Dating on a College Kid’s Budget

By Sierra Schuette
Blog Content Contributor

*KTSW consists of and respects varying opinions within its staff. Opinion articles do not reflect the opinion of KTSW as a whole.

You just spent $40 on gas, paid for that dumb online subscription for a Bio textbook, paid your rent and begged your parents to help pay for utilities. College life has never been so bitter sweet. On top of all your bills you know you have not taken your babe out on a date since who knows when and you want to show them how much they mean to you, but all you have to your name is the change in your pocket. Maybe you can just have another movie night at home. Nope, I am here to help you surprise your significant other with some awesome cheap dates!

• Geocaching: Make a walk in the park a little more interesting. Download a free geocaching app on your phone and go find hidden “treasure”. You can do this during the day or even go out at night with some flashlights and let the map lead you to the X and sign your name on the list when you find the mystery location.
• Book Store: Discover your inner bookworm with a trip to Barnes & Noble or Half Priced Books. No need to buy anything, just spend time with your man/lady finding funky reads. Get comfy, sit on the floor and take pictures of recipes to try later or read a book of interesting facts to each other.
• Animal Therapy: Visit a Humane Society and take some dogs for a walk. Leave your wallet at home and avoid getting too attached to the pups.
• Be a Kid Again: Build a pillow for, have a pillow fight, play with legos, do things you have not done since you were probably 12. You would be surprised how fun (and even romantic)  this can be with your favorite person.
• Visit The Hope Outdoor Gallery: You may have seen this street art haven in Austin on social media before, it is a multi level concrete wall with ever changing graffiti artwork all over. It is completely free to visit or you could bring a can of spray paint and put your names up there.
• Power Outage: Turn the power out at your place and have a romantic candle lit adventure. Get creative! Play cards and order chinese delivery, put your phones away for extra undivided attention and affection. (Also save on some electricity.)
• Watch the Sunset: This is a classic but it never gets old. Grab a blanket and a bottle of wine and find a great spot to watch the sky get painted.
• Be Athletic: Play a sport together, maybe one you both love or one neither of you know how to play. Basketball, soccer, skateboarding, you name it and it can become a date. You two will be in for a lot of laughs and maybe some healthy competition.
• Be a Tourist: Think of the most touristy thing you could do in your town or one nearby. This date consists of people watching, learning, and photo ops. Many tourist activities are also free.
• Get Scared: Practically every town has local legends, ghost stories, and haunted places. Find out where some are nearby and go visit. For example, the haunted train tracks in San Antonio are visited by many people and it is said that if you park your car on the tracks, unseen hands of children killed in a bus to train crash will push you off to save you. There is your excuse to get a closer.

There are millions of things you can do with your special someone. A lot of the things I’ve listed are regular date ideas updated for a cash-strapped college student. With some imagination, and a partner willing to do these things with you, money doesn’t have to be an issue for a college kid trying to have a nice time.