The Date Box...Questions Answered

One thing that I have had tons of questions on is the date box that I created for my husband last February.  I'm bringing back a portion of this post from last year.

Let me preface this by saying {for those of you who don't know} that we lived in Oklahoma City from January-March of last year.  We then moved to St. Louis at the end of March.  The pictures were taken from my iPhone 3GS because my camera was packed away in storage somewhere...and I hadn't upgraded to the 4S yet.

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I got the idea from this blog.  I thought it was really neat, so I thought I could do it for my husband.  I call it the Date of the Month Club.  I started out just writing a list of things we could do.  It was hard to really plan, because at the time we had no idea where we would be for the month of March. (For those of you who don't know, March 29th is Tyler's last day in OKC.)  Planning was actually harder than it sounds because we haven't actually lived in STL yet either!  With help from my friend, Kelsey, (by the way, if I forgot to send you a thank you, THANK YOU!!!), she gave me some ideas of things to do in the area.


Then I cut up little cards with the month on them.  These are for clues.

I wrote each clue on the card and bought the needed accessories to go with each date to put in the envelope.  These are pre-planned, and mostly pre-paid.  I also planned some weekend getaways to use throughout the year.

I wrote a card introducing him to his gift.  I told him what he got and how to use each thing.  Then, I wrote a Date Agreement Card.  He had to agree to those things, sign the card, and return to to me in exchange for some Romance Reward Tickets.  He also got a special bag of chocolate caramel (because that's what I like) in exchange for real kisses.

I searched high and low for a box to put it all in, but I finally found one at Hobby Lobby (my most favorite craft store)!  AND it was half off!!! 

I jazzed up the envelopes a little bit as well.  I didn't like the boring yellow, but I didn't want to decorate them a whole lot since they would most likely just be thrown away.

I was really pleased with how it turned out, and I really hope that Tyler likes it as much as I do.  I am super excited about our date nights for the next year!!  The best part is that each one isn't super expensive.  They are interesting and cheap! 

Some frequently asked questions that I've received:

1.  What kind of dates did you plan?

          - I went with dates that I knew we could do.  I planned dates that were cheap or free.  I kept a running list of all the places that I thought were reasonable and planned by the month {weather-wise}.  If the date included a meal, I purchased a gift card to put in the envelope so Tyler could have some sort of a clue as to where we'd be eating.  

Some examples of the date ideas (some that we did):  

• the zoo (free) with a Subway picnic lunch--the zoo here allows you to bring food in.
• the science center (free) with a meal at Steak 'n Shake (which was right down the road)
• bowling
• mini-golf
• a slumber party complete with pizza and games (this was my favorite date night!)

Be creative.  Research your area if you're unfamiliar with the activities around you.  I did a week's worth of research because I had absolutely no idea about the area we were in or we would be moving to.  It would probably be easier if you've been in the area for a while. :)

2.  What was in your agreement?

          - I wanted one night a month where we could just focus on each other.  One of the big things was that cell phones weren't allowed.  They had to be shut off.  Another thing was that the date card would be given on the 1st of the month, and we had to put it on the calendar (to make sure it would get done).  Also,  the gift cards had to be used on the date...they couldn't be used elsewhere.  It was full of things that allowed us to make sure we completed the activity.  Oh, and no peeking allowed!

3.  What are romance reward tickets?

          - These were extra little things that I created to make it extra special.  For example, one of the tickets was a "Yes Day."  He could redeem the ticket and I had to say "yes" to whatever he wanted to do.  If he wanted to go shooting, I said "yes."  If he wanted his favorite meal, I said, "yes."  It's little things like that, that help make him feel special.

4.  What are the vacation cards?

          - These are also an added perk.  They aren't supposed to be expensive, just little mini-getaways during the year when you feel like you need some time together.  

Some examples could be:

• A Bed and Breakfast nearby for a night or weekend
• A night in a downtown hotel in your city
• He chooses and plans

These are just few of the questions that I've been asked.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!  My email address is on the "contact me" tab or you can leave a comment and I will get back to you!

And if you're just looking for a nice Valentine's Day gift that you don't have to plan for, I have some Date Night Jars in my shop...with the dates already in them!  Check them out!!