date night

Like many people in the current economic crisis, my husband and I are pretty much broke. This is not due to gross mismanagement of money, but rather due to the fact that both of us were out of work for 3-4 weeks in November without pay (also, buying a house last January and a truck in October didn't help). Our finances could have survived if one of us was out of work, but not both, so now we're rebuilding our savings and trying to do our best on slightly less than before, in case anything like that should happen again. In that spirit, we will be instituting a "date night" to save money. Once a month, I will write out "Ted, please take me on a _________ date." Then, I'll fill in the blank with one of the twelve pre-planned choices: at-home, park (outdoor), dancing, karaoke, volunteering, shopping, overnight, out of state, museum, ice cream, fancy, and free. Most of them cost very little (except fancy or overnight-even shopping or out of state can be done on a budget!), and some cost next to nothing. Once I've used an option, it is crossed off and I can't repeat it. This will help us to save a bit, since my job just announced today that they will not pay a cost of living increase for employees next year, and dh works for the state, which is also not doing raises and is mandating that all employees take 2 unpaid days in May and June (which basically is money out of employees' pockets, although the day off will be nice). Anyway, the date night thing will make for a few pleasant evenings. It is generally hard to save money when dh plays so many shows at bars and clubs. I like to go and support him so when they have a guest list I generally get in for free, but sometimes I have to pay a cover and then they often have a 2-drink minimum, so there are lots of hidden costs. Even if there is an open bar, there can still be costs like gas money and parking or train fare if I don't ride in with the band. I don't care though, I'm really proud that the band is playing all the time and attracting a following (and of rabid, devoted fans if I do say so myself). They're even headlining a few festivals in the near future. Anyway, I'm praying that they get picked up by a label soon so that they can just record and stop touring for a little while, but we'll see what happens.