Summer Date Ideas On A Budget

After our travels in June, Brandon and I knew the second half of the month (and most of July) would be spent in San Antonio since we have another trip in August. Anytime we know we’re going to be home for a while, we always try to make sure we’ve got a few fun and creative date ideas to keep us busy on the weekend. We’re also trying to be really cautious about how we spend our money. Fancy dinners out are so much fun, but we don’t want that to be our “go-to” date because it’s so expensive. Together, we’ve rounded up our 8 summer date ideas on a budget.

Find An Outdoor Movie

We posted an Instagram of us at an outdoor movie and many of you commented or responded saying that it looked so fun. Research what’s in your area! For San Antonio, the company that runs all outdoor movies is called Slab Cinema and they bounce around different spots in the city all summer long, showing a huge variety of films. You’d be surprised what you can find with just a simple google search of “outdoor movies in [fill in the city]”.

Discover New Flavors

We love going out for ice cream and it’s relatively inexpensive, especially if you compare it to what a meal for two would cost. See if there’s a place for other frozen desserts like gelato or popsicles. We just discovered Steel City Pops in San Antonio and love the concept of other frozen treats besides ice cream. Our favorite place to go is Lick down at the Pearl Brewery.

Cool Off In A River Or Lake

We’ve got lots of nearby rivers and lakes in Texas but we’ve found that most people are just a couple of hours from one by car! Load up the car with homemade sandwiches and snacks and spend the day cooling off at the river. You can even pack up pool floats to ensure some fun pictures!

Rent Bikes

We actually did this one on the Fourth of July and got bikes to ride through the San Antonio missions. Companies like Swell bikes allow you to rent for just $12 (and that covers the entire day!). We’re also curious to try the fun electronic scooters from Bird or electric bikes for rent.

Visit A Flea Market Or Pilfer A Garage Sale

What’s more budget friendly than a flea market or a garage sale? Even if you aren’t looking for anything in particular, it’s still fun to walk around and discover treasures or trinkets. Antique dishes, mason jars, costume jewelry, and fabric are just a few things that I always keep my eyes peeled for in these types of situations.

Invite Friends For A Game Night

Make it a group gathering by inviting some friends over for a casual game night! You can still have a get-together on a budget if you ask everyone to bring an appetizer. Provide drinks and the board games and you’ve got yourself a party!

Explore A New Neighborhood & Go For Coffee

One of our favorite things to do is explore a new area or neighborhood. That’s exactly what we chose to do in these photos and on Sunday morning, we drove down to the King William area of San Antonio, walked the streets, admired the homes, and went for breakfast. We ate a dive place (but oh-so-good) and ended up only spending $12 on breakfast. If you’re keeping things budget friendly, find a dive or just go for coffee afterwards.

Go To Barnes & Noble

We absolutely love popping into Barnes & Noble (or any bookstore) on a hot afternoon and perusing the books for an hour or so. Not only does the AC feel heavenly, but we often take pictures of the books that sound interesting and try to grab them at our local library. Of course, sometimes we just end up getting them at the bookstore 🙂