8 affordable (at home) date night ideas

With indoor restaurants not fully opening until at least May, we're still looking at DIY date nights for a while. But we think you can have just as much fun (if not more) by having date night at home.

So, go ahead and plan something creative and surprise your partner. Here are our top ideas - we've made sure they're all super-easy, genuinely fun and affordable:

Come dine with me: couple’s edition

You could spread this out over two nights or spread it out over two weekends. Each of you has to cook the other a full, slap-up 3-course meal (no takeaways allowed!)

Stuck for ideas? You could tailor it to your partner's preferences, try a fakeaway or try to imitate their favourite restaurant. You can even create a playlist to match, type up an official menu and dress for the occasion. 

Have a games night

This is the perfect time to dig those board games out of the loft. If you don’t have any board games use a deck of playing cards or think of some games that require minimal equipment such as Pictionary, Charades or Hangman.

Why not challenge each other to a 'best of three' competition? The person who wins gets a prize.

The prize doesn’t have to cost anything. It can be something as simple as receiving breakfast in bed the next morning, getting a massage, or not having to do any housework for a day.

Disco for two

Who said you can’t have a disco with only two people? Buy yourself a disco lightbulb, make yourself a playlist and get the drinks flowing.

Make it even more fun by creating your own brand-new cocktails. Take it in turns to surprise each other with a delicious cocktail and then dance the night away.

Cinema night

Movie nights make for great date nights, especially when they’re in the comfort of your own home. Turn off the main lighting for that full cinematic experience.

You should both nominate a film you’d like to see and then watch them one after the other. Or if you like the same kind of movies you could have a movie marathon with your favourite trilogy.

Make sure you’ve got popcorn and plenty of sweets at the ready, so it feels like the real deal. You could even go all out and make cinema-style hot dogs and nachos!

Drinks tasting

This might be a little bit pricier than the other options unless you already have full drinks cabinet at home! If not, you can buy specially created tasting kits - whether you like gin, whiskey, wine or beer.

You could even make it a double date night by getting your favourite couple involved via Zoom.

Baking together

Cooking as a couple can be really fun, even if it goes wrong. You could try baking a delicious cake together, a loaf of sourdough or even that lockdown-favourite - banana bread!

Or try baking a batch of cookies together and deliver them to family members to let them know you’re thinking of them.

DIY spa day

You can pick up face masks, foot masks, hair masks, manicure sets and massage oils for a few quid from health stores or even a big supermarket.

Set up your mask area where you can relax with your face masks, foot masks and hair masks. Run a bubble bath to relax in. Then take it in turns to give each other a half an hour massage.

Quiz night

You could hold a quiz night together. Each person plans 3 rounds of 10 questions. Take in it turns to do each round until all rounds have been completed. Once you’re done, tot up the scores and find out who the winner is.

You could do a classic music round, picture round or general knowledge round. Or you could make it more a bit more creative - try photoshopping your partners face on to famous bodies and then get them to guess who the famous person is. Or you could read bad reviews of famous landmarks posted on Tripadvisor while the other tries to guess which landmark you're describing.

Find out the cheapest places to send flowers online to add a decorative touch to your next date night.