Date Night Theme: FREE

Recently, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave us some play tickets that they won and were not able to use... to Shrek the musical -- along with... a voucher for one FREE overnight at a hotel not far from the theatre -- all about 30 minutes or so from home.

My sweet hubby and I made a plan for the evening, which included him leaving work early, and us going out to eat before the play.  I planned ahead (you know, in case my hubby asked me where we should go for dinner) and asked my Facebook friends what restaurants they recommended in the area near the theatre -- but the answers I got were a little pricey.  Everyone even admitted this in their comments.  Pricey isn't exactly what we were going for.  After all, the theme of our evening had already been determined:  "FREE."  *wink

We decided on a favorite restaurant of ours that was on the way and therefore convenient:  Red Robin.  I gave the waitress my RR card, and she came back to our table with the news that we had earned a FREE dinner! See?  I told you!  A theme!

Dinner was delicious, and we were off to check into the hotel before the play.  Upon arriving at the hotel, we realized that the certificate that my brother-in-law gave my hubby had expired.  We decided that we would go in and ask the person manning the desk if they could honor our certificate.  If not, we decided we'd head home. Since this was a spur of the moment trip, and not in our budget, we decided we'd rather save the money for our upcoming vacation than spend it for a hotel 30 minutes from home!  But... guess what?  They honored the certificate!

After checking in, we drove around the city.  Although this city is only 30 minutes from home, it's not one we're familiar with.  We drove around the arts district near the theatre, where there was some form of artwork on almost every corner -- or a WALL nearby!  It was a beautiful evening, and my hubby and I like to explore new places, so we were glad to just circle around the city, enjoying the sights!

Finally it was off to the play.  It was held at a local Players Guild Theatre.  Our seats were in row "L."  Let me do the math for you.  That's the 12th row.  There were only two more rows behind us.  Small theatre!

Shrek (the movie) is a childhood FAV around here, but... I wasn't sure if I could imagine it in the form of a MUSICAL!  There was a lot of great local talent, though, and it was obvious that the cast had lots of fun with this musical!

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You could say that my hubby and I are "cheap" -- and you wouldn't be wrong.  I have to say that we were kind of tickled not to be spending tons of money for a nice evening out and an overnight.  For years we have tried to teach our kids the value of a dollar and that:

• in one respect, everything costs something -- even if it's just your time, or gas money getting to a free event!
• but from another perspective, there are always things to do that don't cost anything.  You just have to learn to look for them.

Have you found any inexpensive (or FREE) things to do with your family (or your honey) that have become "favorites?"

Here's one of my favorite tips:  search the internet for summer festivals in your area.  It's likely that somebody has compiled a list somewhere documenting the details.  Take advantage of that information, and look especially for events that have no entrance fee.

We kicked off the "unofficial start of summer" with a free date night, and we look forward to many free events and adventures to come this summer!  How about you?

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