50 Fun, Cheap Dates That Are Perfect For Winter

1. Make your own hot chocolate. Instead of buying the premixed packets at the store make your own from scratch just the way you like it! Add some marshmallows, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles, or whatever your favorite toppings are.

2. Sign up for a cooking class. It’s a great way to spend time together and a fun way to learn new skills and recipes.

3. Build a gingerbread house with only things you already have in your home. See how creative the two of you can get with what you have lying around. The final product could be hilarious.

4. Make your own chocolate fondue. Sometimes it’s so cold you don’t even want to go outside for dessert, so don’t. Heat up some chocolate in your own house and start dipping away.

5. Play the board games you have that are collecting dust in the house. Make it a fun competition with a prize. The winner should get to pick something for the other person to do for the night, or a week, to spice things up a bit.

6. Go ice skating together. Find out when open skate is and hit the ice with your partner. Hold hands and laugh at (and with) each other as you almost fall over a couple times. Don’t worry about being the best, just have fun with it.

7. Check out ice sculptures. They’re seriously so cool and if you haven’t seen them before you need to.

8. Go to a hockey game. It doesn’t have to be an NHL game but a local hockey team, college team or maybe even a semi-pro team in your area. Hockey games are a fun way to get out and do something without breaking the bank.

9. Build a project together. There is always some project that you have in your mind that you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t made the time. Dedicate a night to working on a project with your partner. Maybe it’s sanding down and repainting your chairs or building a photo frame out of old pallets. And if you don’t have an idea in mind, there’s always Pinterest to fill your minds with inspiration.

10. Dollar menu dates. Everyone knows fast food is unhealthy but there are those times you want nothing more than to indulge in some chicken nuggets. Instead of spending lots of money on dinner, hit up the drive-thru of your favorite fast food place and order only from the dollar menu, then come home and enjoy your feast before regretting everything.

11. Go on a Groupon date. If you have nothing to do one night and you’re bored login to Groupon and see what you find. Pick a random event to go to, even if it’s something you normally wouldn’t attend, to make for an interesting (and possibly laughable) evening.

12. Go sledding. Sledding was the highlight of winters during childhood, so feel a little nostalgic and hit the hills to go sledding again this winter. Even if you only hike up the hill once or twice, it will still be a little rush and make you feel like you’re kids again.

13. Make breakfast for dinner. Sometimes the weekends can be hectic so instead of trying to plan a relaxing breakfast on the weekend, come home after work and cook breakfast for dinner together. Let him make the bacon and eggs, you can make the pancakes, or whatever system works for you. You can, of course, still throw in some mimosas and have a little weeknight party in the kitchen.

14. Go to your local, or favorite, book store and find something that you will both enjoy. It doesn’t to be a novel, you don’t even have to love to read, but I guarantee you will both find something that strikes your interest there.

15. Go on an outdoor weekend getaway. Winter can be FREEZING depending where you live but plan for a nice weekend to get away. Take a mini road trip and spend the day outside exploring areas you might not have been to before. See where it leads you.

16. Pretend the power is out. For some reason, when the power goes out you always end up having the best time so fake like it’s out and recreate a night. Light all the candles in the dark house, play a board game you found or make up your own game. Invite another couple over to join you in your fake power outage and make the most of it.

17. Host a cookie exchange party. Invite a few of your friends over and have everyone make cookies to exchange. It’s a fun way to still spend time with your partner and your friends, while doing something festive.

18. Build a fort and have a living room sleepover in it. Grab all your blankets and build a fort in the living room and stay there the whole night. Your bedroom is so routine but changing up where you sleep for a night can be really fun.

19. Do an at-home workout video together. Doing workout videos at home by yourself is not fun, doing them with someone automatically makes it way more enjoyable and it’s hard not to laugh. Laugh and sweat together while you’re giving this workout your best effort.

20. Go on a winter hike. Hiking in the snow is tough but the views are gorgeous and so different than hikes in the summer. You don’t have to make it all the way to the end of the trail, but go a little way to check out the scenery.

21. Decorate a tree together. Either pick out a real tree or set up your fake tree together. Then decorate it together, have your partner help you hang the ornaments and string the lights. Don’t forget to turn on the holiday music.

22. Learn how to knit. Knitting is a fun hobby to learn and it’s more fun to have someone to learn with, especially if one of you gets it and the other doesn’t. If you get good enough you can even knit your own blanket.

23. Make s’mores at home. If you don’t have a fire place, the stove top works just fine too! Grab your stick and roast the marshmallows over the flame.

24. Look through old yearbooks or photo albums. You know what’s funnier than looking your partner’s high school yearbook and baby pictures? Nothing. Have a good laugh over your pasts together.

25. Make cocktail creations. Google some recipes and put all those bottles that are sitting on top of your fridge to use to make some festive creations.

26. Go to a paint and sip night. There are usually great deals on paint and sip nights so do some searching first for coupons then book your seats! It’s a fun way to get out of the house and create something together.

27. Host your own paint and sip at home. Most craft stores have canvas sets for pretty cheap. Buy a set, some paint and go home to have your own paint and sip night. Find a picture you really like and try to create it yourselves. You could even make it fun and run a poll to see who’s painting your friends like better.

28. Drive around and check out the holiday lights. Head to the place that’s known for having beautiful lights in the winter and check them out. And if it’s a place that you can walk through, even better! Don’t forget to bring your homemade hot chocolate along with you to keep you warm.

29. Head to the zoo. There are usually free nights at the zoo in winter since it is slower, but the animals are typically more active in the cold. It will be a fun way to get out of the house and not spend a lot of money, if you spend any at all!

30. Try snowshoeing. If you don’t have snowshoes see if you can borrow some from friends or family. Snowshoeing is a fun way to be active in the winter and still get outside.

31. Go to the thrift shop and try to find the ugliest Christmas sweater you can.

32. Host a party and have everyone bring a dish. That way you aren’t responsible for paying for all the food and drinks.

33. Build a snowman. Get all bundled up and hit the yard to make a snowman. Dress him (or her) in extra scarves and hats that you have lying around. It’s a fun way to bring back the nostalgia this time of year.

34. Check out a local aquarium or museum in your city. Sometimes the last hour or half hour has free admission!

35. Karaoke night. Stay in or go out to local bar that hosts karaoke at sing your hearts out together to your favorite song.

36. Do couples yoga. Find a YouTube video for beginners and test out your acro yoga skills. Make sure to record it in case something hilarious happens, or you nail it.

37. Bake yummy holiday treats! The best part of the holidays is all the sweets. Stay in and bake together, and if you don’t want all the cookies in your house bring them over to friends, family or to your office.

38. Plan your next few months. Sit down together and look at your calendars. Talk about what you’d like to do and look up airfare, concerts, local events to start planning what’s coming up together.

39. Head to a craft store. You can pick up supplies to make your own holiday decorations or ornaments.

40. Design your own holiday card. Use your favorite design website to create your own holiday cards to send out to your friends and family. After all, everyone loves getting snail mail.

41. Pick out a gift for someone in need. The best part of winter is giving and doing something for those in need. Pick out a gift for a child in need together.

42. Cuddle by the fire. And if you don’t have a fire grab a heated blanket and find a channel with a fireplace display that makes you feel like you’re sitting in front of fire.

43. Go window shopping. Window shopping can be fun walking through town under the lights checking out all the little hand crafted items with your partner. You could look for gifts to give your loved ones and even come up with some creative ideas to make yourselves.

44. Go to a trivia night at a bar. Test out your knowledge while drinking alcohol. It’s a great way to have a competition with your partner.

45. Catch a basketball or football game. Maybe hockey isn’t your thing, that’s fine. There are still plenty of other sporting events to check out this time of year and sports games are way more fun to be at than watch on TV.

46. Book a brewery tour and sample all the seasonal beers on tap. Some brewery tours are free, it just depends on the brewery so do some research and find the best local brewery for you to sample at.

47. Catch a play. There are so many holiday plays in the winter, it could be a great way to support your local theater and do something totally different than what you usually do.

48. Do an outdoor winter photo shoot. You can schedule one, bring a friend along to take pictures of just use your self-timer, but winter photos are adorable. Wait until the perfect snow fall and hit the outdoors with a camera and your partner. You’ll make everyone else on Instagram jealous of your adorable photos.

49. Try indoor rock climbing. Find a local gym and try out climbing for a day. It’s a great way to have some healthy competition and could be really fun.

50. Have an indoor picnic. It’s obviously too cold to sit on a blanket outside in the winter, so have a picnic in your own house. Lay out a blanket on the floor and picnic inside!