Don't have any money for dates...

I have a pretty good job for a college kid, make enough to live on my own and am currently making car payments.

The problem is, is that I have 0 money for anything. All my money is for bills, food, etc.

What kind of alternatives could I do since I don't have the money to spend for on dates?

Well the obvious would be at home dinner dates, in the beginning you could always go to more inexpensive places like historical locations, inexpensive museums, the beach/lake, free sporting events, camping, etc.

picnic, hiking, going to the beach, flying a kite, going for a bike ride, walk in the park, playground, throwing a frisbee, pretty much any type of outdoorsy activities are free and fun, coffee and a boardgame is always fun and coffee is cheap.

Cheap or free date ideas:

Farmer's Markets - Tis that time of year again! All the fresh produce comes out, and with it local craftsmen to put their wares on display! Great place to wander around and look, and there are usually a few places you can pick up a cheap snack as you are wandering.

College / School Events - Check around at your local educational institutions for anything they have going on. This can range from concerts, plays, events, just about anything. Some even have low cost courses or classes you could take together.

Meal / Evening at home - The good `ol standby! Always nice to cook a meal together at home and share it in the comfort of your own place. Try trading back and forth, one picks the meal this week, the other picks it next week. Try different ethnic meals also.

Historic places - I'm sure there are tons of Historic sites in all our hometowns we have never been to... unless people are visiting... LOL Go sightseeing in your own town!

Take a Random Drive - Just leave the house with no destination. Plan to drive in a pattern and see where you end up. Plan to take 3 rights, then a left at all major intersections, or something like that, and see where the road takes you.

Take a not so random drive - Pick a no-cost destimation, then plot your course to get there. Hubby and I really like waterfalls, I found a site that lists all the waterfalls and directions to them. Sure, we got lost alot trying to find them, but we had fun!

Contest date - For the competitive folks out there, either read the Guiness book of world records and pick something you think you could beat, or simply compete with simple things, bouncing a ping pong ball on the paddle, marbles, kite flying, how many times you can get complete strangers to smile and say hi, whatever you come up with.

Picnic - Pack a lunch or dinner and go out and find someplace cool to put out a blanket and enjoy the outdoors. Night hiking and a picnic dinner under the stars is always fun.

Nature or Scenic - Go to your local park, or to a close by hiking trail, or to the boardwalk, or even a stroll on the beach or near a lake. Get out and appreciate nature's beauty.

Zoos or Petting Zoos - So you've got an animal lover? What a better way to spend the day than looking at or petting the animals? Some local farms offer tours and allow you to play with the animals, they may even have otehr activities like corn mazes, etc.

Make a memory album together - Spend the day going through old photos or keepsakes you have collected during your time together. Put them all in an album with notes or sayings that mean stuff to you both.

Go gravestone rubbing - Grab some big pieces of paper and some crayons and go to the oldest graveyard you can find. The artwork and carvings on some of the old stones is just lovely. Do some rubbings of the nicest, or strangest, ones you find.

Scavenger/Treasure Hunt date - Create a scavenger hunt with a "prize" if all the items on the scavenger hunt list are found. Or a treasure hunt with hints to go find the next hint, the end could be the candlelit picnic in the backyard, or the bedroom with rosepetals on the bed... anything goes!

Museums - Always a cheap option with a little more culture. Art exhibits, science museums, wildlife conservation centers, and more. All of these offer lots to see and do, and you can learn a little at the same time.

Learn a new skill together - Playing the guitar, pottery, dried flower arranging, juggling, anything goes! Make a list together of the things you have always wanted to try, gather the stuff you need and go to it. There are tons of educational videos online or tutorials to get you started.

Share Hobbies - Does your GF like scrapbooking? Do it with her sometime. Do you like mountain biking? Bring along the GF one of these times. Make the effort to try the hobbies of your significant other.

Thrift Store date - Go to the thrift store together with a pre-set spending limit, like 5 or 10 bucks. Each person has to make an outfit for the other within the spending limit. Then you have to go out together i the outfit from the other. Can be hillarious!! It's amazing what you can find at thrift stores!

Sports - No matter if it's frisbee golf, touch football, tennis, or any other sport, head out and play together. Have a two-person soccer game in the park, learn hackysack, enjoy your time together and get exercise too!

Volunteer together - Pick your favorite charity and go volunteer time at that organization. Soup kitchens, green up crews, big brothers/big sisters, great way to get to know someone and do good at the same time.

There's a few ideas to get you going. It's really easy to find cheap or no cost entertainment, you just have to use your imagination!

maybe go for a picnic. go for a nice scenic walk.

I like Shortpant's suggestions. I'm also struggling to pay for anything at the moment other than food and education. So me and my boyfriend watch films, cook dinners, go for long walks, go out into the mountains, beach, camping. I especially like the learn a new skill idea. Me and my boyfriend started learning a new language together. He's much better at it than I am haha but we're having a lot of fun. So then even going to the supermarket is fun because we speak to eachother in our new language and test eachother.

There are definitely plenty of things you can do that don't cost very much!

I go to the dollar store and buy things and make crafts. I remember we bought construction paper and some white glue, went down to the beach and wrote our names with glue with the sun and flowers and then covered it in sand... then put it on the fridge.

I actually prefer doing the 'walks' and doing things that make us be creative, because doing the dinner dates seriously don't really work for me. I need to be distracted because it settles my nerves.

The zoo is a really good idea though. I like the idea of that. I wouldn't go to a grave yard on the first date, but that totally sounds wicked though. I'd love to do that just on my own and find some really old grave stones.

Crafts are fun too! One afternoon me and my boyfriend were bored and it was raining so we went to the shops and bought colouring pencils and colouring books then made tea and junk food. It was a really fun afternoon. But childish but fun!

in the end you will have to get some money together. like going out to restaurants, clubs/pubs, cinemas, theme parks, etc. the sooner the better.

take dates to keggers. usually only $5 for a shiny red cup.

Most of these have been said already, but some that I enjoy:

Cooking at home (huge plus if you can cook well too)

Watching a movie at home

Going for a hike

Frisbee golf (doing this tonight actually)

Going to Zoo/Museum

Walking along lake front

Try link removed. It's actually a great site. You can get some real discounts on good things to do, often to the tune of 50% off or even free.