There's nothing more fun, relaxing, and romantic than an extended date night with your sweetie. Your epic date includes not just dinner, but a few stops for other fun activities. And then... you remember that this isn't free and you just spent $50 in two hours. Shit.
So what do you and your sweetie (or friend, or even just you, yourself, and... you) do when you're high on boredom and low on funds, but can't stand another minute in the house? Doesn't need to be anything groundbreaking, just anything to stop that maddening "I don't know, what do you want to do tonight?" loop. Brainstorm and share your ideas for free or incredibly cheap activities, recount your amazeballs free dates, and maybe scope the thread for some ideas of your own. I'll keep a list of some of the ideas here for me to use this weekend.
Cheap, cheap, fun, funX
Go to an ethical pet shop to look at and play with the animals
Volunteer
Go for a walk
Find interesting sights to take pictures of
Have a picnic with food from the fridge (or fast food)
Many, but not all, museums have free admission
Make a scavenger hunt list, then work together to complete it in a park
Go to a museum, a park, zoo, the beach, or another place where admission is low-cost -- things like these in my area are typically $7-10 a person -- then to a sub shop for lunch. Or something like that.
Geocaching. It's not completely free since you have to invest in the equipment beforehand, but it's tons of fun. (I suppose that you can just look up locations online without having a GPS device, though. It would just make the outing a bit more difficult. ) It's a bit like being part of a big scavenger hunt. Sometimes it's all about hiking through remote locations, other times it makes you check out the local gas station. Lots to do, no matter where you feel like exploring.
Scrabble. Or Drunk Scrabble. Or Strip Scrabble. Or really, any goofy variation on a board game.
Feeding ducks at the park.
Thrift shopping. My friends and I used to have a competition: With only $5 to spend (or even less), we'd see who could buy the ugliest thing possible. The loser would get stuck with all the items.
And one of my favorites - Cooking together. Pick out an entirely new recipe that neither one of you have made (or even eaten before!) and then try your best to cook it up. You have to eat anyway, right?
omg Knerd. I love your thriftshopping idea! Sounds like something my best friend and I should do next time we get together!
The hubs and I go hiking with the kids when we're low on funds and bored out of our minds with the parks around base. So we'll hike a smallish mountain. No funds necessary, just water bottles and some fruit from home.
Geocaching is also a great afternoon activity. I think I got my GPS for $50? Well worth it for the multiple outings it's taken us on.
Fishing is always a fun option, though you'd have to get a permit for that which can be pricey but a one day pass isn't too bad in most locations. (Though, if you don't like fish/fishing it isn't really a worthwhile option)
Building forts out of blankets and couch cushions then watching a movie from inside of said fort is a good pasttime that we use about 4 times a year with the monsters...
Ooh, I've always wanted to try geocaching! I think it's something I could talk the boyf into, as long as it didn't involve going deep into any woods (the man is crazy averse to bugs You should have seen him and his roommate freak out the other night when a cricket got into the apartment and I caught it in my hands. Such babies. But I digress...) I wonder, would a smartphone work fine as a GPS? We don't have a dedicated GPS, but I do have a schmancy iPhone...
There's not a whole lot that can be done for free around here.
Picnic in a local park.. if the weather permits...
Yeah. There's really nothing else besides staying in and watching a marathon of movies and/or TV show(s).
Which, let's face it, when you're feeling the cabin fever, is nowhere on your list of options to consider.
Yeah, we spend more than enough time watching Netflix and playing video games (or just laying around doing... not much of anything, really). It's for when the cabin fever strikes (which seems to be daily when we're together) that I need help!
Night walks have been something we've been enjoying lately. It's nice to stroll around the neighborhood when it's dark and quiet and everyone's asleep. It's the exact sort of thing I love but am too chickenshit to do when I'm alone. But I feel much safer going out with my big strong guy. Well, okay, he's not that strong, but no one needs to know that.
I usually drag people into the mountains or out to nature if I don't want to spend money. Which is often. I like being out and seeing the mountains more than almost anything and it only costs a few bucks of gas to get there.
If it's just me I tend to go to the library to get rid of boredom, lol.
My fiance and I had to forestall celebrating our anniversary because my dad came down to visit and then after that we had no money. We just finally decided on dinner and a concert. I feel like if we had more free time and if the weather was nicer it would have been fun to do a picnic in the park...
Welp, I'm going dutch with a friend. We're going to see Dracula Untold. He's driving and buying dinner, I'm buying the tickets. Because there's nothing else to do.
You get in a car and you pick a direction and start driving. Every once in a while at a random street you make a turn which can be chosen by either individual involved at any time. You have to make sure both parties involve themselves in the decisions or else one person might subconsciously head somewhere specific. Driving to a random place you've never been before often leads to fun discoveries like small shops or new places to eat you've never been before. Plus the drive is generally fun too ^_^
I'll keep a list of some of the ideas here 
) It's a bit like being part of a big scavenger hunt. Sometimes it's all about hiking through remote locations, other times it makes you check out the local gas station. Lots to do, no matter where you feel like exploring. 
Hope we can try this out once the weather cools off a little.
It's nice to stroll around the neighborhood when it's dark and quiet and everyone's asleep. It's the exact sort of thing I love but am too chickenshit to do when I'm alone. But I feel much safer going out with my big strong guy. 
Well, okay, he's not that strong, but no one needs to know that. 
I live in the midwest, so exactly zero of those here. 
