bus and visit a new town (£3-5)

Get outside and visit somewhere new! Bus fares tend to be significantly cheaper than train fares, so look up places near you and get exploring.

17. Go to a pub quiz (free)

You can’t beat a good old fashioned pub quiz. Test your trivia and general knowledge and enjoy a drink or two without breaking the bank.

18. Go to a museum (free)

Museums are free and a romantic way to spend time together. You can learn new things, see some really cool exhibits and not spend a pound.

19. Visit antique or vintage stores together (free, but buying can be expensive)

Vintage and antique stores can have some absolute gems. If you’re lucky enough to live near vintage stores you can easily spend an afternoon there digging out some new things to fall in love with.

20. Go rock climbing together (£15-£25, depending on where you are)

Rock climbing is a different type of date that you may not have done together that can really push you to have fun and try something new.

21. Go on a hike (free)

Plan your hiking route, get your comfiest clothes and wait until it’s a nice day.

22. Go bike riding (free)

If you don’t have your own bikes, many cities will have bike rental schemes so you can borrow bikes for the day (and it’s normally super affordable) try visiting your local park via bike instead of public transport or driving to enjoy and take in the great outdoors.

23. Play mini golf (£10-£15)

If you live near a mini golf course then this is a great date idea! Not only will the afternoon fly by but you can unleash your competitive side too.

24. Go bowling (£10-£20)

Bowling is a classic date idea, but it’s easy to see why. It’s fun, affordable and a great way to challenge your partner.

25. Go to an arcade (free, but games can cost between £3-£10)

An arcade date is a super fun and creative way to spend a rainy day. Arcade machines will just require some loose change (and is a good way to get rid of loose pennies too!)

26. Visit the library (free)

Visit your local library together and take out books you want to read together, or recommend your favourite books to each other to try out.

27. Watch the sunset or sunrise (free)

Google the best locations near you to see the sunset or sunrise (normally a hill in a park) and set a date that you’re going to go. A good sunset is not only beautiful but a super romantic trip to enjoy together.

28. Go to a workout class (free)

What’s more romantic than sweating together? Either invite your partner to a class you’re a regular at, or try something completely new like kickboxing or Zumba.

29. Visit a garden centre (free)

Garden centres are free to enter and always have beautiful plants and flowers for you to browse aimlessly. You can even relax with a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake in the cafÃ© afterwards.

30. See a comedy show (free)

Comedy clubs are normally free (or cheap entry) and is a different type of activity to enjoy together on an evening after a long day.

Cheap staying in dates

31. Do a puzzle together (free)

Puzzles are not only challenging mentally, but it feels sooo good to finally put the last piece in. Plus, if you’re bored the afternoon will literally fly by before you know it.

32. Stay up all night together (free)

Because deep chats at 3am hit different.

33. Build a blanket fort (free)

Blanket forts are free, fun and a big dosage of childhood nostalgia.

34. Play video games together (free)

If you have a games console that allows for more than one player, a night in playing video games is the perfect date idea for anyone competitive.

35. Have a pamper session (free)

Make an at-home spa complete with face masks and massages to de-stress after a long day.

36. Have a movie marathon (free)

Ever wondered if you could watch every movie in a series in one day? Now’s your chance to give it a go.

37. Plan your next holiday (free)

Ok, so going on the actual holiday is probably way more exciting but it doesn’t hurt to get planning if you can’t afford to actually book it just yet.

38. Pet sit (free)

There are loads of websites and apps that allow you to look after other people’s pets for a day. Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person pet sitting is an adorable date, without the commitment of getting a pet together just yet.

39. Play board games together (free)

Whether it’s Monopoly or a card game, games are fun, competitive and most importantly free.

40. Do yoga together (free)

Try following a yoga tutorial on YouTube to relax and enjoy some de-stressing together.

41. Have a photoshoot at home (free)

Photos are the best memory. If you never take photos together, make time to take some and create some memories.

42. Binge-watch a new show in one day (free)

Find your latest Netflix show and set yourself a target to watch the whole first season in one day.

43. Have a distraction free day at home (free)

Turn off your phones and step away from your computers. The urge to view social media can sometimes spoil dates, so arrange a date where you put away your phones and really focus on one another.

44. Do online quizzes (free)

Online quizzes are fun and free! Whether it’s trivia or personality tests, it’s a great way to spend time.

45. Have a clear-out (free)

It might sound boring, but there’s nothing more satisfying than a deep clear-out.

Cheap creative dates

46. Go to an art exhibition (free)

Find a local art show to enjoy together.

47. Paint together (free, but supplies might cost money)

Regardless of your creative ability, painting is relaxing and fun (even if you really can’t paint).

48. Learn a language together (free)

If you’re a creative couple, push yourself to try and learn a new language together and plan a trip to that country to get your practice in.

49. Recreate a favourite date (free, but depends on the date)

There must be a date you’ve had together that’s your favourite of all time. Whether you’re recreating it at home or you’re going back to the place it all begun, it’s a great way to get creative.

50. Go to a pottery class (£10-£20)

Whether you’re going to attempt actually making pottery together or you just want to paint it, it can be fun to create mugs, plates or something else that you can share and keep forever.

51. Get a psychic reading (£10-£15)

Want to know what the future has in store for you? Why not find out!

52. Try adult colouring books (£4-£8)

Adult colouring books have been a big craze over the last few years, as it is a relaxing and a good way to combat anxiety. You could even hang up the drawings you do and frame them so you have a souvenir forever.

53. Make a scrapbook of memories (free)

Memories are priceless and a scrapbook can help to keep track of all of the good times you’ve had together.

54. Try some DIY (cost depends)