10 Amazing Almost-Free Dates

The economy may be in the gutter (tired of hearing that yet?), but you don't have to sit home and stare at each other … or worse, at the TV. Grab your guy or girl and try these fun, inexpensive activities.

1. Pull a recipe from a famous restaurant off the Web — try CopyKat.com or RecipeGoldmine.com — and make your own version of a five-star meal together.

2. Have him over for game night. Mad Gab, Uno, and Twister can all be played with just two people.

3. Buy all the fixings for tacos and make your own at home. You need only a handful of ingredients: tomato, avocado, meat, cheese, shells. Download Latin songs onto your iPod to set a festive mood.

4. Head to a casino with $20 in change and play the slot machines. They often serve free cocktails on the casino floor.

5. Have dinner at a bar during happy hour. There are usually drink specials, and you might also score free appetizers (or at least a gratis bowl of chips). Plus, cozying up on bar stools can feel more intimate than sitting across from each other at a table.

6. Pick up a couple of cheap plastic sleds at your local sporting-goods or hardware store and go sledding. Warm up afterward by roasting s'mores on your stove top.

7. Teach each other to play your favorite video games, then place a sexy wager (whoever wins gets treated to a full-body massage that night, for example) before going head-to-head.

8. Belt out some tunes at your local karaoke bar. Sing with the crowd in the bar area for free or rent a private room, which usually runs about $6 to $15 an hour. They typically have anything from Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On to Kanye West's Love Lockdown.

9. Go ice-skating at a local rink. General admission is usually around $10, including the skate rentals. Even if you suck, you can still have a blast falling on your asses.

10. Plan a date in reverse. Meet for brunch (breakfast is usually cheaper than dinner), then hit an afternoon movie for the matinee price. Finally, make your way back home and spend the rest of the day in bed together.

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