Does Your Couple Have a Date Night?

As our lives get busier and our careers become more time consuming we may find ourselves with less and less time for what (or should I say who) really matters in our lives. Think about what you did yesterday, how much time did you spend with your spouse? For some of us we may not have even seen our spouse yesterday, I know that I didn’t.

Last night my boyfriend Nick had an after work function that started at 6 pm, this means that I came home to an empty house.  I couldn’t help but feel a little sad, not because he wasn’t home; just because I wouldn’t see him for an entire day.  By the time Nick got home from his after work function I was asleep, and there you have it; a whole day passed by and I didn’t even see my boyfriend.  Not seeing my boyfriend for 24 hours made me think about how nice it is to have someone to come home to and someone to talk with after work.  So many times we focus on our careers that we may forget about the one person who really matters…our spouse.

I know three different couples who have introduced a Date Night into their relationship.  For one night a week the couple turns off their cell phones, shuts down their computers, and they just hang out together.  My boyfriend thinks that spending time together means that we are in the same place at the same time.  I am sorry but my idea of spending time together does not include going grocery shopping.  When was the last time that you and your spouse just hung out together? No household chores and no laundry…just the two of you spending time together doing nothing but enjoying spending time together.

Having a Couple’s Date Night doesn’t mean that our Couple is in trouble.  It just means that we may need to take some time to relax from the chaos of our everyday lives.  There is no one in the world that I would rather relax with than my boyfriend Nick.  Sometimes we are so busy with friends, and work, and everyday life that we don’t realize how little quality time we actually get to spend with our spouse.  Some people may say that DINKS don’t have kids so why can’t we find time to spend with our spouse.  Well, the truth is that we have careers and we have other personal obligations that occupy our time.

A typical date has traditionally always been dinner and a movie, but when we factor in the cost of 2 people eating dinner at a nice restaurant and the cost to watch a movie in the move theatre our Date Night could cost us over $100.  I know that spending time with our spouse is priceless, but would you like to spend over $100 each week on a Date Night? I know that I don not want to do that.

Inexpensive Date Night Ideas Under $100

• Stay at home and Cook Dinner Together. Eat Together and Clean Up Together. (it’s actually kind of fun)
• Take a Walk.  Visit different neighbourhoods so if feels like you are doing something different.  I love walking in Parks or near the Water.
• Go Out for Dessert.  Ice Cream, Pie, or Fruit Cups, whatever you like.  Paying for Dessert is definitely cheaper than Paying for Dinner.
• Pop some Pop Corn, Get Some Candy, and Turn Out the Lights.  It’s like being at the movie theatre but in the comfort of your own home, and it’s a lot cheaper.

Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.