Cheap Dates - The Reverse Date

Aug 10th, 2007 by David Murphy-Colonna | Scroll down for comments

So we all know the classic date is the late night dinner topped off with a movie, and who knows afterwards. right?

Well, first off I think this is getting pretty old and mundane, and I am sure the ladies would agree with me. And secondly, something this unoriginal can get pretty pricey week in and week out. So this weekend, we are going to try something new, the Reverse Date.

If you can’t tell by the title of this Cheap date, I am going to do things the opposite of the classical date of dinner and a movie in order to save you from the “mundaneness” and price. The key to saving money on this date is to go out on a Saturday or Sunday morning with your significant other, instead of Friday or Saturday night. The date consists of breakfast at your favorite early morning eatery and a matinée movie. So lets break down this date.

Cost.

Since our objective is to think of clever ways to have nice date for a nice price, let’s break down the costs of a classic date and compare them to the reverse date. The classic date starts with dinner; prices for two at an average restaurant will be something like this:

Appetizers: $10-$15 Main Course: $30-$40

Drinks: $10-$20 Desert (optional): $10-20

Total: About $50-$75

This could be cheaper depending on where you go but I wouldn’t say it would be any cheaper then $40 especially if you want a drink or two. The cost for an average breakfast for two would look something like this:

Coffee/Juice: $4.00 Breakfast for two: $10-$20

Total: No more than $25

So as you can see a nice breakfast with your partner is much cheaper than a dinner, but you still get to share the same quality time with them.

Now on to the cost of the movie. The reason I came up with idea of the reverse date is because things are cheaper in the morning such as breakfast and a matinee a movie rather then a dinner and a prime-time movie. Here is the comparison between the two types of movies, Matinee and Evening:

Matinee: $5.50-$7.00

Evening movie: 8.00-11.00

Quality of Date

It’s clear that the reverse date of going to a nice breakfast and a matinée movie is much cheaper then going out to dinner and catching an evening movie, but which is better for you and your date? Of course it’s great to have a nice evening out after a long week of work, but it can get old after a while, this is my reason for giving the reverse date a try.

I feel trying the reverse date once and a while will not, only change things up a bit for you and your partner but it can also give you flexibility and freedom. You can sleep somewhat late, go grab some breakfast, go for a walk in a park or around town, then catch the movie, and still have the rest of the day to relax. Whereas with a night time date you are more restricted by time and crowds in the restaurants.

Overall

Although the reverse date may not be as romantic as a night time date, it is a good cheap way to change things up every once and a while. It give you the flexibility to do what ever you want between breakfast and the movie, unlike a night time movie which you probably would have to go to right after dinner.

You also have a whole day after your matinée to relax and do what ever you want. I am not saying I don’t like the classic date of dinner and a movie, because I do but it can get boring and pricey week after week. So if you are looking for a change this weekend and a low profile date, that won’t cost you much, take your mate out to breakfast, a walk, and a matinee movie, your pockets and partner will both be glad you did it

David Murphy-Colonna posted this article under Series - Cheap Dates on Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 10:39 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site. View Technorati Linkbacks.