Andrew Got a Job and Ten Money-Saving Dates for Penny-less Lovers

Thank the Lord. Our prayers have been answered! Andrew has received a job at Steak and Shake and while some of you big-wigs may scoff at the idea of flipping/serving burgers, I beg to differ. It's been a hard road for us; these past few months of uncertainty have been hard on our relationship and on us as individuals. Yeah, there have been fights, there have been tears, but when it came to the end of the day, I knew what was important. The trial of the joblessness was unbearable, heart-wrenching, but honestly necessary. It's one of those things that now I am grateful we got the chance to go through early on. We now know how to handle a situation if one of us does lose our job. We also know how to deal with high-stress and how we work with eachother during high-stress. What I learned mainly is that you cannot blame your partner for not getting a job if they are out there truly working hard. At the end of the day, after they have come home from handing out applications, meeting managers, and having interviews, they are exhausted. And not only are they exhausted, but they are even more terrified than you about the future without a job, because they are not just "failing" themselves when the phone doesn't ring: they feel like they are failing you. And I will admit it, I berated Andrew for the first couple of days until he told me how he felt and how scared he truly was and how he was really trying because he didn't want to let me down. It's a hard economy out there, money is going to be tight. But we all have to keep in mind what is truly important at the end of the day, and that is letting your loved ones know there are loved. When money is tight, however, here are some ideas for the Pennyless Lovers:
1. Most movies out there now are based off books, that, in truth, are always going to be better than the movies themselves. For instance, The Notebook, Angels and Demons, Nights in Rodanthe, Marley and Me. They're all good couple books. Even tackling the Harry Potter saga together is a feat that could prove entertaining. Snuggled up on the couch reading a good book with your partner is a great budget-friendly alternative to the over-pirced cineplexes.
2. However, if you do feel that you are going to die without seeing a movie, rent one. There is this great little kiosk at our local Bi-Lo that does movie rentals for $1 for a night! Think of the savings! The average adult movie ticket costs $8.00 in South Carolina. So that's $16 for the two of you. And maybe the average couple goes to the movies like...every 2 weeks maybe? That's $32 a month, times 12 that's: $384 a year. And that is not even factoring in popcorn and beverages. Even if you go with Blockbuster or Netflix, you're still saving a nice heap of money.
3. Window shopping. Yes, during a time of economic downturn it may be a cruel concept to a lot of us, but it really can be fun. Just going out and looking at stuff is a date within itself. I love going to book stores and going to the travel section and romance section. Andrew likes to hover around the manga section. But you can seriously entertain yourself for several hours in a store if you're with the right person. But leave the credit card at home so you don't do any impulse shopping.
4. Going to the park. Make a couple of sandwiches and go chill under the sun. You get to spend some time with your partner and get a tan for free.
5. Read your newspaper to get the skinny on local events. Most of the time they are free and loads of fun. Even the kiddy street fairs are worth going to because then you are able to bond over old childhood memories rushing back.
6. Volunteer if you have the time. Nothing gives you a natural high more than helping out. Working at a soup kitchen together, or taking in a foster pet together brings you close together and helps out the community.
7. Start a couple's journal together. This one is a little harder to commit to than the others because it really does take some time to get into the habit, but just think of how great it is going to be looking at it when you are bajillion years old and remembering writing the book together.
8. Host a game night with your friends. Get him to call his friends, you call yours and just ask everyone to bring a drink or food item and you have a budget-friendly party right there. This is especially good for when you want to hang out with your friends and do something, but none of you are making good money at the moment.
9. Make dinner together. I have no idea why, but "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers pops into my head whenever I think about cooking with Andrew. It's fun to teach him how to cook and for him to teach me some things, too. We love watching the Food Network every now and then and getting in the kitchen after to make something of our own. We have our I-Pod in the kitchen, too, so when stuff is cooking we'll dance. Dinner and dancing right there without the cover charge.
10.Go parking. I'm serious. Nothing sparks romance quite like a nice drive out to the middle of nowhere with a canister of hot chocolate or wine, whichever you prefer, stargazing and possibly a good old fashioned "necking." You did it when you were a teenager, and having that thrill of sneeking out and getting caught or just getting out of the normal routine of dinner at home just makes your relationship feel new again.