Frugal Friday: Date Night?

I have long heard about the wonderful advantages of having planned date nights to reconnect, spend some quality time together, and not be distracted by the everyday happenings of life at home. I have promptly ignored all of it. I often say we can't afford date nights. We don't have room in our budget for take out let alone dinner in a restaurant or a movie or the like. I know, I know, there are a million 'frugal' date night ideas. In any other situation, I would have probably blogged about 100 of them already, but I've been busy ignoring the most obvious thing in the world: Be and I should probably spend some time together on a semi-regular basis.

We are that couple that is more hands-off than hands-on. I mean that in the best way. We adore each other. We live in the same house. We share a life ... but we also go in 283 other non-together directions on an average day. From when we started dating (has it been 8 years? Ah!) and went 2 or 3 weeks without speaking to living 3 hours apart to living on different continents to Be's on the road job that kept him away from home for 4 weeks at a time once we did finally live together, we're kind of used to this. It's how we roll, and until now I haven't really had any issue with it.

Then, I sent an email.

Yes, an email, to Be, this morning to give him an update on our finances for the next few months. An email?! Who does that? Who automatically clicks into business management mode and sends off a stodgy sounding electronic message about net gains and accessibility rather than having a 10 minute face to face with the person she sleeps next to? Ah yes, apparently I do. This has been bothering me all afternoon ... like ... what kind of 'wife lady' (Be's less than adorable name for me) does that make me? I panicked momentarily and decided those date night people have likely been right all along.

Now, to solve this problem.

How in the world can I find space in our budget and time in our schedules for us to share a meal at a table for 2 rather than a table for 5? Ah yes, the internet. The good people at Restaurants.com are having a mid-month sale where all their $25 certificates are marked down to $3 if you use the promo code: FEAST at checkout. In addition, Restaurants.com is a participating retailer with Mr. Rebates (my online shopping cash back service of choice who happens to have a boatload of coupon codes and offers $5 cash to new sign-ups) so by clicking through their link to the resto site I get 20% cash back on whatever I spent there in my Mr. Rebates account.

$25 certificate to fancy schmancy Tap Room
$25 certificate to Be's favorite wood fired pizza place
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$6
- Mr. Rebates cash back
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$4.80

It should require magical powers to turn $4.80 into $50, but really it's as easy as a few clicks and a website registration. I can find $4.80 in the budget for two date nights with my lovely at places that do not serve food on plastic trays or have inside play areas. I could probably find $4.80 in my couch cushions right now (someone should really vacuum those ...), and if you're in need of a cheapie date night idea you may well be able to too.

Now, to find room in the schedules ...


Simply,

Em.

PS: For more Frugal Fridays, check out its new home at LifeAsMOM.

PPS: Have you entered the giveaway yet? T minus 8 hours left to post your comments and score your entries for the set of 5 Practical series cookbooks. Go, right now, there isn't time to wait. <3