At times, we can find that living together as a couple doesn’t always necessarily mean we’re spending quality time together. And having had chats with friends, we know we’re not alone. You can be sat in the same home, but one of you is browsing the web on your laptop, and the other is gaming with their friends online. Or, one of you is cooking dinner with your earphones in, while the other scrolls social media. Or puts the kids to bed. Or does the laundry. Or takes the dog out. You get my drift!
With social distancing and “quarantine life” being our current reality, I thought now is as good a time as ever to share some easy, inexpensive, and fun home date night ideas! ❤️
In no particular order, let’s go…
Crank the music and dance!
With most gyms being closed and social distancing in effect for outdoor workouts, dancing round your living room is such a fun way to spend quality time together at home, while sneaking in some exercise!
Loads of dance studios and instructors have taken to live streaming easy-to-follow routines to their Instagram accounts (my mum and I have been enjoying Diane Buswell’s IGTV’s!) and of course there are thousands of trending TikTok dances you can learn, too! 💃
PJs and Takeout
This is a classic home date night, but a gooden.
Order a takeaway, choosing a couple of sharing items you’ve never tried before from the restaurant’s menu. Pour yourselves a glass of wine each, and set your table out nice. PJs are my favourite thing to wear as I’m alllll about that comfort – but you can dress up if you fancy it!
A lovely thing to do, now more than ever, is to support local eateries that have had to close their venues to the public due to the global pandemic. Many of them are offering special takeout deals right now to encourage sales – check their websites or social media channels for details.
Our favourite Indian restaurant in North Vancouver is Vaades – we usually order from there a couple of times per month. I often get the baigan bharta (eggplant curry), or the prawn masala, and Paddy loves their chicken tikka masala. Their mogo (chunky cassava chips) are amazing as well! You can make most dishes either vegan, dairy-free, regular, or hot.
We just tried ordering from Cactus Club through DoorDash too (pictured below). I was a big fan of their salmon modern bowl and their truffle fries!
Play Games Together
Playing games is always a fun way to spend time together, whether it’s through a console or a traditional board game.
I’ve included some of our favourite games for your home date night below:
Super Mario Party — Mario Kart was the first video game I bought for Paddy and I to play together, when we were first dating! This cool new version (for Nintendo Switch) has lots of extra games on it to keep it fresh. You can play best of three – winner gets dinner made for them!
Couple’s TableTopics — we’ve had this set for years! It’s great for facilitating quality time together, and getting to know what makes you both ‘tick’. It contains lots of different questions that make great conversation starters. This other couple’s questions set has great reviews too.
New Phone, Who Dis? — this game is so funny! It’s on the same level as Cards Against Humanity, so isn’t suitable for children. You pull a card, then the other players / your partner comes up with the best text response. It’s best played with 3+ players, so is a good option if you’re quarantined with more than one other person.
The Blockbuster Game — I love how retro this looks! Reminds me of walking down to our local Blockbuster’s on a balmy Friday evening to choose a movie to watch with my family. ☺️ This game is perfect for movie lovers and quick thinkers! It’s a bit like a cross between charades and movie quoting! Recommended for 4-12 players, so good for if you live with other people.
Home spa night
With all the unease right now, giving your skin a little TLC can work wonders! Pampering yourselves can be done inexpensively at home, and you can opt for natural, soothing products, or even homemade face masks or hair masks. 🧖♀️
Here are some ideas:
- Fill your space with relaxing scents using an oil diffuser
- Face mask – here are some good DIY recipes
- Hair mask – here are some good DIY recipes
- Foot soak – I love this one, and this one!
- Massage – we use this relaxing oil, and this oil
- Home manicure – I love finishing with Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Top Coat, as it stops you from chipping or smudging your nail polish. Here’s the link for it on Walmart, and here’s the link for it on Ulta
- Paint your toenails – this is my favourite colour!
- Relaxing candlelit bubble bath – after lighting these beautiful Neom candles, you can blow them out, then drizzle the oils over your body! #Bliss
Zoom or Houseparty dates with friends
With everyone taking to the internet and online communication as accessible as ever, now is the perfect time to take part in virtual hangouts! Ok, ok, some of us might have online quiz fatigue already (LOL! As if that’s a thing these days!!) but there are loads of creative variations to keep your game nights fresh!
Here are some ideas:
- Message a digital invite to the crew to make it feel like a proper event!
- Create a fun presentation, and share your screen with everyone via Zoom.
- WhatsApp everyone a link to a virtual bingo card, randomly generate numbers on your shared screen, and see who can fill a line, a cross, or their whole grid first!
- Include fun bonus rounds, such as guess the song from a snippet of the lyrics, or guess the song from it being played on a banjo, or guess whose Facebook account these screenshot statuses from 2007 belonged to (yes – these are all ideas from a recent hilarious Zoom session we had with friends!).
- Spin the wheel – whoever’s name it lands on, has to do a shot!
- Put together your own quiz, or use apps like Kahoot, or sites like Sporkle to help you with the questions.
You can also arrange an online double date! If you need to take a break from all the quizzes, having a good conversation with another couple can make for a lovely evening. You can just use WhatsApp, FaceTime or Facebook video calls for these.
Work Out together
Getting off the couch and moving our bodies feels SO good after being cooped up at home all day. Working out together can be loads of fun! You can challenge each other, such as who can plank for the longest, and you can hold each other accountable too! The “Quarantine 15” doesn’t need to be a thing in your home! 😆
You can do cardio, yoga or bodyweight exercises, but if you want to make your home workouts feel more like you’re at the gym, or want to add a bit of a challenge, here are our favourite workout equipment for home sweats!
TRX machine — this hooks over a door or a beam, and you can do whole body exercises! I love how portable these are (you can even take them in your suitcase for quick hotel workouts while you’re on business trips, or on vacation with you – if you’re that way inclined!). They’re super high quality, adjustable and versatile, so a really great investment. Paddy and I both use ours.
Resistance bands — colour-wise, these are great for both males and females, but this set and this set are both cuuute for the girls! 💗 I like doing crab walks with these to get that booty burn! 🍑
Kettle bells or dumbbells — free weights are great to have on hand (pardon the pun!!) and can be used for lots of different exercises. I use our 20lb dumbbell for squats, and Paddy uses it for arm exercises. 💪
Yoga mat — use these not just for yoga or pilates, but for sit-ups, push-ups, planks, etc – anything where you don’t want your hands to slip, or to get sore knees. We love our Lululemon mats – here’s the link for the men’s size, and here’s the women’s size.
Get creative in the kitchen 👩🍳
Cooking can be a great way to learn a new skill together – and to get to enjoy it after! Here are some of our favourite things to make as a couple:
- Sushi – this takes a while, but is so rewarding to try!
- Cookies or cupcakes – always a welcome treat
- Pancakes, with all the toppings!
- Full English breakfast (aka a fry-up)
- Smoothies – try different ingredient combinations
- Cocktails! Our favourites are espresso martinis and pornstar martinis
Cuddle up with a movie
Next, we have the go-to quarantine or home date night activity: watching the television! You can make this feel special by bringing your mattress into the living room, or even building a den to enjoy movies from! Choose a movie neither of you have seen before, and put your comfy clothes on.
We’ve made a list of our top Netflix shows and films here – and we’ve even included a simple recipe for a quick but delicious movie night treat!
Get Your Craft On
Making crafts is an enjoyable and soothing activity for all ages. You can make different seasonal crafts all year round, plus create useful or decorative things for around the home, or for your wedding. Here are some ideas:
- Paint eggs or wooden egg cups, for Easter
- Carve pumpkins, for Halloween
- Fill glass baubles with fern or glitter, for Christmas
- Calligraphy name place settings, for your dinner party or wedding
- Make a macrame wall hanging, for your bedroom
- Upcycle tables, chairs or chests of drawers, for your home
- Make candles, using essential oils
Ok so, I’ve realized I could go and on with this list, so I’m going to stop here, before this blog post gets waaay too long!!
Have I missed off any of your favourite home date night ideas? Let me know in the comments below. 🥰
