Fall Date Night at Home Challenge

We love a good challenge in my Instagram community and this is the perfect one to start this Fall (alongside our Community Crockpot Challenge!)

The goal of this challenge is simple: plan a weekly Fall Date Night at home!

It doesn’t have to be “fancy” or elaborate, and of course it doesn’t have to be every week, either.

Date Night at Home

In this stage of life with little kids, it’s just not always practical to go out on dates.

Also, once you factor in the cost of the babysitter plus the cost of the date, it adds up quickly!

We don’t have family nearby, so especially when we were in the baby & toddler phase, doing date nights at home was really the only way it was going to happen.

Over the years I’ve picked up a couple of ideas and tips for a successful date night at home, which you could of course do any time of the year, but the Fall is definitely our favorite!

Fall Date Night Essentials

There are a couple of things that have made date nights at home during the cozy season more fun, and I’m linking everything here!

Some favorites on the list…

I actually got the Solo Stove for my husband as a birthday present and it’s become a favorite thing to use for little bonfires and s’mores, and the perfect, low-key way to hang out together.
My crockpot is a kitchen staple and works overtime in the Fall. Obviously great for cooking date night dinners, but also for making dips and desserts.
These foldable rocking chairs are a new addition, and they instantly elevate hanging outside by the firepit.

Everything is saved here to this Amazon list: Fall Date Night Favorites

Fall Date Night Challenge

What makes it a challenge?

I think we all know any type of planning involving kids presents its own unique set of challenges 😀

When our kids were really little, we used to make dinner and eat together in the backyard after they went to bed.

Now that our oldest goes to bed at 8:30/9, it’s kind of late to be eating dinner, but definitely not too late to spend time together intentionally.

The “challenge” aspect of it just makes it a fun way to hold you and your partner accountable for actually doing the date nights!

We’re all more likely to declutter our homes if it’s part of a challenge, right?

The same concept applies here.

The Challenge

Pick one night for a date night at home (we usually do Friday night)
Choose a movie (more on that below) or make it a firepit/outdoor night
Plan a combo of appetizer, drink, dinner, and/or dessert

One tradition that we do every year is to rewatch the entire Harry Potter movie series each Fall (although as we’ve gotten older it usually takes 2 nights to finish 1 movie).

We’ve been doing this together since we first met (before kids!) and it’s something we look forward to every year.

We own the entire series on DVD and that adds a fun, nostalgic vibe, although it’s easily available on streaming now.

Aside from Harry Potter, there are so many other ideas you could do; a Fall-theme movie like You’ve Got Mail or any fun, easy-to-watch series like Mission Impossible or rewatching any old movies you like.