Date Ideas You Don't Even Need To Leave The House For

The outernet is overrated.

Getty 2, Sarah Gene Dowling

1. The Blanket Fort Date

With permission from Sarah Gene Dowling

String up a washing line and peg on some sheets, or throw a blanket over several chairs. Bring snacks and supplies, and make sure you can see the TV from your new hidey-hole.

2. The Kitchen Gadget Date

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http://youtu.be/KCbkX2r-qyA

You can pick up used kitchen gadgets pretty cheaply/free from websites like Gumtree, Preloved, and Freecycle. Stock up on unloved bread makers, ice cream makers, doughnut makers, and cake pop and popcorn machines. Spend the night handcrafting delicious snacks to feast on in front of the telly.

3. The No Sleep Sleepover Date

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There's actually a science-based reason to do this: It will make them fancy you more.

Horror movies = good. But if you want to really scare each other, head over to reddit.com/r/nosleep.

4. The Hey, It Was Fun When We Were Kids Date

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Cook your favourite childhood meal and watch your favourite childhood movie together. When that's finished, break out an old-school board game.

You get bonus points if each of you are brave enough to bring along a handful of childhood photos along for you both to mock.

5. The Feelin' Festive date

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Wear pjs, heat up mulled wine on the stove and put on some "Jingle Bells", deck your halls, and when you're done, crash out in front of a Christmas movie.

6. The Decorate a Mug Date

Emily May/(CC BY 2.0) /http://www.gohausgo.com, Flickr: emilysnuffer

Emily May/(CC BY 2.0) /http://www.gohausgo.com, Flickr: emilysnuffer

All you need is two mugs and a porcelain marker (a permanent pen will work if not, but won't last as long). Scribble on your design and bake in the over according to the manufacturers instructions (or 30 minutes at 350°F if you're using a marker).

This is even funnier if you don't have a creative bone in your body.

7. The Cold-Weather Barbecue Date

levitus.tumblr.com / Via levitus.tumblr.com

You can still eat outside even when it's cold. Just fire up the barbecue, grab a handful of sparklers, and drink hot chocolate. Bring some blankets outside for snuggling up.

8. The Holiday at Home Date

Jessica Spengler/Flickr/(CC BY 2.0) / Via Flickr: wordridden

Recreate a meal from your favourite holiday together. Make sure you set the scene by trying to get the same wine and dishing it up on pretty plates.

9. The Bake-off Date

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Recreate your favourite childhood desserts, or try a seemingly weird-looking recipe: Sprinkles for Breakfast has some great ideas. Ask the neighbours round to judge. Try not to cry when they don't pick you.

10. The Let's Make Some Art for the Walls Date Night

Emily May/(CC BY 2.0)/gohausgo.com

http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/2012_11_01_archive.html

This amazing tutorial here will turn bare walls into bear walls, or you could just get some rolls of washi tape and make geometric shapes around postcards, doors, or fixtures.

11. The Eat Your Way Through a Movie Date

Lauren Mclean / Getty Images

Edible cinema experiences are a massive new trend – but they're bloody expensive to go to.

Re-create it at home by serving up foods and drinks from a movie as you're watching it. Think snacks and quick bites rather than watching a mob movie and trying to shovel down massive plates of pasta in time with the scenes.

12. The Breakfast in Bed, for Dinner Date

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Breakfast in bed is one of life's little luxuries, but you don't always have time. So, make your favourite breakfast food, and take it back to bed to eat in front of a good film.

13. The Beer and Cheese Night

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Wine and cheese pairings are great, but a little bit '70s. The new trend is to pair cheese and beer. It can be a bit of a minefield though with over 2,000 types of beer and 700 British cheeses out there, so check out the British Cheese Board's guide before you start.

14. The Make a Time Capsule Date

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Fill a sturdy box,with either relics of your relationship or things that you think are poignant and of-the-day (e.g., today's newspaper, printouts of song lyrics, a picture of the Prime Minister and a farmyard animal...)

When you're finished, seal up the box, and add a note instructing it not to be opened until a certain year.

Stuck for a date night idea? Upgrade your nights in with Google Chromecast.

Google Chromecast lets you cast your favourite entertainment and music from your phone, straight to your TV. Staying in with bae just got even more appealing.