Economical Date Ideas

Usually my income comes in at the end of the month. Last month being the month of Christmas and all, our pay came in earlier, which was good for the Christmas season, but it also means a long wait for the next paycheck. It's now mid-Jan, my Jan income is not coming in until the end of the month and my bank account is running dangerously low. Life still goes on whether my income comes in or not, and expenses are still incurred daily. Dating still goes on, too! I still have to meet Intuition and we still need to go out and eat and be entertained. Hence, I shall list down my economical date ideas so that we can still have a good time even if my bank account is drying up!

1. When the weather permits, go Marina Bay and fly some kites.
Intuition was badgering me for the longest time to go fly kites, but I've always been finding excuses to not go. Finally, I gave up and gave in grudgingly. I was pleasantly surprised, though! The weather was very fine that day--no rain, windy, and not too hot. We took a while to coax the kite up in the sky, but running about crazily in the field and tugging at the reluctant kite against the wind is all part of the fun. After that, you can lie down in the field and lazily watch the other novices try to get their kites up, while keeping an eye on your dot in the sky, making sure that another kite doesn't sabotage your line, or making sure that your kite is always just *a little bit* higher than your neighbour's :P Friendly competition; ) Kites are sold at $3.50 for the basic ones, which is good enough for me.

2. Go to the museums instead of to the movies
Movies are crazy expensive nowadays. At $9.50 per ticket on weekends, a pair of tickets can set you back by $19, which just makes me want to gnash my teeth, stomp my feet and throw something at those smart-alecs who have unanimously decided to raise the prices of movie tickets. GRRRRR. But thankfully, there are museums! Museums are more educational, cheaper and much more interactive. At the movies, all you do is sit and stare at the screen. The only interaction is probably when a scary scene comes on, then you squeeze your boyfriend's arm until the blood circulation gets cut off. So anyways, at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), admission is free on Friday evenings! Woot! and in Chinatown, there is the Chinese Heritage Centre (i think that's what it's called). Entrance fees for that is $8, but if you've got any card with any local bank (eg, an ATM card with DBS or UOB), you get in at half-price ($4!), which means that you both get to tour this museum at roughly the same price as ONE movie ticket! It's hardly boring, especially if you're a history or an art buff =) Or are dating one ; )

3. Enjoy a great, sumptious meal--at a hawker centre!
Singapore as a food paradise--not if you go food courts, Cafe Cartel, NYDC, MacDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Pasta Mania etc! These places serve terrible, terrible food! If you're a foodie like we are, you can easily enjoy a great meal at a nice hawker centre for a fraction of the price you pay at these overpriced yuckyfood establishments. Foodies on a budget should make a bee-line to some of the good hawker centres in your area and order or-lua, cheng teng, hokkien mee, soya bean milk and barbequed chicken wings and still have cash leftover for your bus ride back home ;)

4. Al fresco (and el cheapo!) dining
So maybe you're feeling peckish for some dessert. And since you're on a budget, you don't want to spend $6 on a cake and another $7 for a drink and shout to make yourself heard at a crowded, noisy and pricey cafe. Hardly a romantic date, either! What we do is that we go to the nearest supermarket (Carrefour or Cold Storage, since we're in town!) and pick out a dessert (yoghurt, perhaps? or a small tub of ice-cream) and a drink (a bottle of Pokka flavoured tea?) for a grand total of $5. Then we make our way out of the shopping mall and sit at one of the many benches that are outside. For example, at Suntec City, there are plenty of benches outside the mall. At Plaza Singapura, there is a quiet little park just across the road. You get to go far from the maddening crowd and enjoy a little peace and quiet by yourselves.

5. Go to the library
Both Intuition and I like to read, so ever since the National Library opened in town, we have been frequenting it. We will park our butts on the sofas and pile up the comic books next to us and read, read, read... until it is announced that the library is closing and could we please leave within the next 10 minutes etc. Nice =)

6. Take a hike
Well since I've talked mostly about eating on dates, here is a healthy activity that won't cause anyone to gain any pounds, unless you're talking about muscles. Take a hike at the Bukit Timah nature reserve, or a nice long walk along MacRitchie's tree-top walk. Or you could just walk along the many national parks that dots Singapore. There is Fort Canning, which is serene and pretty during the day time. There is also Botanical Gardens which has just been renovated. Of course, Mr Sunshine has to be out on that day, rather than Miss RainClouds =)

Of course, if you have great company and great conversation, who needs to go anywhere to be entertained? Just sit down somewhere and talk til the cows come home =) Anyways, if you have other ideas that are economical and fun, please drop me a comment and share it with me! Muchos gracias =)