Pastor Daniel, this past weekend, emphasized the need to date your spouse.  I can’t stress how important this is to a married couple.  We date on the front end…. we date a lot!  But when we get married we tend to coast.  We tend to let life get in the way.  And we too easily fall into a mode of just existing with a roommate.

Dating allows you to stay connected outside of your responsibilities.  It gives you a platform to share your thoughts, your dreams, what you are excited about, what scares you, and it simply gives you an opportunity to laugh and enjoy each other.  Dating also gives you a glimpse into your past and reminds you of why and how you fell in love.  It serves as a reminder of why you got married.

But I’m a cheapskate.  And this was a hard concept for both Jennifer and I to embrace.  Why?  Because there was always something ‘more important’ to spend our money on.  But I was challenged on that and I want to challenge you as well.  You can date.  And you can date on a dime.  Here are some ideas we have used in our 12 years of marriage:

1. Reallocate funds to things that are truly important.
   1. Cancel trash service and take it yourself.  Use the money to go on a date.
   2. Cancel cable and spend it on dating.  Who knows…. without TV to watch you might find yourself doing other things at night.
   3. Mow your own lawn and use the money to go on a date.
   4. Eat out less at lunch and eat out with your spouse on date nights.
2. Coffee and a book.  Grab a cup of your favorite coffee and head to your local bookstore to peruse.
3. Just go out for dessert.  Dating doesn’t have to be a dinner and a movie.
4. Picnic lunch.  When we first got married Jennifer would meet me at my job and we’d go on a driving picnic.  When we moved to the area I would meet her downtown and we’d have a picnic in the park.
5. Road trip.  Just drive!  Go look at your favorite neighborhoods, or houses, or country roads.
6. Grocery shop together.  Now I know this may cause more problems than it solves, but we like grocery stores.  We are going to buy groceries anyway.  Why not do it together.
7. Go on a walk.  Some of our favorite times have been walking the local battlefields.
8. Lastly, if you have kids, find another couple with kids and swap out babysitting.  Its a free way to get a date night all alone!