DIY Date Night Jar - A Unique Valentine's Day Gift

If you’re looking for a fun, unique gift for your spouse or partner this Valentine’s Day, why not try out a DIY Date Night Jar?

After giving birth to my 2nd baby, we were stuck inside for a few weeks and just trying to make it to nap time and bedtime every day.

Once we felt comfortable leaving the 2 kids with my mom or a babysitter, I decided that we needed to get out more.

Life gets so busy, especially with kids, and it’s important to make time for just the two of you.

I knew we needed a reason or excuse to actually make date nights happen. That’s when I had this idea for a date night jar and it’s become one of my favorite things!

Having the jar really makes us never miss a date. It’s locked into our calendars and doesn’t change. Even all my friends have jumped on the bandwagon and have loved making date night a weekly ritual.

Check out my list of fun date nights below and how to make your own date night jar for Valentine’s Day.

Marriage takes work especially when you have babies or toddlers around. Keeping that spark and romance alive is important for your whole family. Here is an idea for a date night jar so you can still date each other even after many years of marriage. You can use this as a unique Valentine's Day gift for your spouse or partner.

The Rules Are Simple

Write a bunch of different date night ideas on separate pieces of paper. You can do this together which could be a date night in itself or you can make this and give it as a gift.
Pick both stay-in and go-out date nights.
Stuck them in a jar.
Give the jar a cute, little label and voila! There’s your date night jar!

We pick an idea out of the jar to plan a date night once a week. One week we leave the house and get a baby sitter and the next week we have an at-home date night after the kids go to bed.

Then we rotate every other week between staying home or going out.

While we are on the current date, we pick the date for the following weekend. One of my favorite parts of the date is finding out what we’re doing for the next one!

We like to pick in advance in case there’s something that we need to get set up for.

For example, if it’s a sporting event or concert, we need to see if there’s anything we’d like to go to that weekend that we could get tickets to. If it’s an at-home pizza night or beer tasting night, we’ll get the supplies in advance so we’re prepared.

If you’d like to download the tag that I used to make the Date Night Jar, just subscribe here and a PDF will be sent to you.

Once you receive the email, print out the tag on card stock preferably, whatever color you wish. Cut it out around the largest ring.

You can paste it onto another color paper as I did. Just cut out a circle larger than the one here. I also tied a wide ribbon around the jar just for extra eye candy.

I left the circle for colors of going out/staying on date nights blank so you could fill it in on your own. Color the circles in matching whatever colored paper you chose.

Then, use a hole puncher to make a hole and put a string through it to tie around the jar. You could also just paste this tag onto the front middle of your jar. Get creative and make it your own!

Going Out Date Nights

The times when we get out on the town and not worry about chasing after a toddler or nursing an infant in the front seat of a car are always wonderful.

This is your time to get dressed up, put on makeup, and dust off those high heels that haven’t been worn in years!

Our current date jar only has winter activities because it’s too cold to do anything outside, but we will add a bunch more in the spring. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so we have a lot more outdoor options.

At-Home Date Nights

What’s a date night if you’re stuck at home you ask? These are actually some of my favorites (because sometimes a mom just doesn’t want to put on jeans or wash her hair).

We have tons of choices for these like wine & cheese pairing, beer tasting, puzzle night, 21 questions, watch our wedding video night, and many others.

The beauty of this is that you get to spend quality time with your spouse and don’t have to pay a babysitter.

My husband and I always do spend time together after our kids go to sleep. However, it’s usually just watching tv, cleaning up after dinner, or just scrolling through Facebook while not talking to each other.

When it’s a date night, it’s different! We put our phones away, have deeper conversations, and enjoy fun activities. It really just makes you appreciate that time together so much more.

See below for some great date night ideas!

Make It Special

This time alone with your husband is few and far between (well it’s every week now, but you know what I mean). Really treat this date like you would have when you just started dating. You’ll feel like a new couple all over again.

If you can allow it, don’t put a budget on these dates. Order that extra appetizer or that higher-end bottle of wine. You deserve it and your relationship will thank you for it.

Don’t talk about kids or even anything that could stir up some controversy. Whatever it is you choose, you make your own rules and that’s the beauty of it.

You can decide in advance what you want to get out of these nights and plan it accordingly. Dating Diva’s gives great ways to keep the romance alive in your marriage, and having regular date nights is the #1 tip!

Here is a great list of ideas to get you started:

Date Night Jar for a Unique Valentine’s Day Gift

I hope you enjoy this as a perfect Valentine’s Day gift that you can BOTH enjoy! Once you start making date night a ritual, you will see how it can change your love life.

Don’t forget to sign up here to get a free copy of the label I used to make our jar!