11 At-Home Date Night Ideas to Try This Week
Simple Date Nights You Can Have Without Leaving the House
Let’s talk about some at-home date night ideas that don’t require a babysitter, getting dressed up, or even leaving the house.
My husband and I have definitely gone through seasons where date nights are few and far between.
It’s not that we don’t want to spend time together. It’s that regular old life is happening.
There are kids and work. (He travels for work, too.) There are always things around the house almost demanding attention. Somebody always needs something.
To say we’re tired at times is an understatement.
The thought of getting a sitter, deciding on somewhere to go, and putting real pants on sounds like way more effort than we have in us.
That’s why I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity of an at-home date night.
You don’t have to light all the candles in your home and transform your living room into a romantic restaurant. Honestly, I might be spent after doing that and then I’d give my husband the job of blowing them all out and rescheduling.
Technically you don’t even have to do these things at night. I know many people who used other parts of the day to spend time with their partners.
The whole idea is really just to intentionally spend some time together.
Sometimes, if you’re up for it, that could be creating some romantic vibes and getting a little fancy. Other times, it might mean sitting on the couch with an obnoxious amount of snacks and laughing about something ridiculous.
I’m good with both.
One more thing, it is great to get out of the house. But it’s also okay to make the most of what you can do when physically leaving the premises is not in the cards.
Are we sensing a theme here?
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Here Are 11 At-Home Date Night Ideas For Couples
1) Play Video Games Together
My husband loves himself some video games.
I’ve never shared quite the same level of enthusiasm, but we’ve had some really fun nights playing together.
And apparently I can become aggressively competitive over things I didn’t even care about five minutes earlier.
Who knew?
This is one of those date-night ideas where I think it can be fun to occasionally do something the other person really enjoys.
You might discover you like it more than you expected. Or you might confirm that you absolutely do not.
My husband doesn’t seem overly excited about a rom-com night, but I think it’s all an act.
Either way, you hung out. And that’s the whole point.
2) Have Fondue
Fondue automatically makes dinner feel a little different without requiring you to leave the house.
You can get dressed up and pretend you’re somewhere fancy or wear sweatpants and sit at your kitchen table.
Both are valid options.
I also like that fondue naturally slows the meal down because you aren’t just putting food on a plate and inhaling it.
You sit there. You cook a few pieces at a time, and you talk.
And yes, patience around food is not one of my greatest strengths, but I can rise to the occasion.
A simple fondue set makes this pretty easy to do at home.
3) Plan A Trip You’d Love to Take
I am a planner, so obviously this one speaks to me.
Pick somewhere you’d love to go together and start planning a completely hypothetical trip.
Look at hotels. Find restaurants. Figure out what you’d want to do. Compare places you’d each like to visit. One day, my husband will share my love of coffee shops. I have hope.
And this doesn’t need to be some extravagant dream vacation that may or may not happen in 2035.
Plan a weekend trip.
Look for somewhere within driving distance.
Or go completely off the rails and plan the dream vacation you’d take if money and schedules weren’t part of the equation.
Sometimes it’s just fun to have something to look forward to – or even something to daydream about together.
4) Have an At-Home Spa Night
This can be as elaborate or as low-key as you want.
Take a bath. Light some candles. Give each other massages. Put on comfortable clothes and actually relax.
You do not need to turn your bathroom into a five-star spa.
And if you’re doing massages, I personally recommend a timer. My husband and I have occasionally had very different interpretations of what constitutes an equal amount of massage time.
Also, something about seeing each other in a weird looking face mask just adds lightness and humor to the experience.
5) Make Dinner Feel Like an Actual Date
You have plenty of options here.
Order your favorite takeout. Try a restaurant you’ve never ordered from.
Make something together. Try a recipe you’ve had saved forever. Or just make something you normally wouldn’t bother making on a regular weeknight.
The food itself doesn’t have to be fancy.
Sometimes simply eating after the kids go to bed, putting our phones somewhere else, and sitting down together makes dinner feel completely different.
And nobody will need help in the bathroom while I am mid-bite. Romance.
6) Play a Game
Pull out a board game, card game, or something specifically made for couples.
We love games, although choosing the right one is important if either person in your relationship has a competitive streak.
Scrabble has caused some tension in our home. Apparently, I married someone who loves to bust out that dictionary.
If traditional games aren’t your thing, you could also try conversation cards or something that involves back and forth questions for each other. (We like this option.)
The point is to have fun and connect. So often, stripped down and simple ideas have the biggest impact.
7) Have a Movie or Binge-Watching Night
Yes, watching TV together is something many couples already do.
But there’s a difference between sitting next to each other while independently scrolling your phones and actually deciding to watch something together.
Pick a movie neither of you has seen. Take turns choosing.
Start a show you’ve both been wanting to watch. Watch a comedy special.
And get snacks. Obviously, I’m not a monster.
We love to get boxes of candy. The same kind they have at the movies but we don’t pay five dollars for them. (That’s a date-night win all by itself.)
Cuddle up in a cozy blanket.
Maybe even turn off the lights, make sure those phones are out of reach again, and call it a date.
8) Make a Ridiculous Snack Board
Not everything needs to be charcuterie.
Sometimes you just need an unreasonable amount of snacks.
Pick some favorites and toss them out without giving two hoots about the aesthetic. You could even eat out of a box if your heart desires.
Sit somewhere comfortable, eat your feast, and talk.
I used to think that things like this were too simple to count. But I was wrong.
And you know what, snacks take any situation up a notch.
9) Actually Talk About Things
This doesn’t need to turn into a relationship summit.
No need to announce as soon as you’re both winding down the night that there is a meeting starting in five minutes to discuss the state of your marriage.
Have I done this? Yep, I really know how to set the mood.
But it can be nice to talk about the things that don’t always come up when you’re dealing with everyday life.
You can talk about big things, small things, or even ridiculous things. (My favorite!)
You know those conversations that start in one place and somehow end up somewhere nobody predicted? Those can really hit the spot.
After a nice conversation, I’m always reminded that I do like this person. (Even if his snoring at times makes me question it all.)
10) Sit Outside With Drinks
Another simple idea, but a winner nonetheless.
Take whatever you like to drink, go outside, and sit together.
That’s it.
You don’t have to make every date night an activity.
Sometimes getting away from the television, the kitchen, the laundry, and all the other visual reminders of things you could be doing is enough.
Go in the backyard. Light a fire if you have a fire pit. And just hang out.
You could also sit on the porch, but if I get to laughing too loud I fear I might scare the neighbors. I guess my mind thinks a backyard fence makes things soundproof.
I have been guilty in the past of making spending quality time together much more complicated than it needs to be.
11) Find Out Your Love Language
Okay, this may sound silly for a date night, but silly is how I roll.
My husband and I have done the love languages before, and I think things like this can be really interesting to do together.
Get your hands on this book! You could go through the book, take the quizzes, or just find some questions to ask each other.
Anything that helps peel back the layers in you or your significant other is a good thing.
I used to think because my husband and I had been together since we were 21 that we knew each other through and through. While that is true to a point, people are always changing and growing.
It feels good to find out something about your partner that is different than what you assumed.
This doesn’t need to be some serious exercise that you take notes on and start developing an instruction manual for your relationship.
But these types of talks always bring my husband and me closer together. Oh, and snacks are welcome for this too.
Just always add snacks.
Final Thoughts…
I don’t think every couple needs an elaborate date-night schedule to have a good relationship.
And I definitely don’t think missing date night means you’re doing marriage wrong.
There are seasons when getting out together is easy and seasons where it feels impossible.
That’s why I like having some at-home date night ideas in my back pocket.
This type of time spent together counts. It all counts.
Which of these at-home date night ideas would you try first?
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