I love going out to dinner.  It’s probably one of my most favorite things to do ever, actually.  I love having KC take me out to some fancy joint where you generally have to wait an hour or more for a table (more time for cocktails!)  I mean, I’ll down a $10 cocktail like it’s going out of style, and then spend 2.5 hours lingering over dinner and deciding whether or not I could possibly fit a coffee and dessert into an already-full belly.  (Spoiler alert: I can.)

But, even with only two people eating, that’s quite the pricey evening.  So, what’s a girl to do?  Cancel date night?  Opt for Fresh Choice over Camino?  Nay nay.

Rather than sacrificing romance (or my taste buds), I decided to have date night at home last Friday.  I’m sure I don’t really need to explain what that means, but I’m going to anyway.  Because it’s my blog and I can do what I want on here.

Power!

Our date night was:

A clean house

Getting dressed up

Flowers from KC

A homemade meal

And fancy booze

Surprisingly, staying in was just as fun and romancey as going out usually is.  You should try it!  Here are my tips:

• Get your place cleaned up (you want to feel like you’re escaping, and not be distracted by the pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the floor since Tuesday)
• Treat it like you’re going out — get dressed up (really dressed up!  Fancy shoes!  Lipstick!)
• If you don’t think your honey is going to show up with flowers, ask him to pick up dessert on his way home
• Put on music, dim the lights
• Splurge on drinks (you’d spend way more if you were boozing it up at a restaurant, so feel free to get a nice bottle of champagne, spring for the bottle of red you’ve been eying, or get fancy and make your own cocktails)
• Set the table with your nicest dishes, complete with stemware
• Make something delicious, but not too time-intensive (you probably won’t feel very romantic if you’re spending 3 hours dicing, chopping, and sweating in the kitchen)

I like to have KC pour drinks and hang out in the kitchen with me while I prep dinner — it’s almost as fun as waiting for a table at the bar, with a cocktail in-hand.  Almost. 😉