Since everyone has different budgets for Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share some fun cheap date ideas that work with a college budget! Whether you love V-Day or you think it’s cheesy, I think it’s a fun day to celebrate the people you love (call your mom too!). The best thing about all these date ideas (besides that they’re affordable) is you can celebrate with your galentines as well 🙂

Go to the Movies (Or Rent One)

My boyfriend and I don’t go to the theater very often, but when we do, it’s always a fun treat! To save money, sneak some popcorn and snacks in a big ass sweatshirt. We all know snacks from home are way better than movie snacks anyways lol. I’m not sure if this is a thing everywhere, but in my city, movie tickets are cheaper on Tuesday nights.

If you don’t feel like going to the theater, renting movies at home is always fun. I’ve been making my way through the movies that received Oscar nominations so that’s always an option to rent. I just watched Parasite last week and it was super wild! 

*If you’re watching movies with your bae, I wouldn’t recommend watching Marriage Story because that one’s a real bummer lol.

Cook a New Recipe

There’s nothing better than a home cooked meal and it’s always fun to cook with your partner! Cooking at home is way more affordable than going out to eat and it’s a great way to save money on V-Day. My guy and I (see what I did there with the rhyming haha) love making Korean inspired soup or homemade pizza.

Be a Tourist in Your Own City

A lot of times we miss some of the fun attractions of our own city just because we live there. Whip up “Fun things to do in _______” in your google search and get out there to explore! You’d be surprised to see how many free or inexpensive things there are to do in your own town. 

Take a Drive into the Great Outdoors

Sometimes when you just go out and take a drive, you can find some really beautiful places near you! Cullen and I have had some great times going to Lake Tahoe and even beautiful places in rural Nevada. The best thing about nature is that it’s absolutely free! 

No-Phone Night

If you don’t feel like being adventurous, you could always spend a night without your phones to truly spend some quality time with your partner. We spend so much time scrolling and sometimes we truly miss out on happy moments. This kind of ties into the movie date idea, but I find movies so much more enjoyable when I ignore my phone for a couple of hours and really pay attention to the plot. Bonus points if you sheet mask as a couple.

*Add Money to a Vacation Fund

This isn’t a date idea, but every Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I add extra money to our trip fund. We add $5 a week to our fund which is perfectly manageable with our college budget. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, we add the price of an expensive date to our trip fund instead of actually going on a date. Our little trip fund has helped us go to San Francisco and San Diego without breaking our bank accounts!

I hope these cheap date ideas are helpful! On a college budget, it’s hard to pay for date nights, but a low budget doesn’t mean that low budget dates can’t be fun and adventurous! 🙂

Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions?