Cheap dates is a terrible title! Dating on a budget might be better suited to the point we’re trying to get across. That point is that dating doesn’t have to cost a lot of money—especially at the start. Inexpensive dating ideas are plentiful so you need not worry about landing in the poor house before you find true love. You can be thrifty and smart. As long as you have a chance to get to know the person a little better, that’s really all that counts. Adding a little extra flair by getting outside of a coffee shop turns a boring cheap date into a memory. Keep your money and sanity and take a look at a few of these frugal dating ideas.

Natural Surroundings
Get out and experience the great outdoors. We’ve gone to great lengths to shape our world in every way we can, but there are tons of places that are virtually untouched. Find a great park that you can sit and picnic in on a sunny afternoon, reading books to each other or chatting. Find a trail system and go hiking. See if you can find any information about plant life in the area and try and identify it while you’re out. Nature is free and that’s just the way it should be!

Public Exhibits
Think about the museums and galleries around you, all filled with collections of interesting items to chat about. Most are reasonable in price and usually offer discount days, so keep you eye out for those.

Special Events
On any given weekend, you can be guaranteed that some special event is going on nearby. Fairs, craft shows, festivals and exhibitions are usually free or for a nominal cost. It gets you and your date out and in an environment where you can both explore your surroundings while getting to know each other.

Sporting Ideas
Why not get out and get active at the same time. Biking is something you can do in most places and many of the urbanized areas have trails specifically for this purpose. Rollerblading is another great activity for exercise, but you can still manage to carry on decent conversation. If you have a gym membership, you could take the other person along and work out together. If it's warm out, you may be able to find a pick-up game of beach volleyball, or you could go hiking in the woods or take a long walk...

Video Games
Gaming has come a long way since Donkey Kong & Pac Man. You can find a whole slew of trivia and game-show type games available at your local rental store. Five bucks for an hour or two of one-on-one friendly competition never hurt anyone and most realize that games aren’t just for kids.

Movies
This is an easy pick, but you shouldn’t let yourself off the hook there. If you’re going to do a movie night, make it special. Rearrange the furniture for VIP seating, dim the lights or use candles to create a mood. Bring lots of pillows and blankets out for extra comfort and make sure you have a large stash of typical concession stand munchies on hand, bought at reduced corner store prices, of course!

Cheap dating ideas area all over the place. We’ve missed tons, so please leave any extra ideas below. Money saving dates might do more than protect your pocketbook. It keeps the emphasis on both of you and off how big the bottle of wine happens to be. And if all else if failing and the date is going to the dogs, you can get a bottle of wine for under $10 and drown your sorrows together!