Kat’s Money Corner: Planning a parents’ date night

With the kids back in school, it’s time for you and your spouse to take advantage of a quiet(er) house. Not only do you both deserve it after a whole summer of family time, taking the time to be ‘husband and wife’ is just as important as being ‘mom and dad’. Finding ways to make date night work doesn’t just strengthen your relationship as a couple, it’s good for your whole family.

Babysitter Exchange

It’s no secret that childcare costs are expensive. If you’re already paying for daycare, it’s probably tough to think about paying for a sitter in the evenings, too. Consider making a deal with your friends. You take their kids for an evening and they take yours the next. It’s a win-win situation and a great way for all of the kids to make a new pal. The same goes for family. Swap nights with your siblings and get all the cousins together under one roof. Some daycare even do a parent’s night out where you can opt to leave your child for a few extra hours on a Friday and get out for a bit!

Enjoy Your Evening

Once you’ve secured the babysitter, it’s time to start making plans. Under no circumstance should your date night include ‘cleaning the garage’ or ‘picking out paint colors’ (unless you’re both into that sort of thing). More than likely, you could both use a fun night (or day) out on the town. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a romantic date.

Are you the outdoors or adventurous sort? Go hiking or camping at a nearby state park. http://www.americasstateparks.org/Find-A-Park. The only thing that will cost is the gas to get there and a few calories. More interested in the arts? Check out the latest free exhibits at Nelson Atkins http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/ExhibitionsCurrent.cfm. If you’re both sports nuts, catch a Royals game from the cheap seats. Or, if you’d rather play yourself, my husband and I have found that heading out to the golf course for a quick nine at twilight is something we enjoy.

Make The Most Of It

So, your sister is out of town and you can’t find a babysitter? Don’t cancel your date night yet. Plan an evening trip to the zoo, go on a bike ride or attend a free outdoor concert with the little ones. The kids will be entertained and you two can sneak a kiss when they aren’t looking.

There’s fun to be had at home, too. Make your own movie night in the backyard with a homemade projector http://bit.ly/1sXLqte or throw your own pizza party http://www.thekitchn.com/pizza-party-its-like-chuckeche-84772.

When the kids are finally in bed, you can put in a movie of your choice, have another glass of wine and raise a toast to your happy home.

Kat's Money Corner is posted on Dollars & Sense every Tuesday. Kat Hnatyshyn, when not blogging or caring for her little one, is a manager with CommunityAmerica Credit Union. For more financial chatter, click http://twitter.com/savinmavens

This story was originally published September 2, 2014 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Kat’s Money Corner: Planning a parents’ date night."