Lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to save more and set more aside for my retirement, which means that, ultimately, I have a little less to spend on things like weekly date nights. Instead of going to the movies or popping in to our favorite fancy restaurants, John and I have tried to think more intentionally about things we can do at home that translate into quality time.

It has actually been a really fun challenge trying to come up with things to do at home versus out on the town. We’ve had picnic dinners in our living room, kicked off board game championships, instituted homemade pizza night, dabbled in wine tastings (with a $5-per-bottle limit, of course), snapped instant photos of our pets doing funny things for scrap-booking later on, made our own dairy-free ice cream, and watched countless movies in our PJs. Turns out that you really don’t need to spend a lot of money to have fun, so I put together a list of the top 12 pieces we’ve added to our collection that can be used over and over again versus splurging on just one date night out.

1. The Elements of Pizza, by Ken Forkish ($18)
2. Picnic Blanket ($35)
3. 3-pc Pizza Stone Set ($17.67)
4. Set of 4 Red Wine Glasses ($36.17)
5. Bluetooth speaker ($116)
6. Men’s Camper Moccasin ($33.31)
7. Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote ($39.99)
8. Knit Leggings ($19.99)
9. Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker with Extra Freezer Bowl ($69.95)
10. Instant Film Camera ($109.95)
11. Textural hooded jacket ($79.50)
12. 6-in-1 Game Set ($14.46)

If you’re looking for other 2-person games to play at home, another big favorite of ours is Spot it! There are tons of different versions of this fast-paced game to enjoy (including a water-proof option that you can take to the pool), and it can be played between two people or an entire family. Got any at-home date night ideas of your own? Shout them out below so that we can even more creative.

P.S. Have you voted for our space in this year’s Design Dash hosted by La-Z-Boy yet?! See the room I made over with my Glitter Guide teammate, Caitlin Kruse, here. Oh, and, as always, my promise to you is that the affiliate links featured in this post spotlight items that I use and love myself.

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