Cheap & Fun Date Ideas for You & Your Sweetie

Are you broke-as-hell but down bad? Our resident dyke baddie, Miss Roach, has planned three different (affordable) dates you can use to impress AND get closer to your crush.

Author's Note

Hi, I'm Miss Roach. I've prepared three date ideas that range from free to $25. Obviously these ideas are for anyone and everyone, no matter your orientation or affiliations. They're all fun, easy-to-plan ideas that will encourage genuine connection with your date!

Why am I qualified to write this? I have a hot wife whom I love very much and have gone on many, many dates with. We've been together for 5 years and counting! Consider me your Lesbian Auntie.

P.S. Any and all of these dates could be complemented with a fat joint, if that's your thing. I know it's definitely my thing. :)

DATE IDEA #1 — "Wikipedia Places" Walking Tour

💰 FREE – $10+

My wife and I love visiting Chicago, and we've found that our favorite free activity when we're there is using the Wikipedia app's Places feature to find cool new things. On our last visit to the city, my wife stumbled upon the Monadnock Building quite on accident—we literally just needed a break from walking—and it turned into a 30-minute side quest. We took turns reading the building's Wikipedia article, sharing the most interesting points aloud over a coffee. We walked around the block to see the building in its full glory, and even went inside the lobby to gawk at the interior!

Cropped photo of the Monadnock Building taken by my wife, Salty P. Slug. It's the largest load-bearing brick building in the world!

The WikiPlace Date Plan

All you need to do is install the Wikipedia app on one (or both) of your phones. With location services turned on, you'll see GPS map markers for points of interest around you. Find a point of interest close enough to walk to and get rolling! Take turns sharing your favorite trivia about wherever you're going. If you have a few dollars to spare, then you can pop into a store or coffee shop for a snack to take on your journey.

Side note—there is no browser version of this; it's gotta be the app:

I admit that this is a nerdy ass date, but it really is so much fun. It's an excuse for y'all to throw together a couple of slick fits to show off, and maybe discover something new and cool in your area. It's also a great conversation starter if you're having a hard time finding something to talk about.

Also – if you're living in a more rural area (or generally unwalkable city) and have access to a vehicle, you can also adapt this to a short "road trip" date instead. If you're unable (or uninterested) in leaving the house, you can try using NearbyWiki with Instant Street View to the same effect, although your mileage may vary!

DATE IDEA #2 — Computer Room Night

💰 FREE – $10+

This is a perfect choice for when you just can't leave the house but still want to spend some quality one-on-one time with your date. Pull an extra chair up to your desk, boot up The Machine, and find some websites to explore. This is also a chance to listen to music and show off your latest playlist or find out your date's current favs! My wife and I love to play dress-up games and take turns creating likenesses of one other. We save our finished creations into a folder so we can look back on them later.

Some other ideas for browsing the World Wide Web with your sweetheart:

• Take some personality quizzes
• Explore some personal websites on Neocities
• Harvest some gifs from GifCities.

Not enough ideas? Check out the extensive link tree on my wife's website for a categorized list of cool online places to visit. You'll find so many new places to play dress-up games, quizzes, and more!

A depiction of my wife and I that we made in the Princess Military Fashion dress-up game.

Very important note to "THE DRIVER" — occupying the secondary chair is equivalent to being the passenger princess (regardless of gender). None of the driving and all of the fun. HOWEVER, it is crucial that your passenger princess is comfortable. Provide a blanket, cushions, a fan or heating pad, and whatever the hell else you know will make your date feel seen and taken care of.

This date doesn't require any cash and is made special by the effort and quality time spent together. If you are able to invest a little bit of money into this experience, I recommend getting your date's favorite snacks. Maybe even some throwback "computer room" snacks: piping-hot pizza rolls, Capri Suns, an XXL Monster Energy (maybe avoid this if you're already feeling nervous), or Lunchables.

DATE IDEA #3 — Ramen + Movie

💰 $5 – $25+

I know, I know, a movie night and ramen. This isn't making the 6 o'clock news for a groundbreaking date idea, but please stay with me for a moment. Sure, at-home movie dates are great, but you need to get creative and throw some connection and conversation into the experience to make it special.

Ultimate Movie Date Recipe

Required Ingredients

To put this date into motion you will need:

• Boiling water
• A mode of transportation (legs will work)
• A little bit of money
• Potentially, a library card (more on this later)

Step 1 – Pick Out a Movie Together

Meet up with your date and head to the public library or thrift store. Once you're there, pick out a DVD together. This is a great way to spark conversation and learn about each other's interests. Plus, we love physical media here at HOUDINI Magazine.

If you don't have a way to play a DVD at home, then skip to the next step for now and we'll come back to your movie situation later.

Step 2 – Head to the Grocery Store

Now, the two of you are going to head to your favorite (or maybe just closest) international market and pick out a couple of noodle soup packages that catch your eye. If your budget allows – grab some ramen toppings, drinks, or a dessert.

You don't need to speed through this step. It's a part of the experience, okay? Walk around, point out interesting finds, hold hands or something, damn.

If you're stumped for ideas, here's what my wife and I grab for movie date nights:

• Two (2) packages each of our individual favorite ramen
• One (1) box of mango mochi ice cream
• Two (2) of those Ramune strawberry sodas

Step 3 – Cook Your Food + Cozy Up Together

Okay, now you can go back home. Prep a cozy movie-watching-area with lots of pillows, soft blankets, and some mood lighting. Now, head to the kitchen and cook your ramen together!

Not sure how to fancy up your ramen? Our favorite toppings are slices of imitation crab cooked in a little butter and garlic, sesame seeds, fried garlic, and green onions — YUM! And it only takes a couple of minutes to prepare all of this, so you can get right to watching the movie.

Back to our friends with no DVD player for a moment – you're going to watch something on the biggest screen you own. Visit the Internet Archive, YouTube, or anywhere you can pick out something to watch together that's different and fun. If you're feeling too much pressure to choose you could find something on our magazine's free, hand-curated streaming platform HOUDINI.TV.

The goal here is really to avoid the big streaming service doomscroll "idk what do you want to watch?" convo. It's annoying, unsexy—and yes, Netflix still has the same movies you scrolled past 5 times yesterday.

Okay, you've had your fun and conversation, now it's time for relaxation. Enjoy your meal and movie together. Cozy up and let the sparks fly!

Image retrieved from Annejelynn's blog.

Other Tips

To keep this date as low-cost as possible, stick with renting a DVD from the library (for free) or streaming a movie that's free to watch online. The meal doesn't have to be ramen, of course, this was just a fairly affordable and accessible option. If there's not an international grocer in your area or you need to accommodate a dietary restriction, then adjust your food plans as needed.

The real intention with this idea is to connect with your date by getting out of the house, sharing your opinions and sparking conversation, preparing a meal together, and relaxing, whether it's someone you're still getting to know or your long-term partner.

I hope you enjoyed this article! Keep an out for more relationship advice from your lesbian auntie in the near future.

—Miss Roach

Sources

All images retrieved from the Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise noted. Heart stock image overlays are from PNGEgg. Thumbnail font is Chubby Relief by imagex.