Keep your love life going in the recession by Katharine Gray

There are few of us who aren’t having to tighten our belts in these current times. Perhaps one of the first things we cut from our regular spending is going out to do something including eating out. If that’s what you’ve had to do perhaps it’s left you feeling that ‘dating’ is no longer an option. Keep your love life going in the recession so don’t worry, help is at hand. You can still keep making new friends and dating. All it takes is a little change of thinking – a little imagination and creativity.

Here are 10 ideas to get you going.

1. Go for a walk or hike. Winter, summer, spring or Autumn  – the best way to get to know someone is to go for a ‘walk and talk’. Even if you live in a big city some of the parks are well worth exploring and if you live in the country, then there’s plenty of exploring to be done.  Take a flask of coffee with you and enjoy a warming drink half way or at the end.
2. Visit a museum or art gallery. Many museums and art galleries are free to visit.. Phone ahead to find out what’s on and then go and soak up some local culture. You’ll find these places give you plenty to talk about too – and just by going together you’ll build up some shared history.
3. Attend a reading. Authors who are promoting their latest book will often travel from city to city giving readings at local bookstores. Look on the internet or contact your local book store to see what’s coming up.
4. Go to a garden centre. Garden centres are lovely places to walk around and provide lots of things to talk about. Most people are interested in gardening even if they don’t have a garden themselves.
5. Volunteer. Is there a local charity, church or sports event taking place near you? Get together with your friend and volunteer to help them out for the day. It’s a really good way to find out how your new friend interacts with others, but you’ll also meet other new people, and you’ll feel really good for having made the effort.
6. Play a game. Break out the Scrabble or a deck of cards and while away an afternoon or evening playing games together – this doesn’t have to be at home – you can do it at a local café or pub without having to buy more than one drink. How someone plays a game and how they react to winning or losing is a really good way to get to know them better.
7. Visit some historic churches. There are plenty of historic churches around – both in cities and in the countryside. Take a tour of some of them local to you – they are often filled with fascinating pictures, sculptures, and history – or set in stunning locations.
8. Listen to a talk. All sorts of people offer free talks – hunt them down on the internet or via your local library and then go to one together. It doesn’t have to be on a subject you know about. You’ll be surprised what will interest you once you know a bit about a topic.
9. See a play. Local theatre productions in smaller venues often cost as little as £10 per ticket and they’re almost always GREAT!
10. Have a cook-in. Do you love to cook, or would you like to learn? Get together with your special someone, pick a recipe and get cooking! The joint effort will be fun and much less stressful than if you’re doing it all yourself.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to spend time with someone. And of course showing that you are creative and imaginative will always go down well.