Totally Free Dating Ideas

culled from:about.com
There are cheap date ideas and then there are free dating ideas. A subtle difference, and yet, one that is incredibly important.
All of the suggestions made here are completely, totally free date ideas - ones that won't cost you a thing to take on. Not all will be up your alley, and some might be considered cheesy or inappropriate for your relationship. But that's okay, because dating for free means getting creative, and these date ideas might get that thought process flowing and net you the most memorable, free date possible.
Do you have some free dating suggestions I've missed? Then add your own to this list of Reader Suggested Free Dating Ideas.

Free Dating Ideas For First Dates

The kind of dates one goes on early in a relationship are very different than those later on. Light, fun, flirty and made to get to know one another better, these free dating ideas are suited to dates with folks you don't know well, or those you want to get to know better.

• Visit the Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Center for your area or a nearby location. Ask for a free walking tour map, and set off to explore an area neither of you know well already.


• Find a local artisan or manufacturer that offers free tours with a sample at the end of the presentation, such as a candy maker or winery.


• Go people watching together. Find a busy place and sit down with the intent of creating stories about the folks you see. Who's on a date, and where are they rushing off to?


• Go window shopping together.


• Volunteer together, but let the organization know that the two of you would like an activity that puts you in contact with one another, not in separate places where you can't interact.


• Find a not-so-secluded waterway where the two of you can skip rocks together. See who can skip the farthest, or the most.

• Free Date Ideas For New Relationships

  In addition to the completely free dating ideas already suggested above, try one or some of the following:
  
• Run around in the sprinkler together, play leapfrog, climb some monkeybars or push each other on the swings. The point is think of what you enjoyed doing as a kid, and then make a free date day out of it.
• If you both have digital cameras, spend a few hours taking pictures together to see who comes up with the best photo. You can make a theme of the day (trees, moving objects, couples in love), or you can just enjoy seeing the world through your partners' eyes.
• Go to a local high school, college or university event together, such as a homecoming game, art show or musical event. Although not all will be free, some sleuthing will find the ones that are.
• Find a larger department store that sells perfume and take a few hours to discover the perfect scent for each of you.
• Is there anywhere nearby known for UFO sightings or ghostly encounters? Take a visit to one location and curl up with a blanket together to see what happens.
• Go to the library and pick out a how-to dance video for the two of you to try out.
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Totally Free Date Ideas For Long Term Relationships

Any of the free date ideas already made are decent contenders, but for those of you in solid partnerships, these free dating ideas might be more suitable:

• Drive around looking for your dream house together. Better yet, take in several open houses and compare what each of you want in a home.


• Find a friend that the both of you know who needs a break, and offer to babysit, dog walk or tend to their garden for a few hours while they put their feet up and relax.


• Have a yard sale. Clean out one (or both) of your places, and post signs in the neighborhood to advertise the event.


• Find somewhere to go skinny dipping together.


• Create a fill in the blank Q&A sheet for the other to answer and explain. Questions could include: "My favorite thing about you is _____." "I knew I loved you when ____." "It makes me laugh when you _____."


• Enter contests together for a day. Some may require an essay or skill testing question, so enjoy crafting or figuring them out together. Or, find contests whose potential wins could be enjoyed together.

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