Spice Up Your Marriage With a Date Night Jar
It was the end of a long day and week, and I was weary to the core. Wanting to curl up with a good book and a soft blanket, I glanced at the calendar and saw we were scheduled for an at-home-date night that evening.
Feeling anything but attractive in my fleece pajamas and messy bun, I inwardly groaned at the thought of having to scramble to put together a fun night at home for Hubs.
While I had missed quality alone time with him, our date nights had become stale and predictable. We usually ended up watching a movie and I was known for falling asleep half way through.
How exciting and romantic.
I sat there for a moment, wondering how we could spice up our routine and reclaim a deeper level of intimacy between us with more creative date nights.
It was there, in my end of the day grunge, where I finally figured out how we could rekindle the romance and fan the flame of true intimacy in our marriage.
A date night jar would be the answer to our run-of-the mill dates and change how we connected with each other forever. Here’s how to make a simple jar work for your marriage and help you spice things up in your relationship.
How to Make a Date Night Jar
Grab any jar or container and label it (or it just might end up with the kid’s crafts!).
On index cards or paper, write down a few date nights you can do at home and a few ideas that you can do out on the town. Think WAY outside the box and get creative for ideas to help you have fun and reconnect. Sometimes the sillier the date, the more memorable it becomes.
How to Use it
While I love being spontaneous and having adventures with Hubs, being parents makes spur of the moment date nights a little more difficult, thus insert the genius Date Night Jar!
First, we grab our calendars and schedule our time together IN PEN! Outside of an emergency, nothing will stop us from going through with our date!
Then one of us will pick an activity from the date jar and surprise the other on our scheduled time together.
Taking turns coordinating and planning the date helps alleviate this burden for one spouse and gives an element of surprise (and who doesn’t love a surprise date!).
Date Ideas
As you’re brainstorming ideas for your date jar, challenge yourself to be creative and think outside the box. Try to think of new activities you haven’t done before to help expand your horizon as a couple.
At home dates
Backyard camp out
Grab a sleeping bag or a tent and enjoy snuggling under the stars. Make a campfire, roast s’mores and just enjoy being together.
Spa night
Create a spa experience at home; complete with dim lighting, flavored water, candle light and soft music. Give each other massages, foot rubs or other spa treatments.
Blindfolded taste-test
Create a theme to your taste test (chocolate, wine, cheese, etc…) and buy a variety of those products.
Blind fold your spouse, and feed him/her a sampling of each product, having them guess which product they just tasted.
Around the World theme night
Take a trip around the world without leaving your living room! Print pictures from different places around the world and hang them around your home. Have each portion of your evening represent a different country. For example, you could order take-out from an Italian restaurant for dinner, French pastries for dessert, enjoy a foreign film as entertainment and then create an imaginary trip to someplace tropical with a quick Google search.
Night Under the Stars
Create a romantic evening under the stars with a Christmas lights, a candle lit dinner, and dancing. Dress up and wear nice attire, pretending you’re at an exclusive restaurant for two.
On the town dates
Memory Lane
Surprise your spouse with a day or night filled with places that mean a lot to your relationship. You could recreate your first date, or visit places that have meaning to you or where milestone events happened. Have fun walking down memory lane!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Out
Play hooky for an entire day and have a grand adventure! Follow in the footsteps of this classic 80’s movie and rent a fun car for the day, go to a ball game, go to an expensive restaurant, buy a new outfit, or have fun concocting your own grand adventure together!
Tourist in your town
Visit places you’ve never been but are tourist attractions right in your town or state. You’ll be amazed at the fun things you’ve missed in your own backyard!
80’s Night
Recreate the 80’s with some favorite activities from this popular decade, including roller skating (if you dare!), walking around the mall, eating fondue, and so much more!
Bookstore Scavenger Hunt
Head to your nearest book store and be ready for FUN on this FREE date. Find books/ media that tell about your spouse:
- Find a recipe he/she would like
- Find a poem that tells how you really feel about them
- Find a place you’d like to travel
- Find a book you think should be on his/her reading list
- Find a media title that describes your spouse
Print FREE date night cards!
Do you want these dates in a form that are ready to print, cut and add to your date jar?
Grab the FREE Strong Family Project Printable Pack to help you strengthen your family with intentional activities and conversations.
Plus, you’ll get the Strong Family Project Calendar, which will help you plan 65 days of intentional family building activities.
