One of the things that works to keep relationships alive is spending quality time with each other. In these days of the information age, it is increasingly difficult to find the time needed to nurture our relationships. With long hours at work, helping the kids with their homework, driving them to their extracurricular activities, cooking dinner, cleaning, and following the bedtime routine, what time is left?
Unless you orchestrate time for your relationship, other less important things will pile up and take up what precious little time you do have. Pick a night that is “date night” with your significant other and make a game of being as creative as possible. Try to see how many things you can do without spending money.
To get you started, I’ve laid out a few suggestions to help you through the coming year. What follows are 52 ideas on how to spend creative time together without spending any money. Feel free to add or modify any of the items on the list to suit your particular relationship and circumstances.
WINTER
1. Take a walk to see the Christmas decorations.
2. Play cards, maybe strip poker.
3. Watch a movie together.
4. Go outside and have a snowball fight.
5. Get some finger paints and create your own body art with others as your canvas.
6. Ride a sled.
7. Go ice skating.
8. Train or exercise together.
9. Organize your own improv show.
10. Sing to each other.
11. Review or create a photo album or scrapbook of your memories together.
12. Play a board game, maybe chess, Scrabble, or Twister.
13. Go to a bookstore, have a coffee and read for hours.
SPRING
14. Work together on a remodeling project.
15. Plan and complete a yard work project together.
16. Spring clean together, room by room. When you’re done, reward yourself by making love in the room you’ve cleaned.
17. Put on old clothes and wrestle in the mud after a torrential rain.
18. Give yourself a massage.
19. Play catch football, baseball, softball, or Frisbee.
20. Go to a car dealership and test drive the car of your dreams.
21. Practice basketball together.
22. Dance together.
23. Take a shower together and wash each other — everywhere.
24. Take a free adult education class together.
25. Go to a mall and have a contest to see who of you can get the most free samples.
26. Go rollerblading or riding a bike.
SUMMER
27. Build a fire and roast marshmallows.
28. Go swimming or swim naked.
29. Giving each other manicures or pedicures.
30. Go somewhere crowded to people watch.
31. Go to a free outdoor event, maybe a concert.
32. Lie on a blanket outside and watch the clouds or stars.
33. Go on a picnic.
34. See a fireworks show.
35. Get creative and engage in sexual role play. Be whoever you’d like to be for the night and make it exciting for your partner too.
36. Sit by the water somewhere.
37. Do a long striptease for each other.
38. Have a water balloon fight.
39. Sit outside and read poetry to each other.
FALL
40. Go for a walk together.
41. Go window shopping.
42. Incorporate food into your lovemaking: chocolate syrup, whipped cream, fondue, strawberries, anything you and your partner enjoy.
43. Call or text someone you haven’t had contact with in a long time.
44. Cook something together.
45. Spending an afternoon just talking to each other. Talk about things you have done, plans for the future, important people in your life, or current events.
46. Take a bubble bath together.
47. Go to a free movie or museum.
48. Take a walk and find the potential in old houses and properties.
49. Create an imaginary story together, either orally or in writing.
50. Take turns being each other’s genie in a bottle by fulfilling all of your partner’s wishes and fantasies.
51. Play with fallen leaves.
52. Create an exciting treasure hunt that ends in your bed.
Now you have 52 suggestions of things to do with your partner for each week of the year divided by season. You certainly don’t have to follow my suggestions. Feel free to add your own or repeat your favorites as often as you like.
The main point is not to see how kinky you can get. The idea is to keep your relationship alive by making time together a priority. It is important that you find things to do as a couple that both of you can enjoy. If you have very different interests, you can enter this in the spirit of taking turns and everyone happily agrees to participate in the activity chosen by the one who has the turn that week.
As long as you make a habit of making your relationship a priority and taking time each week to rejuvenate the feelings that attracted you in the first place, then you have a good chance of staying together for the long haul.
Please don’t let creeping boredom enter your relationship through the back door. This is what frequently happens when we are busy putting other things ahead of our time for others. You know what I mean: work, children, our friend in crisis, etc. There will always be a competing interest for the time you have set aside for each other.
Aside from natural disasters, death threats, or major crises, don’t let any outside force invade your time together. Be sure to create opportunities for them to do things together without outside influence. With over 50% of marriages today ending in divorce, make this small investment in the longevity of your relationship. You have nothing to lose and much to win. What’s stopping you? Start today.