College is expensive.
Dating can be expensive too, but plenty of fun and romantic dates don’t require spending too much money.
So, if you are one of the many college students looking for date ideas that won’t drain your bank account, here are some dorm room dates you should try.
1. Dollar Dinner Dash
Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t get a four-course meal to enjoy together.
Go to a few nearby fast-food places and order items from their dollar menu, then go to the nearest dollar store to grab some other additions to your meal and head back to your dorm for a four-course dinner and a movie. Sure, you won’t be eating filet mignon at a four-star restaurant, but you’ll be getting much more food for much less money, and on top of that, you also get the journey of picking everything out together.
2. Precious Personalized Puzzle Night
Doing a puzzle as a date might seem uncool or old-fashioned to many current college students, but you can make this puzzle night more meaningful. Order a personalized puzzle with a photo of you and your significant other from one of your favorite moments, and then spend the night putting the pieces together while reminiscing about the things you’ve done with each other. At night’s end, you’ll have a beautiful keepsake to cherish.
3. Feel-good Photoshoot
Get dressed up in your favorite outfit and roam around your college campus looking for fun and unique places to take pictures of and with each other. Your phone has a timer option for a reason! Not only will you get some great photos to send home, but you will also share some laughs at your ridiculous poses and hype each other up, creating a feel-good date that you two will remember forever — especially if you get some of those pictures printed as proof.
4. Bond With a Baking Battle
Let your creative and competitive sides shine through on a fun date where you each bake and decorate a dessert, and then judge whose is the best. This competition will allow for some fun banter and maybe even some trash-talking. You will have a blast while baking, and even if you lose the battle, is it a loss when you get to eat all the dessert that’s left over?
5. In the Dark Date Night
People pay top dollar to eat in restaurants that offer “in the dark dining” because it heightens one’s senses and makes the dining experience more enjoyable. Because of its romantic aspects, this is a date night that couples have raved about since it began. So why not recreate the experience, or something similar, as a dorm room date for you and your beau? Order dinner and set it up on the floor of your room with all the blinds closed, then turn off all the lights and enjoy your meal and conversation without any distractions.
6. Thrive Through Thrifting
Do you want to show your date you know them or maybe get them to wear a ridiculous outfit? Whether you take this as seriously as possible or try to find the funniest outfit for your partner, go thrifting with them. Give yourself a budget of $20 and buy an outfit for each other. Then go back to your dorm room and act like you are wearing what they bought for you on the runway at fashion week. This could be a way to see how well you know each other’s tastes (or a way to have a very humorous evening).
7. Partner Paint Date
Arts and crafts are always a fun way to spend your day, and having a paint night with your date can be just as fun. You can each get a canvas and some paints and then paint each other a picture. There doesn’t have to be a theme or any rules. You can take a break from all the college stress and paint a picture for your partner; you don’t have to be good at art either. You two will have fun laughing at your artistic abilities and learning more about each other while you paint, and you will also get a meaningful and handmade gift from your date at the end of the night.
8. Sweet Scrapbooking Evening
For couples that have been together for a while, this can be a great way to reflect on your relationship while doing a fun craft together. Print out photos from different things you have done and make a scrapbook together commemorating your relationship. This could even turn into an annual tradition in which you make a scrapbook each year you spend together, so as you grow older, you will always have those keepsakes and memories to bring with you.
9. Sentimental Spa Night
This date can be a way for both of you to unwind from the stresses of your college work. You can put on facemasks, do yoga, soak your feet in hot water, use foot scrubs, give each other massages, and just let everything out. Talk about what is stressing you out or what has been going on in your life. The spa night and the deep conversations will result in a date that brings you closer than ever before.
10. Classic Karaoke
You can’t make a dorm room date list without karaoke! This is a fun and free way to just let loose with the person you care about and sing some of your favorite songs — even if you are tone-deaf or can’t sing. You could go on for hours singing pop songs, rapping, singing duets together, and pouring your heart out in romantic ballad solos. This date helps you get to know each other’s taste in music while giving you guys a stress-free and joyous night filled with music, fun and love.
