Romancing the Plague: Creative COVID Dating Ideas

  During COVID, many of us are having to tighten our belts and pinch our pennies, but an inexpensive date doesn’t mean we can’t still have an amazing experience making fun or romantic memories with our special someone. We’ve collected a round-up of the best ideas for a little frugal fun! Whether you’re a busy parent trying to make ends meet for your family, or you and your partner just want to do something casual and low budget—there’s something here for everyone!   Seventeen Magazine knows that teens are often strapped for cash, but that doesn’t mean teens have to stay at home when what everyone really needs during the pandemic is to connect. Here’s some interesting ideas that will keep you and your crush connected and having fun.   Fabulously Frugal has inexpensive date ideas galore—105 of them to be exact! See which ones are right for you.   Thrifty Frugal Mom is all about stretching that dollar while getting the most fun out of life. Check out their ideas for great dat

Bored with board games? Spice up your date night at home with these creative new twists on some familiar games to transform an ordinary, cheap, date night at home into a romantic and sexy experience.   Start Out Sweet Chocolate Checkers Dust off your old checker board and replace the pieces with chocolates. When you win one of your opponent’s pieces, victory will be sweet as it melts in your mouth. Candy Chinese Checkers Lose your marbles and use your favorite candy pieces, like M&Ms, instead! If you get hungry, feed each other the pieces.   Foreplay Games Naughty Scrabble Only naughty words allowed!   Exploring Candyland or Chutes & Ladders With a marker, replace the tasks or directives (or write on certain squares) with your own flirty or suggestive tasks. See where you end up!   Strip Chess When you take their chess piece, you take a piece of their clothing along with it.   Let’s Get Physical Pleasure Pictionary Who needs paper? Draw on

If you and your person are social distancing together but want to avoid crowds and other people, there are lots of creative options, such as making nature art together, taking a self-guided tour of your city's street art , or going to a drive-in movie , but if you’re trying to maintain that six-foot distance between you and your person, it can be hard to plan a fun date. That’s why we’ve concocted these creative ideas for social distance dating during the Pandemic right in your own backyard! Campfire Night Firewood. Find easy-to-light, long lasting fire logs at your grocery store—no lighter fluid required! Seating. Lawn chairs or blankets can be placed six feet apart and you’ll still be able to feel the warmth of the fire as well as each other’s company. Ambiance. Got string lights? Music? Go for it. Dress. Whatever you’re feeling. Comfy pajamas? Cozy flannels and jeans? You do you. Food. Make it a meal—Door Dash, take out, homemade chili and roasted hotdogs… Or just snac

 Drive-in to the perfect COVID date night Watching a movie outside at a drive-in theater is the perfect fun date choice when you are social distancing together from the rest of the world but still want to DO things out in the world. Here are some helpful hints for making the most of your date with the silver screen:   Tips Many drive-in theaters offer two movies for the price of one, so if you feel like staying for the second feature, you may be looking at a late night out. Check your theater’s listings ahead of time to plan the combo that is most interesting for you and your date. Check to see if your theater accepts credit cards—you may need to have cash on-hand. You can bring your own snacks! Although many drive-in theaters offer concession stand snacks, we think it’s fun (and cheaper!) to pack your own favorite smorgasbord of treats. If you have a van with a rear door or car with a wide area that opens in the back, you can bring sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows to get comfy.

What can you do when you want to go somewhere with your person and experience something cool or creative, but you want to social distance from others? Sure, there’s lots of virtual experiences out there like checking out art museums or gallery exhibits online, but after a while, you just want to get out and actually go somewhere in real life! We’ve found the perfect blend of getting out in the world, cultural artistic enjoyment, and social distancing: take a self-guided tour of your city’s street art and murals. Whether it’s taking a leisurely stroll together to chat, admire the art and take photos, or perhaps mapping out a bike route through the city, you’ll get some exhilarating fresh air, get inspired by the beauty of your city’s unique art, and have fun making memories with your Someone. To plan: Check out mural & street art databases/apps like MASA  and Street Art Cities  or explore more about street art all over the country at the Google Art Project, Street Art . Also be sure

The Fantasy Date Have you ever seen some ideal romantic getaway advertised online and imagined you could drop everything to go explore someplace exotic or breathtaking with your favorite person? Turn that fantasy into your virtual Valentine’s Day! Planning ahead Give each other a little fun homework. Much of the fantasy date will involve sharing your…fantasies! Imagine a fantasy destination, anywhere in the world, where you would take your date if money and reality were no objects. Then go from there. Plan your chosen date around your destination, choosing a restaurant, the food from the menu, taking a romantic walk through some special special attraction that you would die to see…  If you like going the extra mile, consider making an invitation to formally invite your special someone to join you in your fantasy. Send the invitation snail mail or make an email or free, private website/video with all the links, descriptions, etc. Make your fantasy as detailed as you want and collect onl

It's hard enough figuring out dating during the pandemic when your relationship status is casual or non-exclusive, but when you add Valentine's Day to the mix,  many people start to feel overwhelmed.  The way we see it, there are three courses of action you can take when considering the holiday.  Options 1. Ignore it! After all, you aren't in a committed relationship. Isn't Valentine's Day for bona fide couples giving each other romantic gifts? But ignoring the holiday could do more harm than good, since the person you are dating may be looking forward to some special attention, even though your relationship status is casual. It's only natural. A recent survey found “Overwhelmingly” that people, whether they were in a romantic relationship or not "would rather spend Valentine’s Day with someone (82%) than alone.” 63% say spending time with a person is the most meaningful way to celebrate the holiday (far more than flowers, candy or romantic gifts) With p

Cabin fever during the pandemic drives many people outdoors for hiking and picnicking dates, which are always fun, but not exactly unique. Want to add another element of fun and creativity to your day in the great outdoors? Create some nature art with your date! All that you will need is already there: leaves, twigs, stones, wild berries, snow, pinecones, reeds, shells, thorns—the possibilities are endless. And you can do this activity no matter where you are—a city park, a mountain, your college campus, the beach, or your own backyard! As you hike or wander, keep a lookout for the natural materials all around you that you could utilize for your project and collect them as you go. When you find the perfect spot, start making art! This is the sort of activity that can be done in collaboration with your date or each of you can work on your own projects in proximity to each other. The exciting thing about creating nature art is that it reminds the body of what it was like to play as a