So, we were kinda stuck in a rut, you know? Same old dinner and a movie, or just slumping on the couch. It got a bit blah. I figured we needed something to shake things up a bit, make date nights, or even just afternoons, a bit more surprising. That’s when I thought, hey, why not a date jar? Simple, right?
Getting Started – The Grand Plan (Not Really)
First thing, I needed a jar. Didn’t want anything fancy. Just rummaged around and found an old pickle jar, washed it out real good. Perfect. Then, I grabbed some colored paper I had lying around from some old project – you know, the cheap kind from the craft store. And a couple of decent pens that wouldn’t smudge.
Here’s what I gathered, basically:
- An empty jar (any size, really)
- Paper (colored or plain, whatever you got)
- Pens or markers
- Scissors (optional, you can tear the paper too)
Brainstorming the Fun Bits
This was the fun part, but also kinda tricky at first. I sat down with my partner, and we just started throwing out ideas. We tried to get a good mix. Some cheap or free, some a bit more spendy, some at-home things, and some out-and-about adventures. We didn’t want to pull out “fly to Paris” when we only had a Tuesday night free, you know?
We came up with a bunch of stuff like:
- Go for a hike in a new spot.
- Cook a fancy meal together, something we’ve never tried.
- Visit that museum we always drive past but never go into.
- Have a board game night, complete with snacks.
- Go to a local band’s gig.
- Stargazing (if the weather’s good!).
- Build a pillow fort and watch movies.
- Volunteer somewhere for an afternoon.
- Try a new coffee shop.
- Go bowling (even if we’re terrible).
We made sure to write down even silly little ideas. The point was just to do something different.
Putting It All Together
Once we had a decent pile of ideas, I cut the colored paper into small strips. Big enough to write on, small enough to fold up and fit in the jar easily. We each took a stack of paper strips and started writing down one idea per strip. We tried to make our handwriting legible – a key point, trust me!
Then, we folded each strip a couple of times. Didn’t make it too complicated, just a simple fold. And then, plop! Into the jar they went. It was actually pretty satisfying watching the jar fill up. Looked kinda colorful and promising, sitting there on the shelf.
How We Use It (And If It Worked)
So, the rule is, whenever we feel like we need a date idea, or we just can’t decide, one of us pulls a slip from the jar. And mostly, we stick to it! Sometimes, if it’s totally impractical for that specific day (like “go skiing” in the middle of summer), we might draw another one or save that one for later. But we try to honor the jar’s wisdom.
Honestly, it’s been pretty great. We’ve done a few things we probably wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Discovered a cool little bookstore, had a hilarious attempt at roller skating, and even just a simple “picnic in the living room” was a nice change of pace. It’s not rocket science, but it definitely added a bit of spark back. Less decision fatigue, more spontaneous fun. I’d say it was a pretty successful little project. Easy to do, and actually makes a difference. Give it a try if you’re feeling a bit stuck like we were!
