One year of date ideas for happy couples: A love coupon book for parents

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This year I wanted to prepare a meaningful gift for my husband’s birthday so I created two homemade gifts that I knew will make him happy.

One of the gifts was a love coupon book for him with 36 date ideas for us to enjoy during the whole year. This little “book of dates” is my way to show him that I want to spend more time with him. That I want to make a commitment to invest more time and energy into our relationship. That I want us to build many new happy moments together.

If you like the idea and want to prepare a similar gift for your husband, here are all the details about how I prepared our love coupon book. Also, you’ll find here the complete list of date ideas that I hope to inspire you too! 🙂

I know how busy mom life can be and how difficult it is to find couple time in the middle of all the daily tasks and challenges. But I also know how important a happy relationship is!

I hope that all these dates will be a lovely way to “restart” our marriage and build a stronger and happier relationship! And I wish the same thing for you!

photo credit: 4 PM production/ shutterstock.com

How to create a Love Coupon Book

The coupon book is very easy to make and it will be ready in less than half an hour!

Here is what you will need:

– white cardstock paper (you can use regular paper too but the cards look better if you use cardstock paper – I’ve used this “stardust white” paper and it looks very nice)

– a binder ring (I have this set of multicolor rings)

– the printable date cards (at the end of the article)

– a hole punch (that you probably already have at home or at the office; I have this one)

– (optional) If you have a laminator at home, it can be very helpful to laminate the covers to make them more durable.

How to prepare the love coupon book:

1. Print the date cards from the printable file. There are 2 versions to choose from:

– one file includes the date cards (for single-sided printing)

– the other file includes one page of journal templates to print on the reverse side of each date card (where you can write down a nice memory from the date).

If you prefer the double-sided version, you first need to print all the date cards and them place them in the printer and print the journal cards on the reserve side of all of them.

* The date cards are all colored but they appear different in my pictures because I printed them in black and white due to an issue with my printer.

2. (Optional) Laminate the covers to make them more durable.

3. Use the hole punch to make a hole in all the date cards.

4. Put all the cards together using the binder ring.

That’s all! At the end, all you need to do is offer this gift to your husband and enjoy these awesome dates together!

You can find all the ideas included in our love coupon book on the below list.

Our list of date ideas: 38 ideas for a year of happy moments

I created all the date cards keeping into account that we don’t have any help with our son. So they can either be done at home after he falls asleep. Or they can be done by including our son into the date. The only exception is the weekend getaway when I hope that we’ll find a way to make it just for the two of us!

So even if you’re a busy parent (just like me), you’ll still find some good ideas to put into practice!

#1 – Movie Night Date

Go to the cinema or rent a DVD with a great movie. Grab some popcorn and enjoy it together!

#2 – Series Marathon Date

Plan a night of watching series on Netflix or Amazon Movies. Pick a series that you both like and watch as many episodes as you can before falling asleep. 🙂

photo credit: Africa Studio / shutterstock.com

#3 – Chocolate and Wine Date

Buy some chocolate and wine and enjoy a romantic date.

#4 – Photo Memories Date

Go through some old photo albums or browse the old photos on your laptop. Remember the moments in the pictures and pick your top 5 favorite photos from that night.

#5 – Questions Date Night

Pick a list of date night questions (like this one) and have fun answering them!

#6 – Dance Night Date

Just play some music and dance together!

#7 – Time Capsule Date

Create a time capsule for you to open after a specific time.

#8 – Weekend Getaway

Go somewhere nice for the weekend and just focus on each other! (if possible, disconnect from all technology to avoid any distractions)

#9 – Tourist Date

Be a tourist in your own city! Make a list of great places to visit and enjoy a little “vacation” without leaving home.

#10 – Trivia Night Date

Find an online trivia game and compete to see who gets more correct answers! It’s really fun!

#11 – Bike Ride Date

Go on a bike ride together. If you don’t have your own bikes, you can rent them.

#12 – Massage Date

Offer each other some relaxing massages at home. Or go to a spa and enjoy a couple massage.

#13 – Stargazing Date

Go stargazing in the backyard or in a nice place near your house.

#14 – Picnic Date

Go on a picnic in the park. Pack some delicious snacks and some games to play.

#15 – Board Games Date

Plan a game night with fun games to play together!

#16 – Home-Spa Date

Prepare a spa night at home with candles and pampering products.

#17 – Bucket List Date

Write a bucket list for the next year and plan some awesome adventures together.

#18 – Cooking Date

Pick an easy recipe and prepare it together.

photo credit: George Rudy / shutterstock.com

#19 – Bubble Bath Date

#20 – Surprise Date

Each partner prepares a little surprise for the other one. The surprise must be used during the date to make things more fun.

#21 – Scavenger Hunt Date

Make a list of things to search for and go on a scavenger hunt in the house or in the neighborhood.

#22 – Night Walk Date

Go for a walk in the park when it’s dark and enjoy some romantic moments.

#23 – Candlelight Dinner Date

#24 – Wine Tasting Date

#25 – Sporting Event Date

Buy tickets to a great sporting event and go to see it together!

#26 – Mini-Golf Date

#27 – Bowling Date

#28 – Escape Room Date

Go to an escape room near your house and take the challenge together!

#29 – Ice-Cream Date

Go to your favorite ice-cream shop and have a delicious ice-cream.

#30 – Day Trip Date

Go on a day trip to a nice place close to your town.

#31 – Dinner at the Restaurant Date

photo credit: ESB Professional / shutterstock.com

#32 – Picnic at the Beach Date

#33 – Museum Date

Pick a museum that you’ll both like and discover it together.

#34 – Dinner Cruise Date

 #35 – Event Date

Check the events in your area, pick one that you’ll both like, and have fun!