21 Unique and Cheap Stay at Home Date Ideas (That You’ll Both Love!)

Need stay at home date ideas to enjoy time with your significant other without spending a fortune? Here are some of the best cheap date ideas for a romantic date night at home!

Babysitters are expensive.  I don’t know about you, but I find it very difficult to unwind and enjoy a night out with my husband when I’m constantly thinking about the $60 we’re going to have to give the babysitter when we get home.  It’s kind of a mood killer. 

So what do we do?  We have at home date nights and take advantage of the alone time after we tuck our kids in bed. Here are some unique and fun at home date ideas:

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First, let me say, while we do love going out, most of the time when the hubby and I get a night alone, we actually choose to do one of these stay at home date ideas for couples. 

Why?  Because a restaurant dinner is nice, but the bill… not so much.  Full disclosure, my hubby is an A-MAZ-ING cook and he can prepare meals that are just as good, if not better, than what you would get at a restaurant. Good food makes at home date nights even better!

So, we have lots of stay at home dates, but how do you keep date night special without going out and dropping a hundred bucks on dinner and a movie?

Use one of these cheap date night ideas at home:

Game Night, Sexy Style 

Okay, maybe we’re dorks, but when we first got married, Hubby and I played a lot of board games.  Yes, just the two of us.  

Scrabble and Monopoly were two of our favorites, but there are lots of other good date night games, too!  Want to mix it up a bit?

Strip Scrabble.

Yes, it’s a thing.  For each round, the loser loses a piece of clothing.  Who says spelling can’t be a fun at home date idea? 🙂

Homemade Chocolate Fondue

Not only is this a delicious treat, it’s also great for in home date night ideas. And if you haven’t had it before, you are missing out!

We love the original chocolate fondue from The Melting Pot so much that we used to go there a few times a month just to order dessert.  Before we had two kids, a mortgage, a business loan payment, etc., etc.

Now, we make our own chocolate fondue at home!  No fondue pot or fondue forks necessary.

Just melt milk chocolate chips, add a splash of heavy cream and a scoop of chunky peanut butter, and dig in with your favorite dippers.

Chocolate fondue can be a part of your next romantic date night at home!

Play 20 (or 100) Questions

Hide your cell phones.  Turn off the TV.  Make some food, and just talk!  Shocking, I know.  But if you really think about it, how much do you actually just talk to your husband? 

I’m not talking about discussing the plans for the weekend, or how your work day went.  Talk about crazy, out-of-the-blue things. 

Like what?  Get some ideas of questions to ask each other at these posts:

Cook a Fancy Meal Together 

We love tag-teaming in the kitchen to whip up a feast.  Pick a decadent new recipe that you’ve never tried before to make it special.  Homemade sushi or osso buco, anyone?

If you’re looking for date night in ideas at home, make it a weekly at home date night and commit to trying a new recipe each week.

My husband and I LOVE watching cooking shows together, and we recently picked a bunch of recipes to try from our favorite show.

Wine and Unwind

Crack open a bottle of your favorite wine and just chill.  Soaking in the bathtub, snuggling on the couch, or rocking on the front porch… Some of the best times that I have with my husband are when we take time to just relax together and do nothing.

This is also great if you’re looking for cheap date ideas.

Create a Playlist of Your Wedding Songs and Dance Around the Living Room

Yes, this may seem silly.  But, trust me, it’s so nice to take a spin around the house and just be near each other with no TV or phone distractions.

An easy way to make and play your playlist if you love listening to music around the house is an Amazon Echo! Create your own playlist from over 2 million song choices, then just say “Alexa, play My Wedding Songs playlist”.  The kids and I use ours to rock out to T. Swift every morning, too!

Have a Blanket Fort Picnic for Your Stay at Home Date

First, make an epic blanket fort together in your living room or bedroom. Then, make a “picnic” dinner and eat inside your fort creation!

This is also one of the date night ideas on my 94 printable date cards:

A Dessert Date in Bed

Nothing is quite like eating dessert in bed. It’s perfect for at home date nights under the covers.

I am a dessert fiend.  And I have two personal dessert mantras:

1. Fruit is not a dessert… Nope, in my book a bowl of strawberries with whipped cream does not constitute dessert.
2. Dessert should be eaten in bed… Always.

Whip up a yummy dessert and share it under the sheets.  Thank me later.

Homemade Mini Golf Course at Home

Set up your own mini golf course for a cheap stay at home date. Use plastic cups for the “holes” and household items for obstacles.

Go for a Walk Around Your Neighborhood

Who says that every date night has to be some big, extravagant, and expensive event? Why not make everyday moments into “date nights”?

My husband and I really enjoy a simple evening walk around our neighborhood together. There’s no better way to reconnect after a busy day and just enjoy each other’s company.

Make Up Your Own Scavenger Hunt

One of the best cheap date night ideas at home is a scavenger hunt!

Think of some clever clues and hide sexy notes or romantic items around the house. Check out this printable scavenger hunt for fun date nights at home!

Make Your Own Pizza Date Night

We love making our own pizzas!  And with store-bought pizza dough (we love the dough from the Publix deli section), it couldn’t be easier.

On a low-carb diet (or just trying to save room for dessert)?  Try my delicious Low Carb Tortilla Pizzas!

Take a Walk Down Memory Lane for Your At Home Date Night

On your next date night at home, pull out the old photos and reminisce about your own love story. Take turns discussing some of your favorite memories of your relationship, like how you both felt when you met for the first time, or your favorite parts of your wedding day.

You can go through your wedding album or a box of sentimental items like movie stubs or brochures from your travels together. And you can even make a bucket list of things you want to do in the future!

And the best part… this fun and romantic date night at home is completely FREE!

Order a Replica of the Top Layer of Your Wedding Cake

Then eat it while you’re looking at your wedding photos.  Or, for an even crazier idea, you could try to replicate the top tier of your cake yourselves!

Buy the ingredients at the grocery store and do a mini bake-off, or work together as you pretend to be wedding cake decorators!

This is something that I did recently as a surprise for my husband on our anniversary.  We never got to eat the top layer of our wedding cake on our first anniversary because we accidentally left it at our reception venue.  Oops! 

So, I tracked down our cake baker (twelve years later) and had her make a mini cake in the same flavor, sans all the expensive decorative details.  Silly pet name optional.

To this day, this is one of my husband’s favorite anniversary gifts I’ve ever given him, and it only cost me $20.

Have a DIY Spa Night

Search Google for DIY face masks, and give each other pedicures complete with foot rubs.  Light candles, serve champagne, and give each other massages for the ultimate spa experience at home!

Create Something Special Together

Spend time together making a special piece of art.  Think of a quote, song lyrics, or bible verse that has a special meaning to you both and follow my tutorial for making your own wood signs without a stencil.

Or scour Pinterest for different DIY stay at home date ideas!

Play Shower Charades on Your Romantic Date Night at Home

Yup, we play charades in the shower together.  No, I’m not kidding.

This started because we both like to brush our teeth in the shower, (No hygiene comments, please!) and one of us would ask the other a question mid-mouthwash. 

We would try to act out what we were trying to say with a mouthful of rinse.  Thus, the invention of shower charades.  🙂

Take Turns Expressing Your Love

Write a list of the reasons why you love each other and take turns sharing one reason at a time.

Get creative with it… Like “I love you because you bring me surprise Caramel Macchiatos, even though you think it’s ridiculous to spend $5.00 on a cup of coffee.”

These 31 awesome reasons why I love my husband will help you with tips to make your own list!

Borrow your Kids’ Toys for Your Stay At Home Date Nights

If you want fun stay at home date ideas for parents, nothing is better than using your kids’ nerf guns and glow sticks to have a Glow-in-the-Dark nerf fight in the backyard.

Or, relive your childhood days together and do a Lego build-off to see who can create the best Lego masterpiece.

Chopped Cooking Competition Date Night

Grab 3 random ingredients each from the fridge or pantry.  Then, see who makes the best dish with those 6 ingredients.

You can even get more creative with this by choosing your partner’s ingredients for them, or adding a timer!

Make Your Own Date Idea Jar

Why not spend your date night at home creating a DIY date jar and planning for future dates?!

And after you’re done making your jar, draw out one of the date ideas for your next date night!

Head to this post for the free printable list of date ideas to use: Make your Own Date Jar with These Ideas – Free Printable List!

What are your favorite Stay at Home Date Ideas?

Date night doesn’t have to mean the same old dinner and movie for a few hours and a hundred bucks. If you cringe at the thought of paying a babysitter, don’t just ditch date night altogether.  Instead, try one of these creative and cheap at home date ideas on a budget!

What are your favorite stay at home date ideas? How do you do date night at home without spending a fortune? I’d love to hear about your fun favorite date night ideas! Drop ’em in the comments below!

Want even more date night ideas? Check out my awesome printable date idea cards in my shop here!

You can download 94 super fun and creative date ideas like this one:

Now, off to get the Scrabble board out! 🙂

And don’t forget to PIN this post for later: