PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Think back to the times in your life when you were happiest, or having the most fun. If you're like me, your happiest times were probably also your simplest. They didn't require large amounts of money or effort to make them happen – they just did. When you think about it, it's actually a little ironic. The best things in life are free, yet we work so hard to make our dates perfect, planned…and expensive. Don't we want the "best things" for our dates?

Yes, I realize that I'm over-simplifying things a little. And that if you're never willing to spend a penny on a date, you might run into problems pretty darned quickly. But every once in awhile, it's a good idea to give yourself and your bank account a break from the pressure of your traditional Friday night dinner and a movie. And very possibly have a better time than you would at that $80-a-head candlelit restaurant downtown while you do it.

Free Outdoor Date Ideas

It doesn't take long to get tired of all that mood lighting and snooty service. So get outside! There are a ton of outdoor activities that make great dates…and best of all, many of them are creative, romantic, and free. Such as:

• Having a picnic at the park or in the countryside
• Going hiking in the nearby mountains
• Visiting a local art fair, outdoor market, music fair, or food fair
• Going for a long bike ride in the country
• Taking a camping trip
• Going shopping together at the farmer's market for ingredients for a dinner you make together
• Going to watch a free little league game and eat hotdogs
• Playing Frisbee on the beach
• Going to an animal shelter to play with the dogs
• Walking around downtown and listen to street musicians

Free Indoor Date Ideas

There are a few really fun indoor date activities that are always free, if you know what I mean. But, uh, you're not necessarily going to do them on a first or second date…and even if you are, you can't do them all the time! If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a fancy dinner out, there are plenty of cheap or free things you can do indoors that aren't sex. Like:

• Having a kung fu movie marathon
• Playing a board game
• Playing strip poker (if you can talk her into it!)
• Making dinner together, or cook her your favorite childhood meal, just for fun
• Experimenting together in the kitchen preparing a new kind of food
• Buying a couple of bottles of wine and doing a mini home wine tasting
• Playing Wii Tennis until you're sweaty and falling over laughing

There are tons of fun things that you can do for free on a date. The best way to think up some of your own? Think about things that you love to do. If you kayak or play World or Warcraft or go watch baseball spring training every weekend, you can do these same things with your date. Okay, getting her to play a World of Warcraft marathon is a long-shot, but you never know…she could think it's a blast!