6 Free Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Spouse

When you get married it’s common for your relationship to change a bit. Life can seem busier and you may have some new responsibilities. However, one of the best pieces of marriage advice was to continue dating your partner no matter what your title is. I think it’s important to continue to make time for each other and often times that translates into an official date so you can give each other your undivided attention.

Dating can be expensive if you’re on a budget and depending on where you live. Luckily, there are many options for frugal dates and other ways to spend quality time with each other that is less formal and doesn’t cost a dime.

Here are 6 free ways to spend quality time with your spouse.

1. Watch a Movie

Watching movies is one of my favorite ways to relax. I love getting into a good movie but don’t always have time to indulge due to my busy schedule. If you and your partner have quite a few movies, you can pick one out and have a relaxing movie night in the house. Whether you want to revisit an old movie you know all too well and talk throughout some of the scenes, or get into a movie you haven’t got around to watching yet, this will cost nothing if you don’t leave the house and whip up some snacks that you already have.

One of my favorite treats to make recently is homemade banana bread and I’ve found that it’s pretty cheap to prepare once you have all the ingredients. Whenever I have bananas around the house that are getting old, I mash them up and use flour, brown sugar, eggs, butter, baking soda, and a few drops of vanilla extract to make a delicious loaf of banana bread which is a great snack for our movie nights.

2. Truck Bed Date

This is a perfect option for summer and fall nights. Classic truck bed dates are great if you want to spend time along but don’t want to go too far. Sometimes it can literally be as easy as walking outside your home, filling up the truck bed with blankets and pillows, and relaxing together while you stargaze.

You can also try to park in front of an area with a scenic view and turn it into a picnic or bring card so you can play games. This relaxing activity is a great way to score some quality time with each other without spending any money at all.

3. Cook Together

Cooking can seem like a tedious task but when you do it with someone else, it can become more enjoyable. I like to cook with my husband to teach him how to prepare certain meals and I also see it as a great opportunity to catch each other up on how our days went. Sometimes this may not always work depending on what time each of you are home in the evening but it’s worth a try if even once or twice.

You don’t have to go all out and run out to the grocery store to grab extra food to make a fancy dinner. You can just whip up whatever you have lying around your house.

4. Go For an Evening Walk or Bike Ride

Instead of having one of you walk the dog while the other does something else around the house, opt to get out of the house together and go on a relaxing walk. Again, this is something my husband and I used to enjoy but didn’t do as much once we got busier.

If there are any nice trails around your home, try to commit to going on a scenic walk together at least once or twice a week if not more. It’s good exercise and provides some much needed alone time.

If you want to switch it up, you can even ride bikes together around the neighborhood instead and enjoy the weather before it gets too cold.

5. Play Board Games or Video Games

Take your pick. Both of these activities are super fun and allow you to be more involved than just watching television together. Playing old fashioned games that you used to play as kids can be really fun especially if you have a competitive edge.

Maybe one of you has a favorite video game that you’ve been playing for the past few months and you are eager to get to the next level. I don’t play video games much myself but they are nice to try out every now and then. When I do play video games, I stick to the older ones I grew up playing on PlayStation and Nintendo since we have both of those original game systems.

Some great board games and card games that you can play with just the two of you include Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, and Uno just to name a few.

6. Stop By a Local Museum on Free Admission Days

If you and your spouse love museums and learning new things, be sure to mark down free museum admission days in your area. The availability may vary depending on where you live but most museums have free resident days for people who live in the town or even free days for state residents. If you search hard enough, you might even find museums that have free admission all-year-round.

In my area there are free zoos and nature museums. There are also free days throughout the year for the planetarium and the aquarium so we always try to take advantage of those opportunities.

To conclude, you don’t need much money to keep the romance alive and spend quality time together. In fact, when you try one of these options, you won’t have to spend anything at all so you can save your money and budget it wisely for other expenses.

Do you have an additional cheap or free activities to add to the list?