My TOP 5 Low Cost Date Ideas for Dating on a Budget in a Down Economy!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know the economy is going through a rough patch but yes people are still dating. Yet with the average movie ticket being $10 a pop now, dating is no cheap affair or is it?

Its my personal belief that you can have some pretty fantastic dates without having to spend a fortune, all you need is the right setting, a fantastic date and a little bit of cash. (In fact some of these dates don’t even require you to spend anything!)

So since my new book ‘The Guys The Roses & The Regrets’ is all about dating the right way, I decided to share with you guys my TOP 5 dates on a budget. Enjoy!


1. A Day at the Beach or A Midnight Stroll at the Beach

Ahh, the warm sun on your back, the cool waves crashing against you and your date in next to nothing, not bad huh? The beach is a great fun filled day or few hours with your date and the plus side, it hardly costs anything! Of course there are opportunities to spend like renting tents, chairs surf boards and there are plenty of restaurants at the beach but you don’t have to! You can just as easily bring your own stuff and bring a cooler with your own food in it. The beach during the day is awesome (just don’t forget to use your sunscreen) but it’s also just as awesome at night.

For me, night time strolls on the beach with the gentle sound of rolling waves, the soft sand between your toes and the moon shining is quite simply magical! Its also costs nothing to walk on a beach of course if you want to spend a little, you can always have a meal at the beachside restaurant then go for your nighttime stroll, either way its pretty special and costs next to nothing!




2. Picnics

If of course you don’t happen to live near a coast or beach, there is always the classic picnic. Now I know hardly anyone does picnics anymore and some might find them a tad cheesy but I still love them. You see if you pick the right day, it can be beautiful, fun and you actually get to connect with your date. I mean any guy can take you to the classic dinner/movie combo but really do you get to talk, to connect. In the restaurant its busy crowded and you’re more concerned with when you’re meal is getting there then your date and then in the movie well you’re watching the movie you don’t exactly have a heart to heart during Watchmen.

So even though it’s a little old fashioned I think picnics are a great low budget date that allows you and your date to talk and truly connect.


3. Movies in Unusual Places

So where I live in Orlando, Fl there are places like an amazing garden called Leu Gardens where they show classic romance movies on a screen in the middle of the gardens and it is very inexpensive but really special.

There is also a movie house which shows movies that are a few months old and on certain days (like Tuesdays) the cost of a movie ticket is a grand total of $1.50

That’s what I mean by Movies in unusual places, they might not be the current blockbusters but they are still entertaining awesome movies and so much cheaper then going to the regular movie theatre.

All you have to do is a little internet searching to find somewhere in your hometown where they are showing a movie for next to nothing in an unusual place. It’ll make for a special one of a kind date and it won’t hurt your wallet.


4. Weekend Festivals

Now to ensure both people have fun on this low budget date make sure you know what kind of festival you’re going to, after all your guy probably won’t be too crazy over a craft fair and your girl probably won’t go crazy over a monster truck rally. But if you can find a weekend festival in your town that’s on neutral ground, there are a great way to spend a few hours relaxing looking at interesting vendors and having fun.

But beware at Festivals there will be a lot of people wanting you to buy their product but to keep the date low budget don’t give in. Just smile and move on, I would also suggest eating before you go to your festival since a hot dog at a weekend festival can run up to $6.




5. Battle of The Bands

If you’re a lover of music and you’re strapped for cash this is the perfect date for you! Most small clubs at some point host a Battle of The Bands, I know in Orlando there is one every couple of weeks in a bar or club. Well generally these Battle of the Bands feature new up and coming local talent who are giving it their all for a grand prize whatever it may be and for the price of an admission ticket you get to watch them battle it out.

Some Battle of The Bands are all day affairs and cost from $10 - $20 for the whole day or some are just for the night and can be as low as $5. Either way for fantastic music, great atmosphere and the chance to say I heard them first it’s not bad. This is one of my favorite dates because I get to spend time with an amazing guy listening to some amazing music, what could be better?


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So that’s my top 5 (in no particular order) low cost dates. A bad economy shouldn’t be a reason to stop having great fun filled dates and I hope this little blog gave you some good ideas for any future dates you may have. If you want more of my relationship advice or dating ideas please watch this blog for more posts but also check out my new book ‘The Guys The Roses & The Regrets’

Until next time, have fun boys and girls on your low cost economy friendly dates,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton - Teen Author

So Sick of the Bachelor

Hi!

The names Grace Hatton and this a rant all about The Bachelor =]

Okay so another season of Bachelor just wrapped up and can I be the first to say, make it stop. I know we all love reality TV Shows, we all love a good old catfight and in the end we all love the idea of watching two soulmates find each other on national TV but the fact is out of all the Bachelors and the Bachelorettes, only one of the couples have actually got married, stayed together and started a family. That was the first Bachelorette Trista who is now happily married to the winner Ryan and they have a son together.

But almost every other Bachelor or Bachelorette is still single or has moved onto someone else who was never on the show. Now the latest Bachelor Jason has decided not to marry or be with the winner Melissa. Oh and he also decided he still had feelings for the runner up Molly and then decided to make out with Molly on national TV minutes after taking back the engagement ring from Melissa! I am pretty ticked off about the whole Bachelor franchise in general but that was just the icing on top of the cake, I mean seriously at least take Molly back off the air and leave Melissa with a little bit of self respect.

I think its safe to say The Bachelor franchise generally does not help couples find love in truth it breaks more hearts then any other TV show. So yes I am so sick of The Bachelor and the whole process.

There are plenty of other good TV shows out there reality or not that need some airtime, so how about we let The Bachelor take its final bow and get a new show thats actually worth watching.



* P.S - Check Out My Other Posts to Find Out About My New Book on Dating =]

'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets' Officially Released Today! (Valentines Day 2009)

Hey Everyone,

So after a lot of hardwork my new book 'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets'is officially released today! I am so excited and I hope you guys like the book. Its taken a lot of hard work to get to this point but today 'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets' is officially available worldwide!

Here are the links where you can purchase'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets'


Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Guys-Roses-Regrets-Girl-Girl/dp/1440120528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234542217&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Guys-The-Roses-The-Regrets/Grace-Hatton/e/9781440120527/?itm=2


Books a Million

http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=4336028493244&query=The+Guys+The+Roses+%26+The+Regrets&where=All

iUniverse

http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000112279



The standard price for the paperback is $14.95 and the standard price for the hardback is $24.95 but I believe Amazon and Barnes and Noble have discounts for members.

'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets' is an awesome self help book all about realtionships and dating, its been endorsed by Mark Victor Hansen, Lisa Nichols and other best selling authors. Its taken me a lot of work to get to this point but I am finally here!

So please go grab a copy of 'The Guys The Roses and The Regrets' it would mean so much to me and I really want to make this a bestseller.

Thank you so much for all of your support and until next time live life to the full!

God Bless,

Grace Hatton -Teen Author

'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' is officially being released on Valentines Day! I am so excited!

Hey Everyone,

After almost three years of trying to get my book 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' out into the world, it finally has a release date! 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' will be officially released on Valentines Day!!!!


I am so excited, it has been a long journey yet by the grace of God I am here at last! 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' will be available worldwide online through amazon and then in the states it will be available in Barnes & Nobles, Books a Million and my publishers website.

I will post another blog closer to Valentines Day with all the links for where you can purchase 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' but until then please watch out for 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' coming out on Valentines Day 2009!

Oh and here is a link to a YouTube Video I made all about it, enjoy and thank you so much for your support!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT9pcHc-peY

Also please take a look at my myspace, my YouTube channel and my new twitter channel

www.myspace.com/gracehatton

www.youtube.com/GraceHatton

www.twitter.com/gracehatton



Once again thank you so much for all of your support and please go get 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' on Valentines Day!

Official Back Copy for my new book 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets'

Hey Everyone,

So in order to help everyone understand what 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' is truly about, I decided to put in my blogs my official back copy for 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets'

I hope it helps and I hope you enjoy it =]

“Grace has created a book that connects with her peers, tackles the tough topics, and offers authentic, heartfelt advice that every young woman agonizing over relationships should hear.”
—Lisa Nichols, Life Coach, Star of The Secret, and Author


The Guys, The Roses & The Regrets offers practical tips and real-life stories that will help teenage girls and young women navigate the crazy world of dating, relationships and break ups.

Sixteen year old Grace Hatton has lived through good and bad relationships and truly believes that every girl is beautiful and confident with or without a boyfriend. In making it her mission to help teenage girls everywhere understand their amazing qualities and experience wonderful, healthy, love filled relationships, Grace provides both spiritual and personal advice on such topics as

Five things every girl needs to know about guys before dating them

Ways to capture a guys attention

Questions to ask yourself before you start dating

Dealing with regrets and healing a broken heart

With the helpful insight provided in this guidebook any young woman dazed and confused by the sometimes overwhelming world of dating can learn to live an independent and regret-free life surrounded by wonderful relationships.

So I hope that gives you a better idea about 'The Guys The Roses & The Regrets' and please watch out for my next blog because it will contain some pretty big news!