At Home Date Night Ideas: How to Have a Special Night In

By Lauren Rose Correa, November 15, 2024

As a one income household, we have to limit the number of times that we indulge in a night out at a restaurant. Eating out can turn into quite an expense! Fortunately, we both enjoy cooking, so having a great date night in the house isn’t so far-fetched. If you’re looking for some inexpensive at home date night ideas, follow along as I share some inspiration!

At Home Date Night Ideas: Tablescape for two featuring blue willow dishes and a hydrangea centerpiece

At Home Date Night Ideas: Create a Beautiful Tablescape

Get out your special china and your favorite table linens and create a stunning tablescape to make the night special. You can purchase some inexpensive fresh flowers for a unique centerpiece. I used to do this often when Juan and I were dating, and now when I do this it reminds me of those early memories together.

At Home Date Night Ideas: Light Your Favorite Candles

A date night just isn’t complete without lighting some beautiful candles! Turn out the overhead lighting and create a mood with candles all over the house. If you need a bit more light, turn on a lamp. Candles will help you really create a special feeling! Opt for unscented candles so that you don’t interfere with the smell of your delicious dinner.

At Home Date Night Ideas: Chimi Sliders — Homemade chimi sliders made by my husband

Cook a Yummy Recipe

Try out a new and exciting dish if you feel like being adventurous, or opt for a classic favorite. My go-to date night recipe is chicken parmesan or a salmon fillet, but sometimes I like to pick out a brand-new recipe that we are both interested in trying. We always send each other recipes on Instagram or Pinterest, so date night is a great time to test drive those recipes. If you’re in need of some ideas, be sure to check out my dinner recipes Pinterest board.

Keep in mind that cooking together can be a fun part of the date! With this is mind, pick a recipe you can work on together or have one of you prepare the meal while the other prepares a dessert.

Indulge in a Delicious Dessert

A special dessert will make the night that much more memorable! I love to bake a peach cobbler, or Juan will put together a delectable flan. To keep the night from being too stressful, opt for something you know how to make well or pick a recipe that can be thrown together quickly.

Serve Wine or Cocktails

Something that always makes a night more enjoyable for me is to serve a special beverage. A bottle of wine is a simple way to get the job done, but I also enjoy crafting my own cocktails. If you do this at home, it’s so much more cost efficient than paying for cocktails at a restaurant! Here are a few of my favorite cocktail recipes to give you some ideas.

Bust Out Your Favorite Games

For an activity that you can do together, browse your collection of board or card games. For one date night, we bought the game of Life and played it together. We also enjoy games like bananagrams, The Office trivia, poker, and chess.

At Home Date Night Ideas: The Sky is the Limit!

If you’re looking to save money or simply wanting to try out something new for date night, a night in can be made into something really special. What are some of your favorite at home date night ideas? Share them in the comments below!