February 2024

Raise your hand if your last date night was two people sitting on the couch, one watching TV, and the other scrolling on their phone pretending to be interested about what you’re watching. *Raised hand so high it touches the ceiling.* I wouldn’t label myself an introvert, I prefer the term selectively social. Right around 19 years old I came to the realization I didn’t have to be friends with everyone, and how much easier life was when I gave myself the option to bail out on events with people I’m not that close with. My boyfriend though, he fits the introvert definition perfectly. Just last weekend he proposed we spend our weekend doing less, but together. I wish ya’ll could have heard him say together to me. It’s as if he wanted to put as much emphasis on the word as possible to distract me from the fact he was asking if we could be loaves all weekend. After a few seconds of being mildly irritated, I realized it was just his inner introvert talking, so I came up with these date night ideas for introverted couples. You know, while we were together doing nothing.

You might also like: What It’s Like to Date an Introvert

Just because you’re both introverts doesn’t mean you can’t go out and enjoy what your city has to offer. The trick is to choose an activity that doesn’t require a lot of interaction with other people in the area. Below are some dates you can go on that won’t require you to talk to people once you get there.

Can be found in bowling alleys, dive bars and basements of parents you wish you had. You do run the risk of having to ask for help when your ball gets stuck, it always gets stuck! But otherwise it’s a cheap fun activity that will definitely get you two competing. I have a theory no one loves mini golf, we do it for the pleasure of rubbing our win in people’s faces. It’s cheap, requires little interaction with staff, and typically sells cotton candy in the concession stand. Win win! If you wanna have a fun date night for under $10, this is the option for you! Split your coins and spend the night challenging each others high scores. If greasy fries and competition aren’t your thing, museums are a fun and sometimes free way to spend time together. Pick one you’ll both be interested in and spend some time wandering around.

Related Post: 2 Truths and 1 Lie About Online Dating

Who says date night means you have to go out? If you rather stay in, ie wear sweatpants, here are some ways to pass the hours beyond the typical Netflix and stare at our phones together.

I know what you’re thinking, “we always do this, what’s the difference?” To make a night at home with the TV more fun, choose a theme for the movie marathon. You can prep for an upcoming movie by watching all the prequels, or buy snacks/food that correspond with what you’re watching.
Whenever I cook with my boyfriend it’s anything but fun, usually because I’m yelling about him backing up and he’s wondering why we’re missing an ingredient. To avoid all this drama, prep the day before by making sure you have everything and that the space is clean. But before that, hop onto a site like Pinterest and pick a new recipe to try together. If it’s gross, there’s always pizza. You probably can’t hop in your car and take a vacation right now, but you can definitely plan for one. Start talking about Memorial or Labor Day, choose a spot you both want to explore and start from there. By doing this now, come your actual vacation, there will be no arguments about what to do or who forgot to book what. Every guy likes to bake, whether he’s willing to admit it or not. Ask him what his favorite dessert is, then grab all the ingredients and make an activity out of it.

You might also like: 20 Small Signs Your Relationship Is Getting Serious

While these dates may be a little out of the box, sometimes what you need is a date idea that will get you out of your comfort zone to bring back the feeling as if you just started dating.
I know what you’re thinking, “exercise, gross.” Or is that just me? Find something that’s fun to do, whether it’s a rep challenge or a super ridiculous video you’ll just laugh your way through. Whether you’re both super active or full blown couch potatoes, getting up and moving together is a surefire way to have fun doing something out of the ordinary. Tasting tours don’t have to be limited to events you sign up for on Groupon. Pick a category, whether it’s desserts, beer, or coffee, and from there find the best rated places in your city. While it’s better to choose locations that are near one another, you can make a day out of it by driving to different locations. Everyone has goals at the start of the year, whether they share them with you or not. Share one goal you’re still interested in achieving and work together to get one step closer to each of your goals. For example, if your boyfriend wants to be more active and you want to explore more, go on a hike to a scenic area you’ve never visited before. Whether it’s a personal project or something around the home, I’m sure I’m not the only one that leaves things unfinished. Pick a task and vow to get it done that day. Doing it together takes away the feeling that it’s work, while setting an end prize (like takeout) motivates you throughout the way.

Are you introverted? If so, what’s your favorite date night activity??

There should be a pamphlet that comes along with your diploma as you cross the stage at your college graduation, or at the very least an email sent out notifying you that freedom as you know it is gone. Unless you enjoy sitting at home all day, watching TV, avoiding questions from relatives about what exactly you plan to do next with your life. Somehow I transitioned from full time college student to full time employee in the span of two weeks. Never mind that I had grad classes after work, my job alone was enough to make me completely change the lifestyle I had grown accustomed to during my four years of college. College for me was fun, but my time wasn’t spent doing the most typical things. I passed on frat parties and formals, instead opting to study abroad, volunteer locally, and enjoy the years when no one judges you for taking a mid afternoon nap? What the hell was I so tired from? I have no clue. Working forty or more hours a week means your life basically revolves around work whether you like it or not. No more binge watching your favorite show until 3am or skipping laundry. Yes, technically you can still do all those things, but are they worth showing up to the office in a dirty blouse and yesterday’s makeup? While so many things change once you graduate college, even more changes once you start your first real job. Paychecks and holiday parties will keep you motivated, but every once in a while you’ll miss all those things you used to do before your life was all neutral colors and fitted blazers.

Related Post: Lies People Tell You About Being in Your Twenties

Spending a day sitting in front of a computer is a lot more exhausting when you aren’t taking Buzzfeed quizzes and stalking friends of friends. After a stressful day at work, sometimes the last thing you want to do is stay up late, no matter how much you love that show. Going to bed at 10pm  used to be a punishment, but in your twenties, an early bedtime feels so much like a reward. Slow days in the office will leave you starved for energy, which is why you need to have a secret stash of snacks everywhere! Mindlessly munching on something has kept me awake during countless overtime hours, moments of waiting for my clothes to finally be out of the dryer and commutes home that I felt would never end. Listen to your mom, pack a snack before you go. Before I worked full time I had the freedom to run errands when I wanted and at the pace I liked. Then work took up the majority of my day, leaving things like grocery shopping and laundry to be done on the weekends. While you can totally find the time to fit it all, if you spend an afternoon doing all the things no one really wants to do, like shop for toilet paper, you might find yourself less motivated to go out and more inclined to enjoy the apartment you spent the whole day cleaning.

Related Post: How I Rather Spend My Friday Night 

Throughout college my friends were definitely polarized, but not at all in a dramatic way. My various interests meant that I had friends who were really into school spirit, others who loved to travel and a few that were just trying to make it through the four years. Making friends as an adult is a lot like this, where different people will fill different roles in your life. Work friends are great for lunchtime conversations and keeping you company at office parties. College friends will be the people you call on when you are overwhelmed with life. Having friends who you call on for specific needs isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as you give as much as you take. Happy hour is this thing that you either get or you don’t, like the Kardashians. With limited time to spare before having to drag your tired ass home, people now opt to drink and socialize between the hours of 4-7pm when drinks and food are much, much cheaper. At this schedule, you’ll definitely be home by 9 to start preparing for your next day in the office. It’s an endless cycle, but you grow used to it after a while, I promise. Currently I’m passing through this awkward stage where I’m technically still a student without the benefits of things like winter and summer breaks. Throughout school our vacations were always planned for us. Everyone was free from responsibility on the same day and our plans were always the same, travel home, eat all the food our moms would make us, then travel back and complain about the upcoming semester. Adult life is a little different. Vacations are something you have to ask permission for, and once you do get the time off work, you won’t want to spend it sitting on your mom’s couch. This might only apply to me due to my environment the last few months, but does anyone else sometimes feel a hint of guilt for landing a great job? Or just a job that allows you to live comfortably? While I know finding a job is hard right now, I have never firsthand experienced trouble finding work. Dating a man who spent months unemployed opened my eyes to just how fortunate I am to have focused all my energy in college on growing my skills. So while it’s not something we often talk about, guilt is something that comes with the success of starting your career.

Related Post: How to Make the Best Resume with 10 Easy Tips

Nights like these don’t even need to be preceded by a busy day at work, because having absolutely nothing to do at work can be just as mind numbing. Once a week I come home completely done with the world, only to walk in, hug my cat and watch whatever channel was already on the TV. Self care is not stressed enough, so take one night a week to do nothing, and enjoy every moment of ignoring all your responsibilities.
Why does no one mention that all the extra money you earn from getting a real job does not equal more fun? Yes, you have more money to spend, but who has the time? Now that I’m finally earning an income that allows me to travel comfortably I have to deal with requesting vacation time far in advance and coordinating with friends who never seem to be able to pull it together. Save your money for something special, I’ll let you know if I figure out what that is. I now understand why my mom would come home from work and yell at me for not having emptied the dishwasher. No she didn’t ask me and no they weren’t my dishes, but she was fucking tired of spending the entire day at work! Single moms who work full time and manage to not raise hoodlums deserve a medal of honor because I sometimes barely manage to remember to feed myself and the cat. Even then, I think the cat is on a healthier diet than me.

How has working full time changed your everyday routine? How do you manage to do it all while still getting enough time for yourself??

I want to start off by saying that I don’t regret a single part of my undergraduate experience, because each one of those experiences led me to where I am today. Actually, one thing I will take back. I should have dumped my loser high school boyfriend the moment he tried to convince me he “needed to focus on himself.” But besides that, totally sticking by all the stupid decisions I made! Freshmen year is this awesome experience that everyone likes to glamorize. Yeah moving away from home is fun and you get to meet all thees new people, but there are also parts that no one warns you about. Probably because RA’s are under contract to not talk about stuff like this, even though it’s a total disservice to those of us who come in green eyed and ready to mess up. Below you’ll find the 10 mistakes I made my freshmen year in college, ranging from those that cost me money I still owe to this day to the type I like to tell stories about at parties today. Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Long story short I had just had my heart broken for the first time and I was on the rebound. So, I kinda, sorta, maybe dated a drug dealer. That wasn’t the worst part. Our break up was terrible and I had to face him every day of freshmen year. Was it the end of the world? No. But it could have been avoided. Remember that drug dealer? Yeah I slept with him. Having to pass someone you dated was one thing, bringing by your new boyfriend to meet your door mates, including the guy who once saw you naked is another. There’s so many boys in college, steer clear of the ones you share an address with.

Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute

When registering for my first semester of classes no one told me anything besides the types of prerequisites expected of everyone. Do your research first so you don’t end up taking the most difficult classes your first semester. You wanna give yourself time to get used to your new life and schedule.

5. Didn’t join any campus organizations.

My secret goal freshmen year was to one day run for student body president. It never happened. I got caught up in doing the basic freshmen year things that made me reluctant to branch past my friensd for the first year. Don’t do the same, join a group, make friends outside your roommates and remember that your first year sets the precedent for your college experience. If you were thinking about buying your textbooks from the bookstore then think again. With websites like Amazon and Chegg, there’s no reason you need to pay full price for books. And for those of you who are serious about saving money each semester, check out my post on how to never spend a dime on college textbooks.

Related Post: How to Never Pay for College Textbooks Again

7. Didn’t take advantage of all the free events.

For some dumb reason I didn’t attend the homecoming events my freshmen year of college! Sure it didn’t completely ruin my life, but you wanna soak up those moments while you still can. Nowadays I pay to get in everywhere, some places wont even give me the student discount! Attend everything you can, while you can!

8. Continued to date my high school not-so-sweetheart.

Unfortunately I didn’t have many good friends during high school, at least not the kind that could tell me what a loser my boyfriend was. If you’re in an on and off relationship like I was, do yourself one big favor and cut ties. I know it’s hard, but trust me, after a few weeks you’ll feel so much better. 
Junior and senior year I studied abroad and in our nation’s capitol, where I now live(!), but I so wish I would have become part of the study abroad community starting my freshmen year. The people you meet there are unlike any other group on campus, plus there’s the benefit about learning about studying abroad sooner rather than later.

Related Post:10 Reasons You Should Study Abroad While in College

I’m gonna admit it, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I filed my FAFSA or accepted my grants and loans. If you’re feeling the same way talk to a guidance counselor, reach out to the financial advisers in your new school or simply talk to other people who have been through this before.

Did you make any embarrassing mistakes your freshmen year of college? Please tell me I’m not the only one who ended my first year with a few unnecessary experiences!

I’ve always been a small girl. Not in the endearing way where I barely meet height requirements or have a petite personality. More in the way where belts are a necessity and my thighs don’t touch. I am, and have as long as I can remember have been, a size zero.

When checking my email this week I received a message from Her Campus advertising their #LovingMe Project, which “celebrates the things we love about ourselves- unrelated to our physical appearance.” It being National Eating Disorders Awareness Week I decided to write about a topic that is never spoken about yet experienced by so many women. So here I am, writing to the masses about why being a size zero doesn’t guarantee happiness.

I’ve never had an eating disorder but I have been accused of having one many times in my life. Either by family, friends or medical professionals, it seems as if my life is a stream of situations where I’ve had to defend my choices to people who don’t know me very well. Being a size zero doesn’t mean you have zero problems, it can at times just mean people have zero interest in your problems.

There are the trivial reasons, the “problems” with being thin that sound so stupid once you see them written down. Issues that should probably be relabeled first world problems. You know, those things we like to complain about that cause us to roll our eyes moments after we say them aloud? Things such as size zero clothing hardly ever making it to the sale rack, stores like TJ Maxx barely stocking anything in our size and the all too common bloat we get from eating nothing more than a handful of chips. When your stomach is naturally flat, any food being in there likes to bloat you up. At least in my case. 

Then there are the actual downfalls to being a size zero, the thoughts and experiences that are silenced because according to others, “I should be grateful.” The root of these issues can begin to grow early, before we even knew how to dress ourselves or attach stigma to different body types.

My childhood was filled with compliments. From my shiny hair to how “tiny” I was, I was always the topic of discussion. As I got older my hair lost its luster and all I had to rely on was the low number on the scale.

When you grow up thin people begin to expect thin from you. Friends and relatives are more likely to comment if they feel your body shape has changed, even though their comments at times are no more than a way for them to make themselves feel better.

Every thin girl will tell you how often people comment on her size. Somewhere along the way it became wrong to make comments about people with extra weight, yet blatant remarks about “how skinny you look” have become normalized. Acceptable. “Compliments.”

There is a difference between complimenting someone on their weight when they are taking steps to try to change it versus making remarks on someone’s body type. Thin girls don’t choose to be thin just like heavy girls don’t choose to be heavy, so why the double standard in the way they are treated?

When did it become okay to openly discuss how thin a girl is but disrespectful to mention a friend has gained weight? The girls who swallow their words and scroll past the “real men don’t like bones” posts are the same girls who stand up for their larger friends. Where is the mutual support?

My senior year I fainted in class, was labeled anorexic and was found a therapist before the school day was over. Nobody bothered to ask my opinion, no one actually observed my eating habits. I wasn’t anorexic in the least. I was a heartbroken seventeen year old, worried about my college applications and stressing over the D I had received on my Calculus exam. Food wasn’t the problem, by that point, lunch was my favorite time of the day!

My entire life I had been silenced by everyone, finding it impossible to speak over everyone’s remarks about my body. In therapy I finally let it all out. My worries about not having a prom date, my grades, my non existent relationship with my sister, and how sick I was about everyone assuming they could diagnose me without even speaking to me. Three sessions later my therapist deemed I didn’t need her help or anyone else’s, wished me good luck on finding a prom date and choosing a university to attend. Only one of those decisions ended up being the right one.

What I learned from being labeled anorexic is how “other” it can make you feel. Even though I was completely healthy, both physically and mentally, the way people treated me completely changed. Principals  pulled me out of class to see how I was “doing”, teachers tiptoed around me and people who once chatted with me would turn silent when I walked into a room. Having an eating disorder or even being accused of having one makes you feel like you are on the outside of everything, because that’s where people place you.

Being a size zero sometimes feels a lot like those weeks in high school where my classmates wouldn’t even bother to whisper the rumors about me. To this day, friends will out of the blue remark on my waist, my thighs or how jealous they are. Yet they don’t take a moment to realize how the words they say affect my perception of myself. If everyone is so jealous of me, I must do everything I can to stay skinny, right?

Size zeroes are silenced, laughed at and ignored when they speak about how their weight negatively affects them. When you have what everyone wants, complaining about it sounds ludicrous. Nobody stops to realize that we didn’t ask for this and we sure as hell didn’t ask for your opinions on the subject, positive or not. Being a size zero doesn’t guarantee happiness. All you are guaranteed are a stream of comments on your body type and a lifetime of pressure to remain how everyone else perceives you. Skinny.

I can still remember the day I cut my cable. I was sitting at the receptionist desk of my old job, having recently given my notice, staring at my bank account wondering why I was being charged twenty dollars extra each month. After a very annoying call with Comcast I realized they had increased my price, with absolutely no notice. My anger got the best of me which led to me not only cutting my cable but internet as well, and within a few minutes I had cut ties with the only provider that serviced my area. I bussed home convinced that I would figure out a way around my new circumstance, which is what led me to this post today.

Related Post: The Stages of Watching a Law and Order SVU Marathon

Cable is too fucking expensive. Yeah, I said it. Sure it’s nice to not have to download anything or really think about what you wanna watch, but I refuse to pay that much money for a service that I really only use like 10% of. Think about it, how many channels do you actually watch? Probably like 5-10, leaving you with possibly hundreds of useless ones you don’t even need! This reason, along with the increased price, led me to cut my cable overnight. As an avid tv watcher I had to figure out something fast, I mean, I am the type of girl who eat, sleeps, breathes television. Below are the things I turned to that have helped me say goodbye to cable permanently, all while keeping up with my tv shows and saving a ton of money along the way.
The obvious alternative, but if you still don’t have an account, what are you waiting for? Netflix is great for binge watching sessions and rewatching old favorites that you can quote for days. Thankfully Netflix is now consistently producing content of its own, which means you get so much more than just favorites to watch after the season ends. If you’re anything like me, you have trouble not being able to keep up with your shows as they air. The great thing about Hulu is that they feature old content and episodes the day after they air. The price of Hulu is comparable to that of Netflix, so I definitely recommend you try the free trials to both so you can compare the two platforms.

Stupid me dated my boyfriend for six months before realizing I could have been watching live tv on the go with his Xfinity account. If you have family or friends who have an Xfinity account, they have the ability to make you a login so that you can watch live tv both on your laptop and cellphone.

Related Post: 4 Reasons to Go See a Movie Alone

For the past six years I’ve been falling more in love with YouTube, mostly because I can quickly watch a video while getting ready or cooking dinner. Some YouTubers film episode long videos, it all depends on what type of content you enjoy. There are also channels dedicated to live streaming certain shows 24/7, all you have to do is search the name of your favorite show and ‘live’ to find the account. Best of all, YouTube is totally free, and there’s new content every single day.  If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, don’t forget that you have access to Amazon Video to watch films, tv episodes, and access music all as a prime member. I prefer Amazon for films, but my sister swears by this streaming service.

What are your favorite streaming platforms? Also, let me know what your fave new shows is, my watchlist is in major need of new shows!

Raise your hand if your last date night was two people sitting on the couch, one watching TV, and the other scrolling on their phone pretending to be interested about what you’re watching. *Raised hand so high it touches the ceiling.* I wouldn’t label myself an introvert, I prefer the term selectively social. Right around 19 years old I came to the realization I didn’t have to be friends with everyone, and how much easier life was when I gave myself the option to bail out on events with people I’m not that close with. My boyfriend though, he fits the introvert definition perfectly. Just last weekend he proposed we spend our weekend doing less, but together. I wish ya’ll could have heard him say together to me. It’s as if he wanted to put as much emphasis on the word as possible to distract me from the fact he was asking if we could be loaves all weekend. After a few seconds of being mildly irritated, I realized it was just his inner introvert talking, so I came up with these date night ideas for introverted couples. You know, while we were together doing nothing.

You might also like: What It’s Like to Date an Introvert

Just because you’re both introverts doesn’t mean you can’t go out and enjoy what your city has to offer. The trick is to choose an activity that doesn’t require a lot of interaction with other people in the area. Below are some dates you can go on that won’t require you to talk to people once you get there.

Can be found in bowling alleys, dive bars and basements of parents you wish you had. You do run the risk of having to ask for help when your ball gets stuck, it always gets stuck! But otherwise it’s a cheap fun activity that will definitely get you two competing. I have a theory no one loves mini golf, we do it for the pleasure of rubbing our win in people’s faces. It’s cheap, requires little interaction with staff, and typically sells cotton candy in the concession stand. Win win! If you wanna have a fun date night for under $10, this is the option for you! Split your coins and spend the night challenging each others high scores. If greasy fries and competition aren’t your thing, museums are a fun and sometimes free way to spend time together. Pick one you’ll both be interested in and spend some time wandering around.

Related Post: 2 Truths and 1 Lie About Online Dating

Who says date night means you have to go out? If you rather stay in, ie wear sweatpants, here are some ways to pass the hours beyond the typical Netflix and stare at our phones together.

I know what you’re thinking, “we always do this, what’s the difference?” To make a night at home with the TV more fun, choose a theme for the movie marathon. You can prep for an upcoming movie by watching all the prequels, or buy snacks/food that correspond with what you’re watching.
Whenever I cook with my boyfriend it’s anything but fun, usually because I’m yelling about him backing up and he’s wondering why we’re missing an ingredient. To avoid all this drama, prep the day before by making sure you have everything and that the space is clean. But before that, hop onto a site like Pinterest and pick a new recipe to try together. If it’s gross, there’s always pizza. You probably can’t hop in your car and take a vacation right now, but you can definitely plan for one. Start talking about Memorial or Labor Day, choose a spot you both want to explore and start from there. By doing this now, come your actual vacation, there will be no arguments about what to do or who forgot to book what. Every guy likes to bake, whether he’s willing to admit it or not. Ask him what his favorite dessert is, then grab all the ingredients and make an activity out of it.

You might also like: 20 Small Signs Your Relationship Is Getting Serious

While these dates may be a little out of the box, sometimes what you need is a date idea that will get you out of your comfort zone to bring back the feeling as if you just started dating.
I know what you’re thinking, “exercise, gross.” Or is that just me? Find something that’s fun to do, whether it’s a rep challenge or a super ridiculous video you’ll just laugh your way through. Whether you’re both super active or full blown couch potatoes, getting up and moving together is a surefire way to have fun doing something out of the ordinary. Tasting tours don’t have to be limited to events you sign up for on Groupon. Pick a category, whether it’s desserts, beer, or coffee, and from there find the best rated places in your city. While it’s better to choose locations that are near one another, you can make a day out of it by driving to different locations. Everyone has goals at the start of the year, whether they share them with you or not. Share one goal you’re still interested in achieving and work together to get one step closer to each of your goals. For example, if your boyfriend wants to be more active and you want to explore more, go on a hike to a scenic area you’ve never visited before. Whether it’s a personal project or something around the home, I’m sure I’m not the only one that leaves things unfinished. Pick a task and vow to get it done that day. Doing it together takes away the feeling that it’s work, while setting an end prize (like takeout) motivates you throughout the way.

Are you introverted? If so, what’s your favorite date night activity??