Doodle Date – practically FREE but the memories will be priceless

Date night idea!

Sometimes, the most memorable dates are the least elaborate. I surprised my sugar with this simple, no prep, special night in.

To set the scene, I covered my table with brown butcher paper… AND THAT’S IT! The creativity flowed from there.

With two sharpies, I drew tic tac toe boards, hangman, even a little battleship grid; all those games we played as kids but had long since forgotten. We played throughout dinner and since we are both so competitive, this was such a hoot and holler. We even brought up some other games like Scribble, Pictionary, and more. It kept us entertained throughout dinner and past dessert.

For a personal touch, I made my own Madlib, another one of those gems from childhood. I read off what type of word to fill in the blank space and then read the story to him at the end. This brought out lots of giggles. Letting loose was exactly what we needed for a relaxed joyful evening.

Since the entertainment was the focal point, I just threw some burgers on the grill. After assembling the buns, onions, lettuce, cheese, etc.. I cut them into heart shapes with the time I had saved with this low prep idea. I had some spread and washed up some fruit. Dessert was pzookies (warm chocolate chip cookies topped with vanilla ice cream) and it was the perfect ending to a relaxing, romantic night.

Moral of the story: you can create a fun and intimate atmosphere without spending a fortune or wasting hours in the kitchen. The beauty of this date night is its simplicity. It’s easy to execute, but the thoughtful details make it that much more special and intentional.

See below for inspiration pictures… Other similar ideas below…