By Ashley Roe, Contributing Writer

After marriage many couples stop dating each other. Most probably don’t even do it on purpose, but for one reason or another dating just isn’t a important anymore. Life happens and the regular dating falls just to they wayside.

Have you not been dating your spouse as often as you used to? Maybe you don’t feel like you have enough extra time for dates. Maybe you don’t have any extra money to put towards dating. Maybe you have kids and it is just too difficult to get away to spend time together. Whatever the reason, if you are not dating your spouse regularly can I encourage you to start making it a priority today?

To help you find some ways to start, or keep, dating your spouse I have ten thrifty date ideas that I want to share with you that are great for summer. Some ideas are totally free while others might have some cost associated with them. For the dates that require any money, I will give you some tips on how to keep the cost as low as possible.

10 Thrifty Ideas for Summer Dates With Your Spouse

1. Just get outside together

Get some fresh air and enjoy nature by going for a walk or a bike ride together. If you have some trials nearby, make good use of them. My husband and I discovered a nice park with walking trails behind our library so we have gone walking there a few times.

2. Have a picnic in a park together

Pack a picnic and go to a park to eat. Bring along a frisbee or a ball and play some catch together afterwards. Or, if you would rather relax just sit with each other and reminisce or dream about the future.

3. Play a game together

This is a good rainy day activity or for when you aren’t able to do any planning ahead. My husband and I like to play Scrabble, Monoploy and Skip-Bo. I also recently taught him a game my friends and I played in college called Nertz.

4. Camp out in your backyard (or even your living room) together

Set up a tent in the backyard and pretend like you are camping. If you can’t do that set up some blankets and an air mattress in the living room. My husband and I don’t have a yard but we have had fun putting our air mattress in the living room and having our own little camp out. We’ve even made smores by roasting the marshmallows on the grill. Another way to make this one fun is to go to the grocery store and pick up something for dessert then bring it back and enjoy it together. We like to get vanilla ice cream and anything we might need for banana splits. It’s much cheaper than going out and you get to enjoy it more than once!

5. Go to the farmers market together

Browsing the farmers market can be a fun way to get some shopping done while spending time together and you often get higher quality produce less expensively than in the grocery store. Look for some fresh ingredients to cook dinner with later that day. Many farmers markets also have food vendors so you could even grab some coffee or a homemade pastry to eat while you’re there.

6. Go for a spontaneous road trip

If you just want to get out of the house for a while, hop in the car and go for a drive. One summer, during the Perseid meteor shower, my husband and I made some coffee and went out late at night to go star gazing and see if we could catch a glimpse of some meteors. We had to drive a bit because we live close to a fairly large city. It was totally spontaneous and one of my favorite dates we have been on together.

7. Spend some time together at the beach

Sit in the sand and relax or go for a swim. You could even build a sandcastle together. If you find a good spot where the sun sets on the water, sit with your love and watch the sun go down. Don’t forget to steal a few kisses too.

8. Round up some coupons and make your own fun and inexpensive date

If you look in local papers or online you will often find some great coupons to help save you money on activities like bowling or mini golf. There are also lots of options for restaurant coupons too if you want to eat out. My husband and I had a coupon date last summer and it was one of the most enjoyable dates out we’ve had. The best part was that it didn’t cost a lot! First, we used a buy one get one free coupon for a game of mini golf. Then we used another coupon to get some tokens at the arcade at the same place we played mini golf. After that we went to Culver’s and used some more coupons to save on our dinner.

9. Go to the zoo

This one can cost a bit depending on what the admission price at your closest zoo. But if you plan to go a lot, many zoos have a program where you pay a set fee for the whole season which might be worth it for you if you want to take your kids a few times. Also, the zoo closest to us has a large picnic area outside of the park so we like to pack a lunch instead buying food.

10. Take a mini vacation

Spend a couple of days away from home, just the two of you. This one will obviously cost some money, but with proper planning and setting a budget you can make it work. I firmly believe that married couples need to get away every once in a while, even if you don’t have a large budget. One of the easiest ways to save on your vacation is to bring food with you and only eat out once or twice as a special treat. You can also find deals on hotels or B&B’s if you do a little searching. My husband and I traveled a couple of hours to stay at a bed and breakfast for our one year anniversary and we absolutely loved it! We hope to be able to go back again this year.

I hope you’ve been inspired to plan some dates with your spouse this summer! I know I am excited to get outside and enjoy some time with my husband while the weather is nice.

What about you!?

• What are some fun summer dates you have done with your spouse?

• What do you do to save money on dates?

Let me know in the comments below!