Ready to try the 52 Cheap Dates Challenge? These may not be your typical dates but they are real dates that cost little to no money. They are designed to help you and your partner work on the 11 characteristics of happy relationships while you spend intentional time together. Please share and tag your experiences and photos as you try them. #52CheapDates

Fitz agreed to try the 52 Cheap Dates Challenge with me during 2019 and agreed to share opinions and reactions in this blog. He did not want to see the details ahead of time. He knew that if he really didn’t want to participate, I would sub him out and participate with a friend or parent. We made it through week 11 in March last year. That matches up well with my average ending date for any given New Year’s resolution. In 2020, we were all set to continue where we left off and we started social isolation to slow down the spread of COVID 19. I revised the date list slightly to make it quarantine-friendly (as long as you already have a significant other with whom you share space). I didn’t have to change it much but I’m glad to have this as a guide. I have a whole new respect for intentionally spending time together doing things we don’t normally do. We’re going to need some novel things in our life that do not include a novel virus.

You are on your own journey. This is not a competition unless you use it as a challenge for yourself. Though there are week numbers listed, these do not need to match the week of the year. You may combine challenges and select what works for you and your partner. However, we want to make it easy to live a full life on very little money. If it helps, you can use our 52 Cheap Dates Google calendar to focus on one date each week.

Each week, there is a focus for the activity, chosen from the 11 characteristics that happy relationships have in common: compassion, compromise, a sense of humor, trust, positivity, intimacy (not just sexual, but that each person feels truly accepted), mutual respect, presence, love (again not just romantic, but that each person cherishes and honors the relationship), understanding, and friendship.

There is also a budget consideration listed. Each date is categorized as free, typically free (meaning you probably already have the resources needed), or “Choose your own budget” which means that I will suggest free or next-to-free options while others may want to spend more based on the challenge and your passions.