Dates That Cost Next-to-Nothing

I would be surprised if anyone told me that there wasn’t at least some negative connotations to the concept of a “cheap date,” but why is that the case? Did we decide it was more important to show our spending power rather than our conversational prowess? In this article, I will be your guide to doing cheap dates correctly.

You may have seen the Dave Chapelle movie Half Baked where he takes Mary Jane out on a date with little money, and is still able to go out and have a great time (if not, then do yourself a favor and watch this clip). Now, unlike Dave who must improvise the whole time, I can at least show you to some bargain starting points. After that, the ball is in your court...

One thing people don’t know, or just don’t realize to check with, is that many local parks and recreation departments (“P&R”) offer discounted tickets to diverse events and theme parks. Take Warminster Townships P&R where discounts are offered for places such as Dorney Park and Six Flags. Speaking of P&R, I almost completely glanced over an important aspect of the department: the parks themselves! You are probably sitting within a thirty-minute commute to either a State, County, or National park, and all of that open and clean air allows you to concentrate better and practice on that previously mentioned conversational prowess.

This also shows that you are truly interested in the person you are going with as you don’t require any external distractions such as phones, movies, or flashing lights to distract you if there happens to be a lull in the conversation. While I could go on for days about how much I love going to parks, I think it is important to identify other areas that may be of interest.

Theme parks may be too loud or distracting and a park might be a little too romantic for the stage of the relationship you are in. You may think a trip to a museum would work as it could show that you care about where you came from and strive for continued education. Your local library is another great resource to use when trying to plan a great date, or even just a fun day out.

I have noticed that at least two counties in the Philadelphia area offer passes to different cultural institutions or historical places in and around the Philadelphia area. The passes that are offered range from a free outing to the Museum of the American Revolution, the Constitution Center, and the Eastern State Penitentiary.

Note: While my research focused more on the Philadelphia region, I would imagine that most areas will have similar offerings. Now, the only thing you would need to do is obtain a library card to take advantage of these passes!

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I want to briefly focus on the library card requirement that was mentioned above. The norm would be that every town, city, or county has a free public library where the only requirement to obtaining a library card is that you are a resident of that specific area. Sometimes, libraries even allow nonresidents to purchase a library card for a yearly fee.

Registering or purchasing a library card opens a world of opportunities that extend beyond the contents of a book or of a trip to a museum. Bearing all of the aforementioned facts in mind, I would suggest you call or visit your local library to inquire about passes they may offer.

Now that you saved some money on the place you will start your date, you can focus on whether you want to just get a hotdog (seriously go watch that video I previously mentioned), or hit up a local restaurant that might happen to catch your fancy (check out our Local Spotlight section, which will focus on great eats and sips in the Philadelphia region). Go out, find someone, and have fun.

Good luck!