Love in the time of COVID-19: Cheap date ideas during home quarantine

The world has not seen such a sweeping outbreak as the Covid-19 in recent times. Almost everywhere in the globe, people are put under home quarantine, and no one is to go out of their houses unless it is for necessary transactions like getting food and medicinal supplies. 

The strictly imposed home quarantine means that life as we know it will be temporarily put on hold: events are postponed and canceled, schools have closed, establishments now either are having limited operational hours or have entirely ceased their operations, streets are deserted and nights are quieter than ever due to curfews, and students and workers are made to study and work from home.

Social distancing

Social distancing is now a strictly enforced measure to prevent the further spread of the virus. While this effectively poses a challenge to our social lives, it also provides us with an opportunity to be creative with how we keep our social interactions. You get to think up exciting, out-of-the-box ideas with a little bit of extra effort. The biggest upside? You will save a whole lot of money since you no longer have to shell out for costs like transportation, food and drinks from restaurants and bars, and other costs from elaborate plans for hanging out.

If you are living together with your significant other or have to drive some distance to visit their house and see them, now is your chance to explore cheap dating ideas without stepping out the front door. And since you have all the time in the world to hang out because of your suspended employment or studies, why would you even want to leave the house anyway?

Here are some cheap ways to date indoors:

1. Whip up some special dinner together. The best way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach. Better than cooking for your special someone is cooking together with that special someone. Check whatever is left in your cupboard, and experiment in the kitchen. Main course? Pasta? Pizza? 
2. Eat takeout by candlelight. If you’re not confident about your cooking skills or if you don’t trust yourself enough to not burn your kitchen, then there’s no shame ordering food from restaurants that still deliver – just make sure you order before the mandated closing time. Zhuzh it up by dimming the room and eating your food by candlelight. Cherry on top? Desserts. Order your favourite after-meal treats too.
3. Make milkshakes, floats or ice cream sundaes. 
4. Or bake. Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies – you name it. There are always online recipes to rely on if you’re not sure what you got baking in the oven.
5. Concoct your own spirits and sip them on your patio. Since you are only going to be staying at home, there’s no harm in indulging with a little bit of alcohol. You can drink your favourite wine, or come up with your own concoction using whatever you have in your cellar.
6. Listen to your throwback records, old mixtapes, and vintage tapes. Better yet, make a new mixtape and pick the ones that hold meaning for both of you. You can also introduce to your partner your new discoveries. Just sharing music together is a worthwhile experience in itself.
7. Take a trip down memory lane. Reminisce times together or get to know your partner more by getting out old photos or watching family home movies.
8. Stargaze from your backyard or rooftop. Grab a blanket, put your arms around each other, and look up. Be in awe with the stellar (quite literally, at that) view together.
9. Watch the sunset or sunrise. The wild splash of colors that come with the rising and setting of the sun is definitely a natural view you two should enjoy together as well.
10. Play board or video games. You two can use some healthy competition to stave the boredom off. Put some stakes too to make things more exciting, like loser gets to do this or that house chore, etc. 
11. Play a sports game. Take that healthy competition out the yard. You can break a sweat and whip yourselves to shape this way. This is a good countermeasure too for all the cooking and pigging out you do indoors.
12. Learn something new together by taking virtual classes. There are tons of online classes that you can take together. Dancing, yoga, art, writing, knitting, plumbing, coding – you name it, you have it. 
13. Volunteer together. Of course, you can’t go out to support a cause. What you can do together to help the community especially during this pandemic crisis is to do your research and contribute to organizations that are helping the frontliners and social groups that are most affected economically by the outbreak.
14. Dream together. While sitting the Covid-19 crisis out, you two can map out your life plans for when everything hopefully returns to normal. Check the classifieds for great deals on cars or real estate. Picking out your dream house with your significant other will be a fun way to spend your free time together.
    

If your area is not in complete lockdown, you can get out there and still enjoy the great outdoors, keeping in mind the curfew and the restrictions from the social distancing rule. Here are some activities you can do:

1. Enjoy a hike. Take a stroll and hike in the fresh air under a sunny sky. Or you cangGo for a run together. 
2.  Drive around the neighborhood.  After going out to buy essential stuff like food and medicine from the grocery store or pharmacy, extend the drive outside a little bit by making a few leisurely turns. The streets are almost empty at this point, so take advantage of the excellent traffic situation and do a scenic drive with your partner.
3. Grab a cup of coffee and stroll around. A few of coffee shops are still open, with some only offering delivery and takeout only. Purchase some hot latte and throw in a stroll around some nice scenery. Nothing beats good coffee and interesting conversation!