Weeknight Date Ideas (at home!)

I was inspired by a great post I saw over at Audrey Confidential on 101 things to do with your husband. I loved the idea of doing something creative with your spouse and busting out of your date night rut. BUT, since I left my "real" job over a year ago, we're on a serious budget and, as a result, date nights have decreased in frequency. More often than not, once B is in bed, we find ourselves parked on the couch watching mediocre TV. So I felt compelled to find some creative ways to hang out with my Hubs any ol' night - no Friday night babysitter required!

1. Engage in a Wii battle. We like bowling, frisbee golf and other games that keep my booty off the couch.
2. Play darts (we have a dart board in Hubs' study) or pool, or another "bar" game you may have access to.
3. Cook dinner! Forego a family dinner and instead prepare and eat a romantic dinner after the kiddos are in bed. Bonus points if you do not eat said dinner in front of the TV. (Also, please feed the children something before you put them to bed.)
4. Toast marshmallows...In front of the fireplace or at an outdoor fire pit.
5. Re-arrange the furniture. Ask your husband for input on the layout of a particular room and then get moving!
6. Play bartender. Fix each other fancy cocktails and sip them on the porch.
7. Clean. I know, this is pretty lame and not particularly romantic, but every now and then my husband will help me clean bathrooms after B is in bed. It's so nice to have someone to chat with while you scrub!
8. Play Scrabble. Or, in our case, Words with Friends. We're too cheap to buy the real game, so we just pass my iPhone back and forth.
9. Read a couples devotion. (Disclosure: I bought a book awhile back but we haven't gotten around to using it. Honestly, I think most of them are a bit corny for our taste, but I'm sure it would be a good exercise and help us to be more mindful of keeping faith at the center of our marriage.)
10. Take a bath. Hubs usually refuses on the grounds that baths are hot and miserable, but the idea of getting naked together occasionally convinces him.
11. Play strip poker.
12. Get online and research your dream vacation.
13. BBQ. Make a meal in which every item of food is prepared on the grill, including dessert.
14. Watch your wedding video, if you have one, or look through wedding albums. I recently looked back at our guest book (which also featured hilarious photo booth shots of all our guests) and was overwhelmed with fond memories.
15. Make sushi together. Or pizza, if you're not into raw fish. (But really, it's 2012. You should probably get around to eating sushi.)
16. Do a DIY project together. Refinish a piece of furniture or actually DO one of those cute ideas you've pinned on Pinterest.
17. Have a dance party. Make your own themed playlists (think 80's music, old school hip hop, etc.) and take turns playing your tunes. Who doesn't like busting a move to the classics? I like big butts and I cannot lie...
18. Make infused vodkas together. Find some recipes online or develop your own creative flavors.
19. Find a baseball game on TV. Assign each of you a team - when your team scores, your significant other loses an item of clothing. Hope for a shut out.
20. Have a spa night. Put on white bathrobes, apply face masks and soak your feet in the tub. (If anyone actually convinces their husband to do this, please report back.)

I hope this has sparked some of your own ideas. Please share!