Romance
Can You Define Romance?
Everyone’s got a different idea of romance… lets take Valentine’s Day for example. It’s around the corner (only a few weeks away) and it’s pimped out as the MOST romantic day of the year. Whether you accept it or not, that is how most of us feel. In a perfect world what would your partner [...]
Video: Best Public Proposal Ever
While I’m still completely glad that Den proposed to me in private (before springing all our in-on-it family and friends on me!), if he absolutely had to do it in public, I would’ve wanted one just like this. I’ve watched it about 5 times already and I tear up every time! Let us know if [...]
Delight Your Partner with Inexpensive Nothings
Ahh… whispering sweet nothings is lovely, but handing over a sweet littIe gift to your partner for no reason whatsoever will melt them to a puddle of goo in a second. As you know, we’re all about relationships with intent here at $30 Date Night. Break your usual routine and make your partner’s day by [...]
“Me? Oh, I’m Naturally Gorgeous…”
I had just jumped out of the shower this morning and was in the office, pre-make up when Den suddenly asked me what was on my face. “It’s all shiny” he commented. I’d just moisturised. It was nothing different to my usual daily routine, but he’s usually at the gym still when I’m getting ready [...]
Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?
It’s pretty much common knowledge by now that the marriage rate in the Western world has been on a steady decline since the 1950s. Even moreso in Europe than in the US, people are electing again and again not to get married. The divorce rate is insane, and divorces are easier and cheaper than ever [...]
Alphabet Dating: 9 Date Ideas Beginning with A
So to support you (and us) through an Alphabet Dating adventure, we are going to publish a list of date ideas each week that start with our Letter of the Week (Sesame Street, we’re coming after you!) If you’re thinking of Alphabet Dating, now’s a great time to start. You can check back in every [...]
Love Plug: Hollywood Make-Out Mints
I have just fallen in love with these cute-as-a-button Make-Out Mints… packaged in a sexy retro pink tin with embossed hearts on it, it’s the perfect product to keep you date night ready in a crisis. Tuck them into your handbag and freshen yourself up pre-date with the tiny pink heart-shaped mints inside. Says the [...]
Getting Back on the Date Night Horse
I have to confess, ever since Christmas hit Den and I have been kind of… slack when it comes to date night. It’s been a blur of road trips, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, partying… summer nights at rooftop bars… bad, bad date night couple. We’ve waned from our usual Wednesday night date night, which means some [...]
mX Column: Lessons from Marriage
It’s my first wedding anniversary today. I can hardly believe a year has flown by, but at the same time it seems almost a lifetime ago. I’m acutely aware that each anniversary is cause for celebration – particularly when statistically speaking, there’s at least a 40% chance that any given couple may not stay married [...]
8 Paper (First) Wedding Anniversary Gift Ideas
It’s our first wedding anniversary today! That makes it a paper anniversary. We’ve decided that we’re going to stick with the traditional gifts in the traditional order. Of course being a guy, Den automatically went “Well, what do I get you? A ream of A4?” No, Den. No you don’t. Here’s a list of paper-anniversary [...]
mX Column: Money Matters
It’s the last few days now of Febusave. More frightening than Febfast (cutting out alcohol), Febusave is an initiative set up by the ANZ Bank to encourage women to pay better attention to their finances. I rallied, and decided it was time I started taking an active role in looking after my own financial situation. [...]
mX Column: Hand-in-hand
Nothing melts the heart quite like watching an elderly couple walking along hand-in-hand together. I saw an octogenarian couple crossing Swanston Street the other day. They didn’t even look as though they could negotiate the street without one another. The husband had a walking stick, the wife a hunched back. They were clinging to each [...]
How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?
I wrote late last year about creating Love Maps in your mind, to track the small details about your partner that are important. The Daily Mail has reported how millions of men don’t know the most basic of details about their partner – including dress size and even eye colour. 2,000 men in the UK [...]
For Men: How to Buy Lingerie for Your Sweetie
Today’s post is written by the saucy Bra Queen, who knows more about lingerie than anyone I know! Valentine’s Day is coming and you’re probably thinking about what a con the whole shebang is. To be honest? You’re probably right. But any man worth his weight in gold would want to Va-va-VOOM his Valentine. Blow [...]
From the Velveteen Rabbit
So, I’m in the midst of trying to organise my very messy office, desk and paperwork for the new year (even I am sick of the mess I make!) and I came across all my notes from planning our wedding… this excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit makes me smile every time, and it unfortunately never [...]
New Year, New Goals
Welcome back! I feel like I’m waking up from a really long hibernation today…. so much to do to! So many things to think about! A new year is a great time for couples to set new goals together… something you can both look forward to, work on together or learn as a couple. It [...]
Mystery Date Box Idea!
This great, inspirational dating idea was submitted by Kirsty, one of our users over at $30 Date Night – I thought we should share it with you here! “Combine all your favourite date ideas and put them in a box! My partner and I have created the ‘Mystery Date Box’ – Each fortnight we pull [...]
Is Music Unhealthy for Your Relationship?
The Boston Public Health Commission has proposed a new initiative to categorize music into “healthy for your relationship” and “unhealthy for your relationship”. The campaign will arrive in the form of a badge – kind of like the health department’s tick of approval on healthy foods – and is aimed at teenagers, encouraging them to [...]
Are You and Your Sweetie Speaking the Same Love Language?
It turns out, Denis and I are not speaking the same Love Language… in fact, our Love Languages are so different that Denis might as well talk to me in Klingon for all the good it does to get through, and likewise right back at him. The Love Language theory was developed by a lovely [...]
Elizabeth Gilbert Talks Soulmates
I was sitting down to lunch the other day and I flipped on the TV to find Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the beautiful book Eat, Pray, Love, was on Oprah. I’d been looking for some source of inspiration all week after feeling a little stuck and Elizabeth was a breath of lovely, fresh air for [...]
The Secret to Hugh Jackman’s Happy Marriage
Well, we were thrilled to see this headline in The Age newspaper today: “The Secret to Hugh Jackman’s Happy Marriage” The Age reports: “Hugh Jackman has a happy marriage because he has date nights. The X-Men Origins: Wolverine star – who has been married to Deborra-Lee Furness since 1996 – has revealed he and his [...]
Love Plug: Old School Polaroids
What is it that’s so romantic about having an old Polaroid photo? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the sense of nostalgia is overwhelming. We found this site Rollip.com where you can work back your favorite pics of the two of you into vintage-style Polaroid. Here’s a few I prepared earlier…
Do Soulmates Exist?
I got thinking about this after reading a recent guest post on Mamamia… Do soulmates exist? I think… I think so, but I think there is more than just one other true soul mate out there for everyone. Like maybe there’s a certain – batch – of people that we are somehow connected to. The [...]
Date Night on Deck 88…
This date night blew the budget… blasphemy!!! The total cost came to $46, but it was all for a greater cause – in hope of wooing the wife into getting jiggy with it in the cold of night – hidden away in public. I enjoy being cheeky, God knows I can stir the pot with [...]
Tinky-Winky-Pummy-Umpkin-Snookie-Bum.
Rove’s little presenting dance got me thinking… It’s amazing the things we’ll do in a relationship. The way Den and I act sometimes, I swear… there’s the silly in-jokes that make no sense to anyone, chasing each other around the house squealing like children, singing silly songs loudly at each other with made-up lyrics (in [...]
Pleased to Meet You!
After our marriage in March, I started to go about the process of changing my name. It was a decision I made (with some very strong encouragement from Denis) and am still very happy with. I like the idea of being on Team Merkas, of me and my children all having the same unified family [...]
“Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship”
I know I’m one of those people. Last time I was single, I gave myself a horrible haircut, dyed my hair a different (hideous) colour and promptly stacked on 10 kilos (that’s 20 pound in American-speak) which was quite the feat considering I was training in dance for hours per week… I was the exact [...]
Do Opposites Really Attract?
Den and I, we’re not much alike in many of our behaviors. That is to say, we definitely were not much alike when we first met, but over the years I think we have softened each other away from our extreme opposite behaviors… we’re becoming more and more similar all the time – to the [...]
The Heart Grows Fonder
Den is away this week; gallivanting off in the snow with a group of friends while I’m here at home holding down the business fort. He’s having a wonderful time, and I’m having a great time too. I quite love having the house to myself, my own space to relax, think, play my cheesy pop [...]
How Much Time Do Couples Spend Together?
Wow – what a week! Spring has kicked off here in Melbourne with a plethora of gourmet food and high end fashion events and Den and I have barely seen each other since last Wednesday! (oh, and I’m obliged to do that thing here that EVERY blog advice site you read tells you NOT to [...]
The Proposal: Part 1
It occurs to me that Den and I have been doing some spouse-bashing on this blog lately, what with our airing of bad habits and petty annoyances! It’s all in good humor of course… that’s just the way we are with each other. We’ve faced reality about our differences and are happy to air them [...]
Men vs. Women on Love, Sex and Romance
I recently stumbled across The Great Male Survey on blokey advice site AskMen.com and was fascinated by the answers from all over the globe to the Dating and Sex questions. In a fantastic move, the same questions were also answered by a bunch of females for Shine on Yahoo and here, I correlate for you [...]
6 Other Ways You Can Hang Out With Your Sweetie
Date night isn’t the only way to spend time with your sweetheart! We give you 6 more great ways to make sure you get some quality time together instead of getting caught up in the humdrum of daily life. These six ideas are great if you find yourselves pressed for finding time. 1. Do the [...]
What About a Little Mystery?
I’m an old-fashioned kind of gal… one who still believes in ladylike manners, in never belching at the dinner table and certainly never farting in the company of others. Others, including my own husband. I also under no circumstances leave the bathroom door open and I flat-out refuse to undertake any kind of hair removal [...]
7 of the Most Romantic Date Ideas Ever
Swoon. Candlelight, soft music, long-stemmed roses and tummy-butterflies… every couple needs romance in their lives at some point. Not all of our date ideas at ThirtyDollarDateNight.com are the most romantic (some are fun, some are silly and some are downright cheesy!) but the ones that ramp up the romance factor ALWAYS seem to be appreciated… [...]
Is ‘Happily Married’ Unfashionable?
I just stumbled across this wonderful article by Aaron Traister: It’s hot! It’s sexy! It’s… marriage! Traister writes: My wife and I have been married anywhere from seven to 150 years (I’m not good with dates). During those years we have moved six times, and each move was like an exotic gift that happened to [...]
Excerpts from 365 Ways To Say ‘I Love You’
I found this vintage book in my mother’s collection just recently… 365 Ways To Say I Love You was written in 1968 by a young, fanciful woman named Jani Gardner who had oodles of helpful wifely advice for any woman out there looking to show her husband how much she cares… assuming she has nothing [...]
How to Be Romantic in Modern Times
I don’t know about you, but I find these days that romance can be so clichéd. True, some elements of romance will never go out of fashion. Candles will always be beautiful, the right music will always set the mood… flowers will always soften hearts. But modern times come with a heavy lashing of cynicism. [...]
Top 8 Reasons Smart Girls Should Date Diggers Geeks
We get a lot of great feedback about our date ideas site. But one comment that keeps coming up in particular from some of our dear internet-savvy readers who are self-professed nerds and geeks, is that while they love the ideas, they find it hard-pressed to FIND a girl to date in the first place! [...]
Collection of the Best Wedding Dances Ever!
Weddings should be a fun celebration of life, of friends, of family and of course of love. We love these three couples who went out of their way to deliver some fun into their wedding day and shirk off the staid traditions that can threaten to make the day far too serious! Kudos to you [...]
Love Plug: Nookii Adult Board Game for Two
Nookii is a cheeky adult game made only for two. I bought this game for Emma as a Christmas present in 2006… I had to discreetly hand it over to her at a family gathering – although Em’s mother was all over the smoke and mirrors and knew I was up to something something… About [...]
5 Goals You Can Work Towards Together as a Couple
Working towards goals as a couple is a great way to engender a team spirit, gives you something to look forward to and keeps you focused in life. Discussing your own personal goals with your partner is a great way to start, but setting some major goals as a couple is also very important in [...]
5 Ways to Do Something New With Your Sweetie
Here at $30 Date Night, we work from the philosophy that doing new things with your sweetheart sparks the same brain chemistry as when you first fell in love. This is why we suggest date night – doing something new every week will keep your loved-up and giddy! Quite literally speaking, when you do something [...]
Nesting.
Something strange has happened to me since our wedding. I’m not sure how much it’s affecting Denis, apart from the fact that two days after our wedding he turned to me and said ‘Let’s have a baby now!’ Now, we have a four year plan. A plan that doesn’t involve children or even our first [...]
Love Plug: Kama Sutra Play Products
What do Strawberry and Champagne flavoured body dusts, edible massage souffles and a Lover’s Paintbox of Chocolate have in common? Well, they are all verrry classy, very adult bedroom play products from the divine range at Kama Sutra. Far from seedy, the packaging and concept behind these lickable, kissable products will add a touch of [...]
Love Plug: The Most Romantic Movie of 2009 is Coming
See the first official trailer from The Time Traveler’s Wife after the jump! (Cue girly squealing!)
My Friends are BANANAS!!!
I don’t get it… I spent the better part of last night having a discussion about relationship problems with a friend of mine. One comment made was that his partner actually said “you never do anything spontaneous or take me out anywhere anymore – simple things like going for a hike!” I almost fell off [...]
Follow Their Lead: The Obamas Do Date Night!
The world has been abuzz with the scandal of the Obamas’ fantastic, expensive date nights – from a Broadway show in New York to dinner by the Eiffel Tower in Paris the next, the President and First Lady are setting an amazing example to couples everywhere. Politicians, the media and dating ‘experts’ are all weighing [...]
Cutest Little Old Couple Ever
Video after the jump of the most adorable little old couple, playing a piano duet they’ve clearly been rehearsing together for 62 years…
Love Plug: Old-fashioned Telegrams
Plugging great products and services for couples…. How cute is this idea?! Send your sweetie a quaint, old-fashioned telegram love note from the guys at Telegramstop.com. Just type in your message and presto! a telegram will arrive on their doorstep like magic. These telegrams cost less than $5USD, anywhere in the world, they look and [...]
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