I’m seriously a sucker for all the cute date ideas. I’ve been dating my boyfriend for over a year now, so we’ve gone on our fair share of dates. Most are food-oriented, but not all. Some of my favorite dates have been ones that started as spontaneous adventures and then became a tradition—those are the most special! 

To this day, my favorite evening with my boyfriend was one where we spent time strolling through the aisles of Aldi for the first time, looking for something to buy for dinner. We ended up getting a caesar salad kit and a package of macarons in assorted flavors. Once we got back to my house, I decided to set up a table and chairs in my backyard for us to enjoy our dinner. It was a sunny summer evening, and all the vibes were immaculate. I played jazz music from Spotify as we sat and ate. It was then that our Aldi date nights began. Once a week, we’d go to Aldi in search of a meal to make together. We made pasta, different types of pizzas and breadsticks, pork chops, and much more. That turned into the best weekly routine.

One of the simplest ways to have fun on a date is by going to stores and picking out clothes for the other person to try on. It can be as silly or as serious as you want it to be, and you don’t even have to buy anything if you don’t want to. I recently went to H&M with my boyfriend, and we helped each other pick out some new fall outfits, and it was the best time. He has good taste and made sure I walked out with a handful of pieces that I loved. Even if you’re not dating anyone, this would be a fun hobby to participate in with friends. I’ve done that before.

My boyfriend and I recently decided to start going on more mini-golf dates. It sounds cheesy, but I recommend it to anyone. It’s a good mixture of fun and competitiveness. Now and then, we’ll find new places to try out and compare our favorites. We also try to collect new novelty golf balls from each place we visit as a cute souvenir. It’s a great group date as well.

Date nights are important to me, so I’m always on the hunt for new ideas. I try to have a good balance of enjoyable activities for each of us since we have some different interests. Overall, my boyfriend and I always have a great time no matter what date we go on.