It has been said, “The best things in life are free.” I think for the most part, that is true. From that, one might extrapolate that free dates can be the best kind. I know for some guys out there, it may be hard to believe. A lot of guys have the psychology that a “hot lady” requires a huge price tag for the date. I can only speak for myself but I married a very hot lady and she does not require a lot of money to be spent on a date. For a free date to work for me, however, it requires a few elements which I will discuss below.

You surprise her

Every woman on Earth wants to be pampered to some extent. How do I know? I have a mom, 2 sisters, a wife, and 3 ex’s. Trust me … this one’s true. I’ve noticed the local beauty spa is getting a LOT of traffic. The point I am getting to is your effort. It’s not a fun date if she has to think of what you will do.  Plan it. Just by doing that you will become desirable like the beauty spa. They will feel like they can relax and let their mind enter a fantasy mode.

You make the preparation

Whether it’s wrapping tuna sandwiches in wax paper and packing them in a picnic basket or driving to see if the park is open. You need to go through the motions of the date and make sure you take care of any snags before you pick her up. You might paint rocks along a trail that have little messages for her. Or you might even just have a card behind a planter where she can “find” it later. The key is that she senses you went to some effort to prepare for the date. Once we went to the lake at a local community college and I had hidden my guitar behind a boulder. It was pretty funny.

Listen

Folks, I am a type-A personality, I hardly ever shut up. When I finally realized this and started listening more to my girlfriends and later wife, my relationships got so much better. In a free date situation, you can go ahead and be an active listener to your wife or girlfriend. She may have a lot to say or not much at all but the key to good chemistry on the date is for you to shut up. Got it?

Tell her what you love about her

This may fall under the “preparations” area. Don’t go blind into this one. Even if you have to pull a little list out, you’re still okay if you have one. Spend some time thinking about it. The key ingredient to this step is: be genuine. My wife and I work together teaching at the same school so I always have stuff I notice about her. The other day I told her I appreciated the way she was patient with a certain student. I could see she appreciated the compliment because it was about a situation she knew I witnessed and it meant a lot to her.

If you do all these things, your free date will will go well. More importantly, your wife will get pampered and you will have time alone with her where you hear what she has to say. If you have any free date ideas, please share in the comments. Have fun being romantic while you save money!

Here are some unique date ideas you might have forgotten about:

1. The Museum: What could be more fun than walking around and looking at dinosaurs or art? It’s a great way to spark conversation and enjoy yourselves in a relaxing environment.
2. An Amusement Park or Carnival: An amusement park can be a very romantic place in this unique date idea. You will be able to talk to each other about anything while you wait in line, you can enjoy the thrill of riding a roller coaster together or you can just take it easy on the train or carousal rides.
3. A Bookstore or Library: The bookstore is a great place to talk about different books you find, read each other poetry excerpts, browse magazines together and sip on lattes.
4. Take a Hike: Hiking is great exercise and can also be a fun way to get to know someone better or rekindle the excitement of being together again. Bring a back pack with plenty of snacks and drinks and you’ll have a great time exploring your adventurous sides.
5. Mini Golf: I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have a good time going mini-golfing. You can choose a basic course with windmills and slopes or find one that has tropical trees and waterfalls for some added ambiance.
6. Visit the Zoo: Lions and tigers and bears..you and your date will have fun oohing and aahing over the animals and each other with this unique date idea.
7. Ice Skating: Even in the summer you can find many indoor skating rinks perfect for a rainy day. If one of you doesn’t know how to skate, even better as you can hold hands while you slowly make your way around the rink. This is a great unique date idea that many of us overlook.
8. Go on a Tour: You can watch how wine is made at a nearby winery or go on a factory tour of a popular company near you. You can often find factory tours at this website: Factory Tours USA.
9. Do you both love music? Go to a music festival where the two of you can snuggle on a picnic blanket or visit small acoustic gig at a coffee shop. If you like to play music, stop at a music or guitar store and pretend you’re shopping for a new guitar or keyboard. This is one of my favorite dating ideas.
10. A pet store or animal shelter: If you’re an animal lover, you’ll love being able to look at all the different pets and play with them. Be careful though – you might end up falling in love with one of the pets and taking a new furry friend home with you!
11. The Flea Market: You’ll have fun reliving childhood memories or looking at unusual things you’ve never seen before at a flea market. You might even be able to find a few bargains while you’re at it.
12. Plan a daytrip downtown. Many of us might go downtown for work or other reasons, but so few of us will go there just to relax in a community park or to admire the architecture of the skyscrapers and old buildings. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
13. Go Bowling: Grab your bowling shoes and spend a fun time showing off your bowling skills. You can make it even more interesting by giving them a kiss for every pin they knock down or pretending you’re in a major competition.
14. Go swimming: You can either visit a nearby water park or pool or opt for a community indoor pool in the winter. Have fun doing laps together, splashing each other, or if you visit a waterpark relaxing on a lazy river or sunbathing together.
15. Go for a boat ride: You can opt for a canoe on a pond, a ferry ride, paddle boats, or even go white water rafting together if you’re adventurous with this unique date idea.

So there you have it – 15 unique date ideas and great places to go to enjoy spending time with your partner.