WO Graduate Kira Guerrin and I drove out of the Glerum Transportation Center parking lot after she won our pickleball match 11-3. We drove down to the Speedway down the road to grab slushies. Shortly after, we made the trip to Holland State Park to watch the sun set. No extravagant plans, or pricey tickets—just a quiet, affordable evening that proves sometimes, the best dates are the simplest ones.
Date night is crucial to a healthy relationship. The only issue affording date night can be really difficult, especially in high school, when budgets are tight. Whether you’re looking to save money or just get creative, there are plenty of options available to keep essential date nights without spreading your hard-earned cash too thin.
Dates on a $30 budget
Ice/roller skating – One option is going ice skating or roller skating. Holland has two significant high quality skating rinks that aren’t too expensive. The first is Rollxscape on James St. Admission for two will cost about $24 on the weekends, not including concessions. If you and your partner are over 18, consider skating on Wednesday nights. Admission is only $6 per person, and there won’t be any pesky kids falling over and threatening to trip you. A good ice skating rink is Griff’s Ice House. Open skate night times can be found on the Griff’s website, and entry is only $10 a person! Whether you’re a skating pro, or you’re just getting started, skating together is a way to have great fast-paced fun. When you get hungry, you can share a soft pretzel.
Sit-down restaurants – Sit-down restaurants can be tricky. With food prices higher than ever, finding restaurants that won’t break the bank can be hard. James Street Inn is a quaint little restaurant on… well, James Street. While walking out with a bill over $30 is possible, staying frugal is also very possible. While the restaurant may not have three Michelin stars, the food is quite delicious! They’re open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which means James Street Inn is suitable for any date you want to plan. The James Street Special burger is a classic. There are also certain restaurants in Holland where prices are cheap on certain days and times. Holland resident Abby Guerrin says, “The key to a cheap date is knowing when restaurants do their happy hour specials! For instance, if you’re willing to eat with a bunch of retired people, Beechwood Inn does happy hour from 3pm-5pm. Reservoir does something similar, but you have the option of 2-4 pm or 8-10 pm. I love sharing appetizers, and then heading out on a walk or bike ride.”
Dates on a $20 budget
Picnic – This is a cheap date staple. With a blanket, a bag, and some food, you can take a date just about anywhere. While park picnics are the standard, beach picnics are a classic as well. You can even pick up fast food and eat in a scenic location for an even simpler set up. Sr. Sophia Brown says “Picnics are also super easy because (Sr. Landon Meyer) and I love to bake together, and typically what we make uses simple ingredients that everyone has tucked away in a cabinet anyways so we aren’t out any money! My favorite spot to go is probably Centennial Park downtown, because it’s so pretty when the flowers are blooming, and it’s close by!” Don’t forget the Bluetooth speaker and card games!
Apple picking – Though this is a seasonal activity, apple picking is a perfect way to spend time together without spending too much money. Crane’s U-Pick is only about a 25 minute drive from Holland, and the best perk is you end up with a bushel full of delicious, freshly picked apples! If apples aren’t in season, you could always pick blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries from various U-Picks in Holland during the summer.
Dates on a $10 budget
At-home movie theater – These days, tickets to a real movie theater are expensive. Instead, consider heading over to Wesco on Lakewood and grabbing a large bag of popcorn for $2. Afterwards, you could drive to Dollar General and grab your favorite drinks and candy. Finally, finish by returning home, grabbing plenty of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals, and picking out a favorite movie or TV show. This is cheaper than movie tickets and theater food prices, and the best part is you two have the theater to yourselves!
Clay date – If either of you have an artistic side, this may be the idea for you. Hop on over to Michael’s and buy a cheap pack of multi-colored clay. Next, you can either return home or go to a park or library and challenge each other to create animals out of clay, and compare them when you’re done. Bonus points if you take photos and post them to TikTok!
Boat ride – Holland resident Robert Cosgrove said, “One of my favorite memories is on our honeymoon in Portland, Maine. We bought tickets for a commuter boat. They were like six dollars each, and the boat took people to the island, six or seven islands that are around there, fancy vacationers going to their vacation homes. But we just rode it to every island and back to Portland island. It was only six bucks and it got us on the water and we felt like we were seeing all these islands and it was just great.”
Dates on a $5 budget
Coffee date – If you and your partner have a morning or afternoon free, consider going to a coffee shop. Not just Starbucks, but a real artisan coffee shop. Order what looks good, and sit and talk. While simple, just going to a coffee shop can be more fun than you’d think. You can always color, write, or read, too. Holland has ample options, such as Foxtail on 8th Street, Simpatico on Butternut, 205 on Columbia Ave, Kin on Ottawa Beach Road, Lemonjello’s on 9th Street, DeBoer on Ottawa Beach Road, and Bowerman’s on 8th Street.
Downtown – Head downtown and walk around a bit. Then, for a sweet treat, walk to Peachwave and get some froyo. For a twist, get froyo for each other and pick out what you think the other person would like. You could also go downtown during the Street Performing series in the summer and watch people perform and window shop!
App store date – Pick out an app on the app store for each other to play under 2 dollars. Bonus points if the app is funny or strange. Try to make each other laugh!
Dates on a $0 budget
Pickleball – Grab your paddles (or borrow some from a friend!) and head down to Glerum elementary, Winstrom park, or the new courts off Ottawa Beach road and challenge each other to a match! If you aren’t super athletic, don’t worry. Pickleball is really easy to pick up and learn! A healthy dose of competition is good in a relationship.
Sunset – While self-explanatory, the sunsets in Holland are hard to beat. There are countless beaches where you can catch a gorgeous view in the summer. WO Graduate Kamryn Dumas says, “I like to catch the sunset at Laketown Beach! I prefer it to the state park, because it’s a little off the beaten path. Make sure you stop for ice cream at Captain Sundae on the way back! Only money required is gas and ice cream money.”
Board/Card games – Challenge each other to card games, or board games. You could look up how to play a new game and learn how to play together. Playing board games or card games with your significant other’s family is a lot of fun, and a good way to get to know their relatives.
Flower walk – For this one, all you need is a piece of cardboard, a sharpie, and good walking shoes. Grab a piece of cardboard and draw a vase, and poke holes above it. Then, go to a park and walk around and look for wildflowers! Get creative! You can either try to achieve a certain aesthetic, or just pick up any old flowers you see. Scavenging is more fun than you’d think! Additionally, on your walk, you can try and find objects in nature for every color of the rainbow. Try to stay in order!
Baby photos – You may need to consult your partner’s mother for this one. Finding photos can be really fun – looking through old photos of your significant other before you knew them is a great way to learn more about them. Find old photo albums and look through them!
Whether you’ve been together for 30 years or 30 days, I’m sure you and your partner can find something on this list that sparks your interest.
