A Year of Great Dates: 12 Dates in 12 Months

Happy New Year! Ready to dive into a new year of LOVE??

I spend so much time encouraging all of YOU to go out on more dates - so I figured it's only fair if I take my own advice. For Christmas, I gave my husband: 12 DATES FOR 12 MONTHS. 

                                     It all starts with the DATE BOX...

Yep. Our awesome Los Angeles dates are tucked lovingly in a box that screams "I LOVE NEW YORK!" 

Inside, are envelopes. One for each month. He gets to open one on the first of every month.

 Each envelope contains a date idea/extravaganza/excursion for us to go on. Also included with each date is a love note, in full "Bachelorette" style. For instance, for January I wanted to give him a date with Hollywood legends. I landed tickets to the Hollywood Museum, the Hollywood Wax Museum, and the Guiness World Records Museum. I wrote him a cheesy card saying,
                             "Our love is legendary."

Lest you think I'm made of money, I'll have you know I'm also sticking to my own dating budget rules. There's never a reason to spend much more than $31 on a date. This whole $30 package was perfect.

It took me a while to compile this project. If you're thinking of doing something similar, here are some tips:

*Take note of all the activities or spots around town that you've said, "We should do that sometime."
*Search discount sites such as Groupon, Living Social, Zozi, and Travelzoo for local deals.
*Grab some gift certificates
*Check the websites of your local museums, theaters, colleges, historic societies, and parks to see if they have any special activities and offers coming up
*Scour your local weekly city calendar for ideas
*Keep your seasonal celebrations in mind. What do you wish you'd do every summer but always skip?
*You can find cool boxes at craft stores (however, I noticed they were all a little too "girlie" and "crafty"). Also try stores like Ross, Marshall's, and TJ Maxx in their "home" section.
*There are lots of options for envelopes, including plain manila envelopes, pretty stationary from specialty paper stores, or you can get do-it-yourself invitation kits from Staples or Office Depot
*Keep a strict budget. When we plan dates ahead of time - including our costs - we're actually making sure we go out on dates AND we end up saving more money.

I first saw this idea from my friend Shannon Brown who has a GREAT BLOG with lots of creative ideas. She first gave her husband a Year of Dates in 2011 and has stuck to her commitment of going out on one date a month ever since - even with work and three kids!

This year, whether you're single or coupled today, let's commit to going on MORE DATES. After all, what's a great year without lots of love and fun?

Happy Dating - and Happy 2013!
~Your favorite dating coach and guru
                              TAMARA
   

If you're looking for help getting your calendar filled and luring in more love, contact me and I'll help!