How To Date With No Money (+175 Fun and Free Date Ideas)

Money can’t buy you love, but it sure can help you go on some nice dates.

If you’re currently broke AF and wondering how you’re going to impress your next Tinder match, never fear.

Here’s how to date with no money:

To date with no money, you need confidence, creativity, and resourcefulness. Dating with no money means doing free activities at free locations with free materials. You can enjoy the outdoors, take advantage of free local events, and turn normal everyday items into fun dating games.

In this blog post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to date with no money.

Can You Date With No Money?

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Romantic pillow and blanket fort with fairy lights - how to date with no money (1)
I made this image – how to date with no money

Yes, you can date with no money.

You just have to get a bit more creative and resourceful. Instead of spending money on expensive dates, try to come up with free or low-cost date ideas.

If you’re crafty, you could even make your own gifts for your date instead of buying something.

The key is to be conversational, witty, and charming.

With the right attitude, you can have a great time – even without spending any money.

Fun Free Date Ideas

Here are some great date ideas that won’t cost you a dime:

  1. Go for a walk in the park – it’s a terrific opportunity to get some sunshine and movement while also people-watching.
  2. Have a picnic – pack up your favorite food and drinks and find a nice spot to enjoy them.
  3. Go stargazing – lie down on a blanket in your backyard or local park and see how many constellations you can spot.
  4. Visit a farmer’s market – it’s a fantastic location to get fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables, and you could even find some new favorites.
  5. Go for a bike ride – explore your neighborhood or somewhere new, and stop for an ice cream or coffee break along the way.
  6. Take a cooking class together – learn how to make something new, and then enjoy your creation for dinner.
  7. Explore a museum – there’s always something interesting to see, and it can be a great way to learn more about each other’s interests.
  8. See a movie at home – make popcorn and snuggle up on the couch for a cozy night in front of the TV or big screen.
  9. Have a game night – dust off your favorite board games or try something new, and compete (or cooperate!) for fun.
  10. Make homemade pizzas – choose your favorite toppings, roll out the dough, and bake your pizzas to perfection.
  11. Head to your local botanical garden and stroll among the flowers. Make sure to stop and smell the roses… or any other pretty blooms that catch your eye.
  12. Visit a nearby city that you’ve never been to before and explore all it has to offer. Who knows, you may just fall in love with the place and find a new favorite spot to hang out in.
  13. Cook dinner together using only ingredients that start with the same letter. It’s amazing how many delicious dishes you can make with, say, only items that begin with the letter “P”: potatoes, pasta, pesto, or my personal favorite: perogies.
  14. Volunteer at a local shelter or soup kitchen. Not only will you be giving back to your community, but you’ll also get to spend some quality time with furry friends or those less fortunate than yourselves.
  15. Have a themed movie marathon – choose a genre, actor, or director and watch as many movies as you can from that category. Popcorn is optional but encouraged.
  16. Have a scavenger hunt around your neighborhood or town/city center. The options are endless – you could look for items on a specific list (e.g., things that are red), try to find specific landmarks (e..g., the statue of your town’s founder), or take photos of certain things (e..g., animals, street art).
  17. Put together a puzzle – it can be anything from a jigsaw puzzle to a crossword puzzle to an actual puzzle (like one of those brain teasers made of metal wire). The challenge will be figuring out how to put it all together… and then how to take it apart again afterward!
  18. Learn how to knit, crochet, quilt, or do some other type of handicraft together. Not only will you end up with a cute handmade item at the end, but you’ll also have bonding time while working on it. And if you get really good at it, maybe you can start selling your creations online!
  19. Playing video games together – this one is definitely more for the nerdy types, but it can be really fun if you both enjoy gaming. There are tons of multiplayer games out there that you can play together online.
  20. Get lost in a corn maze. This is a fun way to spend a couple of hours together for free.
  21. Go on a nature hike and explore hidden waterfalls or climb to the top of a lookout point.
  22. Attend a free concert in the park or at an open-mic night at a local coffee shop.
  23. Spend an afternoon at the beach.
  24. Collect seashells along the shore.
  25. Turn your living room into a dancefloor and have a disco party for two.
  26. Listen to free live music together.
  27. Go enjoy free trivia and test your knowledge of useless information. Make sure you come up with a really creative and funny trivia team name.
  28. Create an obstacle course in your own house and race each other through it.
  29. Give each other a tour of your hometown.
  30. Be each other’s paparazzi photographer for the night and take tons of pictures.
  31. Roast marshmallows around a fire pit. Tell spooky stories or funny dating experiences.
  32. Feed the ducks at a local pond or lake. Make sure you check the rules and guidelines so you don’t get surrounded by 100 hungry ducks (trust me, it’s terrifying).
  33. Go to some public space like a mall and people watch. This can be a hilarious way to go on a date with someone special.

Here is a good video about how to date with no money:

YouTube video by Our Kind of Crazy – How to date with no money

Free Romantic Date Ideas

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being in love.

Whether you’re just starting out or have been together for years, there are plenty of ways to express your love without spending a lot of money.

Here are 20 romantic date ideas that will cost you nothing but time and maybe a little bit of effort:

  1. Make a time capsule of your relationship. Include things like photos, movie tickets, and anything else that represents your time together.
  2. Take turns giving each other massages.
  3. Create a free crossword puzzle with info about you for your relationship and do it together.
  4. Go to clothing stores and do a fashion show for each other. Make sure to take pictures!
  5. Record videos for each other that you then watch 3 months, 6 months, or a year later if you’re still dating.
  6. Make a home spa day with facemasks, candles, soothing music, etc.
  7. Go for a moonlit walk or hike.
  8. Download a free app and find all the constellations, and then name stars after each other, and make up elaborate stories about the stars.
  9. Write a song together about your relationship.
  10. Browse through a flea market or antique store together.
  11. Go rollerblading together around a romantic town.
  12. Use Google Earth to take a free virtual vacation to a random place around the world.
  13. Have a candlelight picnic by a lake.
  14. Visit some of your favorite spots from your dating relationship.
  15. Go camping near a waterfall.
  16. Write love letters together and then read them to each other.
  17. Take a hayride through a pumpkin patch.
  18. Watch the sunset from a rooftop.
  19. Give each other a romantic Tarot reading
  20. Visit a free art gallery and hold hands while taking in the beautiful art.

Free At Home Date Ideas

If you want to save money, you don’t even need to leave your house.

These are some of the best free at-home dates to thrill your new boo or long-time love:

  1. Sing karaoke at home with a free app or YouTube.
  2. Have a dance-off (videos mandatory).
  3. Start a random YouTube channel together.
  4. Play retro video games together.
  5. Enjoy card games together.
  6. Come up with a bucket list for future adventures.
  7. Listen to podcasts together and then discuss them.
  8. Look through old photos together and share stories about your life before you met.
  9. Rent a free movie from a library.
  10. Try cooking a new recipe together.
  11. Do blind baking. One person is blindfolded while the other person gives instructions.
  12. Google random skills and learn something new together.
  13. Come up with a bucket list together.
  14. Practice yoga (look up yoga routines on YouTube).
  15. Do a free relaxing meditation from YouTube.
  16. Create an outfit out of home supplies (can’t use actual clothing).
  17. Teach each other something new.
  18. Work out together.
  19. Write down a bunch of questions on scrap paper, put them in a jar, and then take turns answering random questions.
  20. Paint your keys with bright and creative colors (use nail polish).

Free Outdoor Date Ideas

You don’t always want to stay indoors, though.

Sometimes the best dates allow you to explore the great outdoors. And, they don’t need to break the bank.

Check out these free outdoor date ideas:

  1. Go on a free tour in your town.
  2. Try all the free samples at a mall or food market.
  3. Go to a free comedy show (I do this regularly).
  4. Attend a free local movie at the park.
  5. Go swimming at a free local pool or lake.
  6. Run a 5k together (great for staying in shape, encouraging each other, and working as a team).
  7. Go to a local dealership and test drive your dream cars.
  8. Go to open houses in your town.
  9. Go on a random road trip together and sightsee in nearby towns.
  10. Play Walmart Bingo (Google it!).
  11. Attend a free workshop together.
  12. Browse books at a local bookstore.
  13. Go dancing in the rain.
  14. Take free salsa lessons (or any dance lessons).
  15. Use a camping stove to have breakfast on the beach (or by a lake).
  16. Stroll across a walking bridge at night.
  17. Play sand volleyball on a free court.
  18. Go on a free ghost tour (Google spooky things in your town).
  19. Borrow a friend’s boat for the day.
  20. Go birdwatching (you can borrow a free bird-watching book from the library).

No Money Date Ideas in Winter

If you’re anything like me, winter is the time of year when you start to feel a bit restless.

The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and it seems like there’s nothing to do. But just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to hunker down and wait for spring.

There are plenty of fun and exciting things to do, even on a tight budget.

Here are just a few ideas:

  1. Build a snowman together
  2. Have a snowball fight in the backyard
  3. Build a gingerbread house together
  4. 4. Have a giant marshmallow/ snowball fight and doors
  5. Go caroling in the neighborhood with a group of friends for a group date
  6. Drive around and look at the best Christmas lights in your town or city.
  7. Go sledding or tumbling down a hill together in the snow.
  8. Make snow angels in the backyard and have a competition to see who can make the best one.
  9. Do a polar bear plunge. Just make sure you bring lots of warm blankets and a fresh set of clothes.
  10. Make hot chocolate and curl up to read a book together.
  11. Bake Christmas cookies together and decorate them and fun and festive ways.
  12. Decorate a Christmas tree together. Come up with a fun and creative theme.
  13. Make homemade Christmas or holiday gifts for family and friends.
  14. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen together.
  15. Have a movie marathon of your favorite holiday classics
  16. Attend a free holiday play or concert.
  17. Collect pine cones to make a homemade craft together.
  18. Go ice skating at a local pond or lake.
  19. Make a pillow and blanket fort to stay warm in the wintry weather.
  20. Visit nursing homes or children’s hospitals to help spread some holiday cheer.

Free Date Ideas When It’s Raining

Just because it’s raining outside doesn’t mean you have to stay cooped up indoors. There are plenty of fun date ideas that can be enjoyed even when the weather isn’t cooperating.

Here are some of my favorite ideas:

  1. Take a walk in the rain with a giant umbrella.
  2. Splash in all the puddles in your neighborhood.
  3. Take a drive and picnic in your car.
  4. Make paper boats and race them along the rain gutters or down a stream.
  5. Attend a rain-themed event, such as a rain barrel workshop or a stormwater management seminar. Not only will you learn something new, but you’ll also be supporting your local community.
  6. Have fun with arts and crafts projects by making your own umbrellas out of colorful paper or fabric, painting rain-themed artworks, or creating sculptures out of clay.
  7. Cook up a batch of flavorful soup, hearty stew, or batch of baked goods using seasonal ingredients such as fresh herbs, root vegetables, and mushrooms.
  8. Sit on the porch and watch a storm together.
  9. Take an apartment tour (with no intentions of moving there).
  10. Go grocery shopping together (sounds weird but it can be super cute).

Free Fall Date Ideas

  1. Make a big pile of leaves and then play in them together.
  2. Make a bonfire and s’mores.
  3. Go to a free high school football game.
  4. If you know someone with horses, go horse riding together.
  5. Go fishing or camping.
  6. Host a Halloween party with all of your friends.
  7. Decorate one of your houses or apartments with spooky decorations.
  8. Go to costume stores to try on all the costumes together and take pictures.
  9. Walk around your town and look at the best Halloween decorations.
  10. Learn how to make the perfect pumpkin pie recipe.
  11. Go to high school fall festivals to play games, earn candy, and carve free pumpkins.
  12. Come up with scary stories together.
  13. Have a horror movie marathon.
  14. Collect leaves of different colors and make an autumn-themed collage.
  15. Go to a fall craft fair and “window shop” all the booths.

Free Date Ideas at Night

A night out doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money.

In fact, there are plenty of ways to enjoy a night on the town without breaking the bank.

Here are just a few ideas:

  1. Go for a midnight stroll.
  2. Camp out at the beach.
  3. Go to a lookout point and enjoy the glittering city lights.
  4. Take a midnight swim.
  5. Hang out in the hot tub or a friend’s hot tub.
  6. Take a nighttime drive around your town or city.
  7. Watch a free firework show in your town.
  8. Enjoy a candlelight dinner.
  9. Pretend to be fugitive spies and sneak around your town.
  10. Have a deep conversation by flashlight.
  11. Pull an all-nighter working on a creative project.
  12. Play flashlight laser tag.
  13. Play flashlight hide and seek.
  14. Camp in your living room with a blanket tent.
  15. Camp in your backyard.
  16. Sit on your roof and watch the stars.
  17. Go on an evening hike.
  18. Dress up and crash a wedding.
  19. Pretend to get engaged in public.
  20. Recreate your first date.

Free Date Ideas for College Students

Many of us have been broke college students scratching our heads on how to date without any money.

Don’t worry, I have your back (there’s a joke here somewhere about “broke back,” but I digress):

  1. Host a dorm party.
  2. Make your favorite Ramen noodle recipes.
  3. Sneak into a Greek event.
  4. Watch a University sports team practice.
  5. Go to a free play on campus.
  6. Take a walk around campus.
  7. Have a picnic in the quad.
  8. Pretend to be street performers and collect change until you can afford a meal.
  9. Plan your future goals together.
  10. Plan a trip for the two of you to take.
  11. Visit a local pet store.
  12. Volunteer as test subjects in a research study.
  13. Stroll through a free local museum.
  14. Attend a free workshop on campus.
  15. Record social media videos together.
  16. Attend a university club meeting.
  17. Play the floor is lava in your dorm room.
  18. Design your perfect house online.
  19. Help each other study.
  20. Go to a playground and swing together.

Final Thoughts: How To Date With No Money

Believe it or not, these ideas are just the very tip of the free dating iceberg.

Odds are, there are many more free date ideas in your hometown just staring you in the face. Embrace your location, your style, your passions, and what makes you uniquely you.

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