10 Date night ideas that won't break the bank

When you bring a child into this world or your career takes over, other aspects of life like your relationship, may suffer or get tossed to the back burner. It is important to always stay connected to your partner and always remember to date them.

These dates do not have to be some extravagant dinner that costs you an arm and a leg. For me, just spending the time together is what really matters.  Here are a my top 10 date nights that will hardly cost you money, if any at all.

1. Hiking- A fun, free, and adventurous date can be spent together and with nature. Here in upstate NY we have so many beautiful spots to take a nice walk on trails, hike up mountains, or jump in some waterfalls. If it is a first date this would be a great opportunity to open up and get to know each other. 
2. Bike Riding- Renting bikes or roller blades at the parkway is another cheap yet fun way to spend a few hours together. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, you're also getting a great work out in as well. 
3. Ice Cream- Who doesn't love ice cream? Or at least some variation! Fro yo, custard, ice cream- there is something for everyone. If you don't have too much time to get away and spend time together, going out for some ice cream at your favorite spot is the perfect idea. 
4. Movie- okay, so I bet you didn't expect this to be on our list. Movies at the theatre these days can get pretty pricey. The ticket prices skyrocketed and a bottle of water is $5.00. Good thing there are alternatives! During the summer months in Upstate NY (and I am sure other places as well), parks will have free screenings of movies outside! 
5. Getting Thrifty- One of my favorite afternoon getaways with my significant other is to go thrifting/antique shopping. Regardless of buying anything just checking out all of the interesting things out there is pretty entertaining. The fact that he enjoys it just as much as I do is a plus. It also creates more hobbies as well. For example: if I find some old, yet cool knickknack at a thrift store for $1.99, later that night I will have so much fun painting or restoring it for a new decor piece in my home. 
6. Winery/Brewery- If you and your date like to drink this is a fun day for you! Now that CNY just approved Uber and Lyft it's even better. Usually wineries aren't expensive and it can turn into and all day thing. Go on a day that they have some other event going on like a live band playing, a vendor festival, etc and you have yourself one hell of a day. 
7. Giving Back- Sometimes spending time together doesn't always have to be about what you want to do for each other, it can turn into what you can do for others. Find a local program that is in need of volunteers and take a few hours of your day together giving back. Around Christmas time, my partner and I usually volunteer at the Sarah House. It is home located in the city of Syracuse near the local hospitals. It is for families who have relatives in the hospital and may be there for a while. The Sarah House allows the family members who cannot afford to either drive back and forth every day or cannot afford a hotel to stay there. So what we did was we prepared a huge breakfast for the amount of people that were staying there and some for the staff. Something like this makes you feel good and benefits so many people. 
8. Why So Serious?-  Life gets in the way and makes us become so serious at times. Take a night and go to your local arcade and have fun! Spend a few dollars on tokens and play games, be competitive against each other, and see who can get the most tickets. These nights can honestly be the best because no matter the circumstances you will be laughing the whole time. 
9. Live Music!- Whether you check out a new dive bar, a festival in the park, or go see a family member play some music in a cafe get out and jam! Nothing is better than live music. Most of the time it will be little to no cost and you are going to have so much fun. Dancing, singing along, or just sitting in the crowd music makes your soul happy. 
10. Staying in- Dates do not always mean you have to go out and leave the house. But if you are staying in make it special, make it different than any other night. Make dinner together or have a cook off to see what appetizer is more appetizing. Plan ahead a movie to watch so you aren't wasting your night away scrolling through Netflix while you're in a food coma. If you don't want to watch a move play a few board games (that's my favorite). But just make sure your time is set aside and dedicated to date night. These can be some of the best nights spent, but don't confuse them with any other night at home.

Love doesn't have to cost a thing