Everyone loves a good date night…the bread & butter with our significant other. But could they be better? Are we getting enough bang for our buck? After spending a small fortune for burgers & fries out with my family last night, I was compelled to declare a boycott on “going out” to avoid taking out a second mortgage. How am I supposed to have a social life and balance my check book…at the same time. Surely I don’t have to choose between the two. There’s gotta be a better way.
I think there is, but before we go there, let’s assess the damage of a typical date night for mom & dad, consisting of a restaurant dinner in some neighboring town or city, followed by a drive to some social activity where you may or may not know anyone…
- Set the kids up w/ some pizza: $10 to $20
- Dinner for 2 w/ drinks and tip: $30 to $60
- Movie/concert/entertainment or maybe just coffee/drinks/dessert: $20 to $50
- Babysitter for 3 to 4 hours: $30 to $50
TOTAL: $90 to $180. OUCH! That can’t be right. Check my math.
Here’s an alternative… Concert and dinner in a Peculiar park. Ditch the babysitter, bring the kids, enjoy the outdoors, and hang out with your friends. For the same price, I’d rather do that anyway, but let’s do a little cost comparison, just for grins:
- Babysitter – $0 (Bring your kids and let ’em run around in the park)
- Bring your own dinner & drinks for the whole family, no tips – $10 to $30
- Enjoy a concert and show your support to the local music scene with a donation – $10 to $20
TOTAL: $20 to $50. Ahhh. That’s more like it. Date night, here we come.