For the first time ever, I remembered Valentine’s Day early enough to make dinner reservations at my favorite restaurant. Usually, my fiancé and I tend to overlook this holiday and end up with no reservations because everywhere is booked up. Lucky for you, that means we have gotten so creative in our date ideas for Valentine’s Day, and now I have a couple great ideas for you.

These date ideas don’t have to happen just on Valentine’s Day! You can go on a romantic date any day of the week, especially with some of these that are easy enough to do last minute at home. To me, the most important thing is spending quality time together, not money, so a lot of these date ideas are budget-friendly, and some even free!

Stay-In Movie Night

Pick something on your Netflix or Hulu account you’ve never watched before, or look about renting something new on your TV. Your movie night date for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a new one too – think about picking an old favorite you want to introduce your lover to!

Long Walks

Long walks on the beach – who doesn’t like that? Well if you’re in a northern spot like me, it might be too cold for that, but that doesn’t mean your date for Valentine’s Day couldn’t be a short nearby hike or a loop around your block. Take a walk and enjoy nature with your loved one and enjoy each other’s company.

Spoil Your Love Pup!

I used to celebrate my old dog’s birthday on Valentine’s Day, but since she gained her angel wings, I still love to keep the tradition spoiling our boy now! A trip to the pet store is a fun way to celebrate the holiday of love and include your fur baby – in fact, you’re SPOILING that doggo of yours! Nothing more to put a smile on your face

Stargazing

Not sure what to look for? Me neither, but star gazing is a really great idea for a date when you’re looking to spend $0. It’s fun no matter your expertise to point out shapes in the sky and watch as it all shimmers and glistens above you. If you want to look like an expert, there are plenty of apps that help you identify constellations in the App Store on your phone.

Visit the Zoo

This was a fun date we had done a few years back, and we actually went with a group of friends. It was still so much fun, it was unique, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to only be about significant others – friends are significant too!

Don’t have a local zoo? Check out aquariums too!

Game Night

Chess and checkers are great 2-player games, but so are some of the old classics that are worth breaking out for a nostalgic Valentine’s date. I’m talking about Candy Land, Clue, Guess Who, Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Uno! If you have a deck of cards around, you could try out something new with tons of ideas online, or I recommend Palace, Rummy, War, or try Go Fish!

Breakfast for Dinner

If you never do this one at home, it is fun to change it up. Make your favorite breakfast/brunch foods for your at-home dinner date. My go-to is pancakes with chocolate chips, but you can do French toast with less ingredients or go basic with eggs and custom omelets with your favorite additions; my fav are sun dried tomato and mozzarella with onion!

Support a Local Fundraiser

Search online or your local community groups to find any fundraisers going on. Your money on the date will go to a good cause, and maybe you will win something depending on the event you go to. Why not try something new? How romantic.