50+ Cheap or Free Date Ideas

Find yourself needing free or cheap date ideas? Endless searches on Google with no luck? Find your ultimate list of cheap or free date ideas when you are on a budget!

Free Date Ideas On A Budget

Personality Quiz

There are so many free personality quizzes online – and it’s a great way to get to know your date quicker than an awkward first date 😉

Library Date

If you know your date fairly well, or even if you don’t know them at all, see if you can find a book that they would be interested in. When it comes to books, it’s a great way to see another side of someone and a good conversation starter!

Take a Hike

Hikes are a great way to get to know someone. You can have some good conversations on the hike up and down!

Build a Blanket Fort

Become a kid again and build a blanket fort to watch a movie.

Play Cards

If you aren’t big card players, learn a card game together and play it. There are lots of fun games available on the internet!

Go to a Game

You don’t have to splurge for expensive tickets. Go to a soccer game at the park or basketball game at the high school.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a great way to get out of the house and participate in a modern day treasure hunt. All you need to do is create an account and start hunting for geocaches near you.

Pokemon Go

Don’t judge it before you try it. Pokemon Go is one of the fun things my husband and I do in our spare time! You might be surprised how much fun you have trying to ‘catch ‘em all’!

Give Service

Giving service is a great way to see another side of someone and to help out your local community. Choose to serve at a soup kitchen or collect cans for donations. 

Create Service Opportunities

If you can’t find a service opportunity, make your own by picking up litter in your local park!

Watch the Sunset

Everyone enjoys a good sunset. Pick a good spot, bring blankets, and watch the sunset. Depending on how the night is going, you can choose to stargaze!

Visit the Pet Store or Animal Shelter

I don’t think anyone can say no to getting to pet and play with animals. Visit your local pet store or animal shelter and spend time with animals! 

Check Out a New Show

So many shows, so little time! There are plenty of series and shows available and probably many that you haven’t seen! Take a few hours to check out new shows that might become your new favorite to watch!

Do Yoga Together

Find a couple of videos on YouTube and do some yoga. You will feel relaxed enough to get pretty cozy!

Play Board Games

Break out those old board games and get your game on!

Listen to Music Playlists

There is no better way to get to know each other through music. Pull out your phones, Iphones, and CDs and see what kind of music you both like.

Take a Fitness Class

Whether you use a guest pass to get the feel of the gym or just find a video on YouTube, there are many ways to get a fitness class experience for free.

Serve or Volunteer

Take some time to think about people other than yourselves and get out and serve. Find opportunities at a local soup kitchen or even in your own neighborhood.

Watch a Scary Movie Outside

If you are into getting spooked, drive into the woods and watch a scary movie outside. The animals and things that go bump in the night are sure to give you a fright!

Cheap Date Ideas On A Budget

Dress Up

Do you ever see those couples all dressed up and wonder if they went somewhere fancy? You be that couple and dress up just because! You don’t even have to go anywhere fancy – just dress the part!

Cook in the Kitchen

It is fun to cook a new recipe on a date. Even if it turns out to be a disaster, you will have fun making it! Who knows – you might get a chance to kiss the cook!

Go to an Arcade

Spend $5 on coins and play some arcade games. You can even go the cheap route and find a way to play the arcade games together, like one person aiming and the other person pulling the trigger.

Learn a Trade

There are so many opportunities to learn something new – why not learn them together? Find a class in your community, like your local library or hardware store. See if you can’t learn something new!

Take a Dance Class

Find a local dance class or learn using YouTube. You get to choose the dance, maybe the Tango if you are feeling romantic. 

Have a Water Fight

Looking to cool off on a hot summer day? Grab some balloons from Dollar Tree and have a water balloon fight! Or for a free option, simply gather any containers you can find to fill with water and get soaked! Just make sure your date is aware of the activity so they can dress appropriately 🙂

Chalk Art

As a couple or a group date, get some chalk and ‘paint the town.’ You can choose a theme or do your own thing with your chalk drawings.

Play Laser Tag

Playing laser tag is a great way to get your heart pumping… in another way! Looking for a cheaper option? Get Nerf guns from Dollar Tree and go to the nearest playground as your arena!

Take a Factory Tour

This is likely an activity that neither of you have done before! Choose a factory or brewery and take a tour. You will learn new things and might get a chance at some samples!

Visit Historical Sites

Lookup some of the historical sites near you and learn some history along the way!

Head to a Local Fair

Check local city calendars for scheduled fairs or festivals!

Learn Science Together

Go to the local science museum to learn how things work. 

Go to a Community Play

Find a local theater or school production to attend. It will be fun to enjoy some entertainment…maybe while holding hands?

Play Golf Inside

Grab some clubs from the garage or the DI, a golf ball, and create your own courses in your own place of residence! The best part is you can make the course as hard or as easy as you want, but the more creative you get the better!

Go on a Bike Ride

Go on a bike ride through neighborhoods or down main street. Make it even more fun by renting a tandem bike together!

Rent an Instrument

Choose an instrument that neither of you have played before and learn how to play it. You might discover some hidden talents!

Visit a College Campus

On college campuses there are almost always events happening, and some might be open to the public!

Explore a State Park

Find a local state or national park that you can explore.

Play Racquetball

If you are a seasoned racquetball or even a newbie, you will have fun playing racquetball!

Unique Date Ideas On A Budget

Pottery

There are lots of places where you can design and decorate pottery. You can each make your own or do one together as a team!

Picture Scavenger Hunt

This is best done on a double date or group date. Before the date, pick a location that has notable features like artwork or water features. List all of the location’s attractions or features on a paper, which will become your scavenger hunt map. Each couple will receive a scavenger hunt with instructions to find each location on the map and prove it by taking a picture. You will have fun taking pictures in unlikely places, and it will be a blast to look through your photos together with the other couples at the end!

Blind Taste Test

Choose a fast food item like fries and choose five fast food restaurants at random. Take turns being blindfolded and doing a blind taste test. See if you can guess all of them and get a kiss if you are right!

Ax Throwing or Shooting Range

Let your competitive side show at a shooting range or ax throwing range.

Mini Golf with a Twist

Play mini golf, but add in random elements you grabbed from home. For example, instead of a club you have to golf with a pencil for one hole and knock over all the figurines for another. Don’t have clubs? Try your local DI or thrift store.

Picnic on the Lake

Rent or borrow a canoe and have a picnic on the lake. You can choose the level of romance desired 😉

Draw Portraits

Take turns drawing portraits of your date. You can marvel… or laugh at their interpretation of you.

Buy a Building Kit

Buy a cheap building kit (either legos or wood) and build together. You can follow the instructions or just see how close you get by looking at the picture!

Recreate Masterpieces

Everyone knows the famous Starry Night painting, but have you ever tried to recreate it? This is a fun way to be artistic when given a source of inspiration. You both will laugh at your renditions of the famous artwork.

Store Stop and Grab

Go to the local grocery store. Pick one person to give directions and the other person to do the grabbing. Whenever the assigned person says stop, the other person has to grab the first thing they see – no matter what it is. You can do this with ingredients that you have to make when you get back, or with random toy items.

Become a Tourist

Become a tourist in your own town. Go into every little shop you see and even look for a souvenir. If you really want to sell it, find an I love (location) shirt and walk around town in it!

Thrift Store Makeover

This can be done at any store, but the most unique items are usually found at thrift stores. Each person is asked to find a day outfit and evening outfit for the other person. The only rule is that the other person has to come out of the dressing room – no matter how ridiculous or silly they might look. This is such a great ice breaker activity to slash those nerves!

Coin Toss

Drive to a nearby town that neither of you is super familiar with. Flip a coin to determine where you will go. Heads mean right and tails mean left. If you get lost, that’s the point! One of you is likely to have Google Maps to get you back home. It’s a fun way to explore a new location!

There you have it – 50+ free or cheap or free date ideas. Have kids? No problem! Check out free activities to do with your family. Comment below with your free or cheap date ideas.