I’m a Cheap Date…in a Good Way

Movies? Date night? Dinner? These terms are vaguely familiar to me. In years past, my husband and I went to so many movies per year.Now, not so much…

In pre-kids days, we were free to go out at the drop of the hat. Post-kids we were able to go out if we had babysitting from one set of grandparents or the other. Our daughter was the oldest grandchild on both sides. You can imagine how the grandparents lobbied hard to babysit for our daughter. My husband and I had a date night about 3 times a month.

THREE TIMES A MONTH! I can’t remember the last date night. January? December? With three kids on different sports teams and activities, finding a free Friday or Saturday night is difficult. And, as with anything child-related, even the best-laid plans can be foiled by a sick kid or an unexpected birthday invitation. So, we have to get creative when planning our Date Night.

Saturday was an example… I had the teen at one tournament. My husband had the tween at another tournament, which was a 2-hour drive away. My son was my co-pilot at the teen’s tournament. He was a trooper.

After sitting in a folding chair at the tournament or driving around running errands, the last thing on my mind was a DATE NIGHT. But, it happened. Here’s how…

I brought the kid and the teen home from the tournament. The kid was exhausted from the day, plus we played outside for quite a long time as a break from the tournament. My husband practically carried in the almost-asleep tween. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. I had plans to watch a new movie with my husband, but the teen was not sleepy at all. The teen wanted to watch the movie I picked. So…

…began the oddest Date Night my husband and I have ever had…

Here’s how our Date Night evolved…

Cost of Cheap Date Night? $0 — I used a Blockbuster Express code to get a free night’s rental! It was late, so we ate no snacks.

Want to try out Blockbuster Express? Find a kiosk near you. Use code 5G13B7 at checkout. Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you’ll receive the first night’s rental on a second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations.

I received a gift card from Collective Bias for participating in the Cheap Date Night promotion for Blockbuster Express.