60 Low-Budget Suggestions For A Great First Date

So, you’ve just got your first date, and you’re wondering where you can go – but you don’t have a ton of money.

Don’t worry – as you’re about to see, there are plenty of great options for you, because you don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant or spend a lot of cash.

1. Art shows. Local galleries sometimes have open evenings where they feature the work of new and upcoming artists.
2. Babysitting. Assuming that the child or children in your care are well-behaved and sleep when they’re meant to, you could do a joint babysitting gig so you have time to talk. Just make sure the parents know you’ll both be there – you don’t want them thinking you’re trying to sneak your boyfriend or girlfriend in for some hanky panky.
3. Boketto. If you’ve never heard of this, then check out this article. So, why not go somewhere out in the open (e.g. a field, beach, park), take a blanket or two, a snack, and just sit there together watching the stars, for example. Unlike boketto thought, I’m not suggesting you stay silent throughout the date – also use the opportunity to talk – both about yourselves and the experience of star-gazing.
4. Book / poetry reading. You might be able to find a reading, e.g. at a local bookstore or the library, you can attend, often for free.
5. Build a bonfire on the beach. This can be a fun way to do something together as the evenings become chillier. All you need to do, apart from taking a picnic with you, is gather some driftwood or other wood and make your very own bonfire, so you can sit by it, eat your food, talk, and enjoy yourselves. Just remember to stay safe!
6. Build a snowman. Depending on the time of year, this can be a fun way to spend an hour or two – and then you get to go inside and have something warm to eat and drink.
7. Carnivals and fairs. While these can be expensive if you go on all the rides, they needn’t be if you just wander around, maybe have a few snacks en route, and people watch. It’s difficult not to be happy when you see other people being happy.
8. Climbing. I’m not talking about real mountain climbing here, but those climbing walls (which are often but not always indoor), where it’s safe and you’re not exposed to the elements.
9. Comedy or improv clubs. If you have one of these in your area, this can be an inexpensive way to have a lot of fun. (It may also be a flop, but maybe you can laugh about that too.)
10. Community theatre. While the big theatres may be expensive these days, there are always local community theatres. They may not be the large, high-budget productions you’ll see on Broadway, but they’re usually good, fun, and cheap.
11. Cook-off. Both of you agree on a recipe, buy the same ingredients, and then you each make that dish, which you both try, and, optionally declare a winner. This could, of course, be any type of food – e.g. cooked, baked, BBQ.
12. Creative writing. I’m obviously not talking about writing an entire book, but you could each try writing a short story (my favourite format is a style called flash fiction, and each story is only 500 words long), poetry, or, even shorter, haiku. You don’t need to be good at it (because you’ll get better the more you write), but you do need to share with each other what you wrote. Later on, you could switch this up and write each other a love letter – assuming your relationship goes that far. Speaking from experience, love letters are fun to write and give, and fun to receive and read.
13. Cycling. You can go for a bike ride together, and if you don’t have your own bicycles, you can usually rent them. And if you’re feeling really daring, why not rent a tandem? Just remember to stay safe!
14. Day at the beach. The beach is a great way to spend a day, or afternoon, with so many things you can do. For example, sunbathing, swimming, surfing, having a picnic, playing games like badminton or volley ball or frisbees, walking your dog(s), beachcombing, building sand castles, and more.
15. Design your perfect house. Put your heads together and create a design for your ideal house.
16. Draw portraits. No matter how good or bad you are at drawing, why not try to draw each other? You could try different styles, from line drawing to cartoon-style to something more artistic, depending on your skill levels.
17. Drive-in movies. While these are nowhere near as common as they used to be, if there’s one in your area and you have access to a car for the night, then travel back in time and watch a movie from your car with your date.
18. Exercise. If you’re both interested in fitness, then you can go jogging, visit a gym, or just do exercises in the park.
19. Face painting. This isn’t for everybody (like me, for example), but if you have some spare face paints (e.g. after a party or Halloween), you can paint each other’s face and then go for a walk to see whose face gets the better reaction.
20. Go dog walking. There’s probably a dog shelter or rescue near you who would love for people to volunteer to walk their dogs for them.
21. Go for a psychic reading. Provided you treat this as a bit of fun, you can go and have your palm read, or see a Tarot card reader, etc.
22. Hang out by the pool. If either of you are fortunate enough to have a pool at home, just sitting by it and chatting is a great way to get to know each other, and if you feel energetic, you can always go for a swim. You could, in theory, go to a public pool, but I’m not convinced this would be as much fun.
23. Have a cartoon party. They don’t make cartoons like they used to (e.g. Tom & Jerry, Roadrunner, Speedy Gonzales), and for me, they have stood the test of time. So, why not settle down in front of the television with some snacks and binge on some old-school cartoons?
24. Have fun in the park. Take a blanket or two, some food, and some games (e.g. card games, a frisbee, badminton equipment) and enjoy yourselves.
25. Hiking / walking. Going for a walk together (e.g. in a forest, by a lake, along a river, or even up a hill or mountain) not only gives you the chance to get to know each other, but it’s good for you (both the exercise and the being in nature), and you can take a picnic with you for nourishment to keep your energy up.
26. Jigsaw puzzles. You could spend an afternoon or evening doing a puzzle together. It should be large enough so that it takes a little while, but not so large that you cannot finish it during the date.
27. Karaoke. Personally, I’d rather have a tooth pulled than get up and “sing” in front of anybody, never mind strangers, but if this is the sort of thing that doesn’t bother you, the two of you can go and sing a duet together.
28. Learn to dance. I’m thinking here more about the classic dances (e.g. waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha cha cha), but any style of dancing would do. It may be a bold thing to go for on a first date, but it’s definitely a great way to get to know somebody better.
29. Local events. Some of these are already covered (e.g. art showings, open air theatre), but you should check your local events calendar to see if there’s something fun or interesting or unusual taking place that you could attend together.
30. Make your own pizza. If you’ve never made your own pizza, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re not that difficult to make, the ingredients need not be expensive, and you can have fun together while you make them. And it doesn’t have to be pizza – any recipe the two of you fancy trying is great. No food fights though! 🙂
31. Massages. This is clearly too much for a blind date, but if you have been dating online for a while, it could be a fun way to spend some time together – it can be intimate if you want it to be, without necessarily going as far as sex. There are plenty of videos online to show you different massage techniques, so you can learn together.
32. Miniature golf. When I was growing up in England, these were usually called crazy golf, but I’m talking about those weird golf “courses” where you have to putt the ball up or through weird obstacles, such as windmills and ramps. Another option in the same vein is to go to a golf driving range.
33. Movie marathon. Similar to the idea above about watching cartoons, you could do a variation of this by having a movie marathon – maybe an entire series of one movie (e.g. .all of Terminator or Twilight), or different movies in the same genre, or maybe where you each get to choose one.
34. Open air entertainment. In some areas, you can find music concerts or plays performed in the park of an evening.
35. Photo shoots. You could go somewhere and take photos of each other. Take a few different clothes with you, as well as some props, and have fun. If you’re uncomfortable with you being on camera, then just take photos of wherever you visit and then compare them later, with maybe a small prize for the one who took the best photo (as agreed by both of you, or by a third party such as one of your parents or a friend).
36. Picking fruit. I’m not suggesting you help the local farmer bring in his entire harvest, but some places offer a “pick your own fruit” option. So, why not go and pick apples or strawberries, have fun, you can talk to each other while you’re doing it, and at the end of the day, you’ve got some food you can share.
37. Picnics. I’ve touched on this in other suggestions, but sharing a picnic can be the date in its entirety. You can go to the park, or the beach, or drive somewhere and have the picnic in your car, and, if necessary, you can enjoy it in your own backyard.
38. Potlucks. This is especially great if you’re going on a double date – each person brings a separate component of the dinner (e.g. starter, meat dish, sides, and dessert). A variation on this is the safari supper, where you go to one person’s house for the first course, then you all go to the next person’s for the next course, and so on.
39. Pretend you’re a tourist in your own town. Visiting a whole bunch of attractions (e.g. the birthplace of somebody famous) can get expensive, but many towns and cities have historic town walks you can do by yourself, using a guide that would usually be available at the library or tourist information office. I’d lived in a town in England for several years, and when a friend came to visit, we went on a town walk, which was very interesting, while at the same time giving us the chance to catch up on things.
40. Pumpkin carving. Buy a pumpkin each and see who can create the better carving.
41. Question time. Create a list of questions together, and then you each ask the other person all of them, taking turns of course. The only stipulation is that you should tell the truth, since the goal is to get to know more about each other.
42. Random public transport trips. Take a ride on the bus or train and see where it goes. Just make sure you can get home again that same day (unless you want the added expense of an overnight stay somewhere)! I used to do this in Paris – I’d get on a bus, and ride it to the end of the line. Once there, I’d eat lunch, wander around, then catch the bus back to the city centre.
43. Rent a boat. Many parks have boating lakes, where you can rent a rowboat, canoe / kayak, of one of those things that I only know as pedalos.
44. Skating. This could be roller skating or ice skating – it doesn’t really matter as long as you have fun. But if this is your first time, remember to take care and stay safe.
45. Swap hobbies. The idea here is for each of you to show the other something you enjoy doing (whether or not you are actually good at it), and help them try it out.
46. Take the ferry. Going for a cruise on the water is usually fun, but they can be expensive, whereas the local ferry is typically a cheaper option – and you still get to go out on the water.
47. Take online personality / profile tests. These can be fun, provided you don’t take them too seriously. There are plenty of options, including more serious ones such as enneagrams and Myers-Briggs, to the fun ones such as what type of potato you are, or which Muppets character is most like you.
48. Ten pin bowling. No matter how good or bad you are, bowling can be a fun way to pass an hour or two, without being too expensive. Many alleys have somewhere to get food too, although it may not always be the best or cheapest option.
49. Thrifting. Set yourself a budget (not too much, of course), and go to a local thrift store to see who can find the best or most outrageous bargain. A variation of this would be to visit a yard sale or flea market or auction (not the big ones like Sotheby’s of course, but local ones).
50. Trivia quizzes. Many bars have regular trivia quiz nights, so why not go and see how much the two of you know? You may even win a prize!
51. Try your hand at art. Yes, why don’t the two of you have an impromptu art session, maybe in your garage or yard? A few simple art supplies, some music and take-out food and you’re all set for a different but fun date.
52. Tubing. Also known as inner tubing, this can be a fun and relatively inexpensive activity, if you live near water or the mountains.
53. Visit a museum. There are museums for all sorts of things these days, including art, history, natural sciences, sculpture, music, as well as highly specialized ones for people interested in brothels, cryptozoology, dentistry, hammers, matchsticks, mountain biking, popcorn, psychiatric medicine, pinball and arcade games, puppetry, roller skating, teddy bears, towelettes, UFOs, and ventriloquism. Just do a search for what you might find in your own area. I was in Paris once, on my way to the Picasso museum, and found, entirely by chance, a much more interesting one about the history of locks, which as a bonus also had an exhibition of painting on glass.
54. Video gaming. If you have a game console that allows for multiple players (e.g. Wii), then this can be a fun way to spend a date. Alternatively, for not that much money, you could go to a local video or games arcade. And if that’s not an option, staying at home and playing any games (e.g. board or card) can work too.
55. Volunteer. As with the dog walking suggestion above, if there are any charities in your area, you can always go together and volunteer your time.
56. Watch a local sports game. This might be your school team, or some other local team. The game doesn’t really matter – the point is for you both to go and do something together.
57. Wine / brewery tour. If you have one of these in your area – usually one of the smaller, independent companies – then you can go on a tour (provided you’re old enough, since they usually offer a free sample or two). It’s fun as well as interesting. Alternatively, you may find some food manufacturers (e.g. chocolate makers, cookie companies) also offer tours.
58. Wine and cheese party. This is another “stay at home” idea – two or three bottles of (reasonably priced) wine, a small selection of cheeses, and a few types of crackers, and you’re all set for a tasty night in.
59. Write your bucket lists. You could each write your bucket list, of a set number of items, and then compare notes. Who knows, if there’s a lot of overlap, maybe you’re really compatible?
60. Yoga. You could learn this (or similar activities, such as tai chi) together. You may find a local studio has introductory free lessons, or you might be able to rent a video from the local library, and failing that, you’ll likely find plenty on YouTube.

Conclusion

There are loads of ideas here, some of which may be more or less suitable depending on how well you know the other person. For example, on a blind date, many of these options might come over as a little weird and forward, but if it’s somebody you sort of know, or somebody you’ve met online, where you do know something about them, then your options are more varied.

Also, some are seasonal so may not always be an option.

One other tip – some places (e.g. museums) have either cheap days or even free days, so make sure to check up on that first. On my first visit to Paris, I took a book called The Pauper’s Guide To Paris, which saved me a ton of money by letting me know which days the museums were free, how to get the best local transport deals, and where to find great food for not much money.

Just remember, all of these are opportunities to get to know each other better, and are designed to be fun and relatively cheap.

Stay safe, and have a great first date!