It's a Long Story: Being Intentional: Date Night Edition

Hi friends!

I'm taking a break from birthday party planning (more on that later!) to talk to you today.

Even though the weekly updates have gone away (sorry about that) I'm still working on my One Little Word for the year: Intentional.
One area that Matt and I have never been very good about being intentional is Date Night. We value our marriage, and know that we need to be spending more fun time together, but it always seems to end up at the bottom of the budget priorities. Sad, but true.
However, date night doesn't need to be pricey, so we really have no excuse! My problem is thinking of fun things to do. Pinterest to the rescue!!

Small Notebook has a great list of "Pocket Change Date Night Ideas"

I love this idea for a Date Night jar from Life In The Green House! Each stick is color coordinated, and means a different level of planning and expense. Some are at home dates, some are simple, and some are more expensive. I love that it takes the thought out of planning. All I need to know is my budget for the month, and what color to pick! Sweet!

This idea could be expensive to put together at first, but it definitely takes care of all the planning. A whole year of pre-planned and pre-paid date nights! This has the potential to be really pricey, but I think it could be don very well on a budget. Or, you could commit money to it from something like a tax refund or a Christmas bonus. Maybe the adult couples in your family could exchange date nights for Christmas!

Side note: How great would this be as a gift for new parents?! Get some friends together to donate Date Nights with babysitting included! Love it.

Sometimes all it takes is changing things up a bit. Take a normal, every day activity and tweak it a bit to make it feel special.

A great outfit could make a trip to a casual restaurant feel fancier.