.:date night in!:.

it's that time of year where every dollar counts, right?

i think it has been that time of year for me ever since....i graduated college. whether you are a recent college grad, pinching pennies to save for Christmas presents or just want to be more mindful of your spending (hello early New Year's resolution), here are a few good ideas for date nights IN!

while drew and i both have full-time jobs, we hold ourselves accountable for living within a budget to pay our bills, etc. well, as most of you probably know, living within a budget can be boring and can mean a lot of nights making your own food, doing your own dishes and probably watching a movie you've already seen, but we always try to get creative so we don't feel the urge to go out and spend money!

here are a few of ideas that we enjoy....


chicken for me, with a small piece of his steak....




steak for him--both are great with wine :)




breakfast for dinner--how fun and SO good!

 




zucchini lasagna--it's always fun to try something that you wouldn't typically make.
think of it as.....exotic???

 




it isn't often that we do crab legs, but when we do, it's for a special occasion
and WAY cheaper than getting it in the restaurant. bonus:. they're insanely easy to make!

 



when was the last time you had grilled cheese??? you can play around with
making it fancy by adding bacon, tomato, avocado. cheap, easy to make
and easy clean up! (yes, that is boxed wine, we keep it classy)





who doesn't love kabobs?! winter, spring or summer,
these are fun to put together and go well with beer or wine!





taco night--tacos are by far my favorite! try to switch it up,
make mexican lasagna or try yout hand at homemade guacamole!
 plus, it gives you an excuse to buy a couple
Coronas or make Margaritas! who can complain about that?





nerd alert:. Scrabble is our guilty pleasure, but it is actually really fun-
i had never played it before we dated! board games can be a fun competition
and if it's your style, you can throw in a few drinks and really make things interesting!



hello romance and s'mores! bonfires are great for playing music,
getting away from technology and just talking to each other!










another guilty pleasure:. how can you go out when you have such a good helper with the dishes?

ok, maybe all these ideas are lame to you, but we really enjoy staying in and keeping things simple (*read: save money*). we also like that we can make our own meals and keep them as healthy (or unhealthy) as we want. don't get me wrong, we have our lazy nights when we go grab Noodles or Chipotle in our sweats or when we want to dress up and go out for dinner at Stella's, but at the end of a busy work week, spending time together is what is most important!

other date night ideas on budget:. keep your eye open for Groupons, Living Social or Crowd Cut deals. on several occasions, we have bought these to make going out more affordable or to try a new restaurant. plus, they also have activities that may be fun to explore together!


any good date ideas that i am missing?! it's winter time and it would be nice to come up with some more ideas for these next few months of hibernating!

always striving for more,
dee b.