holidays, Media, News, Uncategorized

Cheap Dates

30 Comments

I read this in the local paper yesterday:

According to an article from USA Today based on findings from 24/7 Wall St., North Dakotans are the second-cheapest date in the U.S.

The recent report found the average date cost for each state, including a bottle of wine, two movie tickets and a restaurant dinner for two. North Dakota had the second-lowest average of $42.43, bested only by South Dakota at $38.27.

Minnesota, meanwhile, had the nation’s 23rd-highest date night cost of $109.81, while New York topped the list at $297.27.

Well, I guess there are some advantages living out here!   The article goes on to make suggestions for one of a kind, cheap excursions like going to the Minnesota State-Moorhead planetarium,  corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and an adult only Halloween party at the Red River Zoo in Fargo including a  costume contest, concessions, dance party, a cash bar and zookeeper talks with critters ($10 for advance tickets).

Think up a cheap date excursion in your vicinity. Tell about some memorable dates from your past. 

 

30 thoughts on “Cheap Dates”

  1. Oh, man, dating was always the thing I was worst at. Before I got married my mom got me aside and told me, “Steve, you’re never going to find a girl doing what you are doing. You have this idea you should be yourself. That’s not a winning strategy.”

    I’m glad she wasn’t alive when dating got very difficult for me after my divorce. I remember one date with a person I liked a lot although dating her was a weird trip. We spent a weekend at my cabin, and it went pretty well. But on the way up there she insisted on something I was loathe to do. We toured the Hinckley Fire Museum . . . not an auspicious way to begin a romantic weekend. I’ve always thought of that as our Crispy Critters weekend.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. That’s not quite the way it worked, Bill. When I was a grad student with fifty cents in my bank account I would take dates to my parents’ home on Crystal Bay. It is a lovely spot, and of course it is where my sister now lives. That was a date even I could afford.

        Like

        Reply

  3. If you get down here to Winona on second Saturday (through October anyway – that would be today), you can visit the Minnesota Marine Art Museum for $1/person. Then go across the river into Wisconsin (a 15-minute drive) to the Hillside Fish House for dinner, where they let you bring your own bottle of wine, for a set-up fee of $10.

    Will have to think further about the past date…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. After my divorce a favorite date was to drive a loop around Lake Pepin and the Mississippi: Red Wing, Maiden Rock, Stockholm, Pepin, Winona, Kellogg, Lake City, Frontenac and back home. Stop to eat or shop now and then.

      Like

      Reply

        1. I was thinking it was November because of the cool, cloudy weather. But when I look out the window I realize it must not be November yet. Thanks for clarifying that, Bill.

          OT: is the SUN ever going to shine again?

          Like

    1. I think of a date as something where you actually leave the house, but that may not be in everyone’s description. And maybe planned in advance, rather than last minute. Certainly if someone else is invited to come along, or you go out to dinner or drinks in addition to the event…

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. YES! There’s a lot of talk online about how “dating is dead” blah blah blah… among younger people… My female perspective (and perhaps it is old-school) – gentlemen, please step up and do the asking! Extend the invite! Be brave! Ask her! =)

        Like

        Reply

        1. If you mean my story, that odd gathering made sense at the time. The girlfriend was a lovely person who had anxieties as a result of her first marriage. She was spooked by the fact I was friends with my erstwife. To show her there was nothing to fear, I brought the three of us together for an evening when my erstwife was in town. We had a very nice evening.

          Liked by 1 person

  6. This may get the prize for cheapest date: Junior year of high school I had a crush on Denny T., who was a senior, and already “taken”. While his girlfriend Kathy was away on summer vacation, he said they “allowed” each other to go out with others, and I was thrilled to be asked out. Wore my best jeans, shirt, and tennies. We ended up going to the construction site of the half-built senior high school that evening – we tromped around all over the place, walked narrow planks across deep holes in the ground, climbed around all kinds of places we probably weren’t allowed. It was fun. I figured out later he probably didn’t want to be seen with another girl by any of Kathy’s friends at the usual hang-outs… nd he didn’t try to kiss me goodnight. (Dang.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. I’d consider warm weather a good start for a cheap date. You could always go to a park and have a picnic. When it gets cold, it’s harder to find a comfortable space to be that doesn’t cost a lot.

    I think happy hour at Whole Foods it s pretty good deal, though.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. My first date with Kelly was to a Mantorville Melodrama. Dinner must have been involved. But it may have been at the Hubble House bar after the show…

    Our daughter has ‘Friday with Friends’ every other Friday evening. So when she does that, Kelly and I get a date! Supper is involved. Sometimes a Target or Hyvee run.
    Pretty much anytime Kelly and I do something together we call it a date.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.