55 Date Night Jar Ideas to Spice Up Your Relationship

No matter how long you’ve been in a relationship, going on dates is the perfect way to keep the romance alive. And this isn’t just some cliche advice! In “Sex, Trash, and Neuroplasticity: What They Don’t Tell You About New Parenthood” from Come Together, psychologist Dr. Nicole Pensak says that healthy relations need a 5:1 ratio. As in, 5 positive experiences to 1 negative. Soooo those date nights? They REALLY matter. However, the planning process? A total shore—especially when you’ve been together for a long time.

Enter… drumroll … the date night jar! This is the best way to come up with new ideas for nights out. Plus, when it’s time to choose the plans? Just pull a little slip of paper out of a jar and BOOM, planning done. Aside from just being a super fun way to bond, healthy relationships (like they talk about in this episode of Real Pod) includes continuing to date your partner, no matter how long you’ve been together.

To give you a little inspo, we’re sharing our favorite fun date night idea cards to squeeze into your jar. We’ll also break them down based on category—AKA, whether you and your beau are craving something passionate and romantic or easygoing and fun. That’s right, nobody’s left out here. Let’s dive in!

55 Date Night Jar Ideas 

Cute Date Jar Ideas

You know those date ideas that sound sickeningly cliche? We’re talking about the kinds of dates that make you feel a nauseating mixture of jealousy and cringe when you hear about other couples participating. 

Those are the dates we want you to consider adding to your date jar. Why? Because as cliche as they might seem, these date ideas are popular for a reason. They’re surprisingly fun and adorably cute, no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been together. 

Don’t knock ‘em til you try ‘em! 

• Go on a picnic
• Explore a nearby small town
• Take dance lessons (Also… If Val Chmerkovskiy thinks we should be dancing? We DANCE)
• Go wine tasting
• Try a new restaurant
• Go apple or pumpkin picking
• Head out to go axe throwing

Romantic Date Night Jar Ideas

If you’re a sucker for romance, these date night jar ideas are made for you! We’re talkin’ about the dates that put butterflies in your stomach and maybe even reignite the flame that was beginning to flicker in your relationship. Include these romantic date night ideas in your date jar for a much-needed relationship boost: 

• Go to dinner and a movie
• Take a staycation
• Revisit your wedding or honeymoon location
• Book a couple’s massage
• Go to the theater
• Have a wine and cheese night
• Meet for rooftop drinks
• Eat takeout by candlelight (and, maybe add a bottle of wine?)
• Have dinner at a fancy restaurant

Naughty Date Jar Ideas

Looking for some fun ways to spice things up? Like… “Perks of Sex Toys and Short Guys” from Girls Gotta Eat kind of spice? Ohhh do we have some good ideas for you! Here are some hot AF, naughty date night jar ideas to include. Fair warning… these dates will really turn up the heat so they aren’t for the faint of heart.

• Play a sexy card game
• Have a makeout session
• Play strip poker
• Try role-playing (on a date or at home)
• Listen to the best sex podcasts to get into the mood
• Visit a sex shop
• Experiment with a new toy
• Use food for foreplay

Fun Date Jar Ideas

If your relationship feels more bleh than bomb, add these fun date ideas to your jar. We included a bunch of unique date ideas that will def mix things up and help you and your partner see each other in a new light. 

• Go to a festival
• Attend a concert
• Go ice skating
• Go bowling
• Attend a sporting event
• Go skiing or snowboarding
• See a comedy show
• Take mixology classes
• Visit a nearby amusement park
• Play pickleball
• Try your luck at a dance class
• Go to the driving range
• Have a backyard water gun fight
• Be tourists for a day
• Drive-thru sampler meal (drinks from one place, appetizer from another, entrée from a third, etc.)

Creative Date Night Ideas

Even if you don’t usually consider yourself the creative type, these date night ideas are great for more than just getting your creative juices flowing. Creating something together is not only fun, but it can bring you closer as a couple. You might even see a side of your significant other that you never noticed before!

• Take a painting classes
• Join a pottery classes
• Carve pumpkins
• Sketch a portrait of each other
• Tackle a DIY project 
• Record a podcast together 

Affordable Date Night Ideas

We get it! Sometimes you don’t have a lot of dough to spend. For those times when you need a date idea that won’t break the bank, (or home date ideas), reach for one of these as inspo. 

You don’t have to spend a huge chunk of change to have a memorable time with the person you love. 

• Go out for ice cream
• Try a new recipe together (as you listen to From Caviar to Dirty Martinis, RHONY’s Erin Lichy knows How to Host from All On The Table with Katie Lee Biegel!)
• Enjoy chocolate fondue at home
• See a drive-in movie
• Go fishing
• Do a themed wine tasting night

Free Date Night Ideas

There are a ton of great ways to spend time with your significant other without spending a dime. These free date night ideas make the perfect addition to your date night jar. 

• Plan a game night
• Start a new show to watch together (Make you can finally get them into your fave Bravo shows.) 
• Listen to and play Bone, Marry, Bury
• Walk or hike a local nature trail
• Cuddle up and watch the sunset
• Grab some blankets and stargaze
• Plan your dream vacation
• Do a puzzle together
• Go for Netflix and chill
• Go on a scenic drive
• Ask each other “The Twelve Questions for Love.”

How Often Should You Have Date Night?

The amount of dates you can go on can matter just as much as what you do. Seriously! And honestly, it’s totally different depending on how long you are your partner have been together—and what the responsibilities look like. Married couples with kids? It’s a lot harder to plan a night away. A brand new couple with nothing holding them back? Practically every night can be date night.

That said, let’s look at how often you SHOULD be having date nights depending on how long you’ve been together…

The Long Game (AKA, Married Couples)

In a perfect world? You and your spouse would be going on one date night a week. For some couples, that’s totally doable! For others, maybe not so much. Here’s the good news: studies show that even one date night a month can lower the chances of divorce by 14%. When you spend quality time with your husband or wife, you’re saying, “Hey, I still choose you.”

And honestly, it doesn’t even have to be anything super crazy or time-consuming. Ordering takeout, binge-watching shows like Game of Thrones, and cuddling up in matching Valley Girl Longe Pants TOTALLY counts as a great date night. It’s about the time spent together, not necessarily what you spent your time doing.

If you want a little relatable convo about this EXACT topic, tune into “Couples Q&A: Answering Your Juiciest Relationship Questions” from Over 50 & Flourishing.

The Building-Together Era (2+ Years)

Long-term relationships can be funny because it’s like… You can feel like a married couple, but you also feel like two people who LITERALLY just fell in love yesterday. Actually, We Met At Acme just touched on this in the episode “The Difference Between a Boyfriend and a Husband!” That said, every long-term relationship is sooo different. And if you’re not living together yet? You have to consider each other’s schedules and rhythms.

Here’s what works for most couples: the 2-2-2 rule. Go on a date every two weeks, a long getaway every two months, and a longer trip every two years. (Honestly, though, this is great advice for everyone.) Of course, the more, the better! But two weeks is pretty much the golden standard.

The Honeymoon Phase (6-24 months)

When you’re really getting in the groove of your relationship, date nights are everything. You know you like this person and you know you want them to stick around—now it’s just time to get to know them better! For relationships in the, as we like to call it, honeymoon phase, quality > quantity.

You don’t need to fill up your schedule with date night after date night, that’s just a little unrealistic (and overwhelming AF.) But when it IS time to plan a date? Make it count. Knock something off your bucket list, plan a nice dinner, or schedule a real movie night at home—takeout, candy, popcorn, the whole nine. You want to have fun, but you also want to foster that new growth.

Listen to “Halloween Date Night! Would You Live in a Murder House?” from With Whit for a lighthearted take on the idea.

The Soft Launch Journey (Less Than 6 Months)

Your relationship is new, you’re so in love, you DON’T get annoyed by anything they do, and you want to spend all your time together. Welcome to the soft launch era, where date nights happen 4-5 times a week. (AKA, you’re considering every night with them date night.) And we’re totally here for it. New relationships are alllll about growth, connection, and getting to know each other.

And what does that mean? Date nights happen as often as possible. Do you and your partner need to have multiple date nights to have a healthy relationship? Of course not. But is it totally normal to want to spend as MANY nights as possible with them? Totally. Embrace it.

And remember, dating is only scary if you make it scary. Just take it from THIS episode of Come Together.

A date night jar is a PERFECT way to come up with new ways to spend time with your partner.

No matter how long you’ve been in your relationship, a date night jar is a must. Maybe you’re leaning for something thrilling, or maybe you want to stay at home and lounge around. Whatever the case, there’s an idea in your date night jar for it. We’re dying to know though… How do you feel about the concept? Are there any ideas you’re including that we missed? Let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear all about it! (And maybe get a little inspo.)

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