We humans are creatures of habit and it’s easy to get into ruts.
For example, a Thursday afternoon conversation on the way home from work with my husband might sound something like this:
Me: “So, what do you think about grabbing something while we’re out tonight for dinner?”
CJ: “Sounds good to me.”
Me: “Great—because I didn’t feel like cooking, either. Where do you want to go?”
CJ: “We can go to Lil Tex.”
(It’s about two blocks away, near downtown, and doesn’t take much effort for us to get there.)
Me: “OK. Do you want to stop at the house first, or go straight there?”
CJ: “I’d like to swing by the house before we go.”
Yawn. While I love Lil Tex’s chicken fried steak and downhome Texas atmosphere, after a while we realize we’ve slid into a routine.
If you’re in the mood to try something different when spending time with your sweetheart, a penny date just might be the thing to do.
The instructions are simple enough to follow:
1. Get dressed to go out and grab a penny.
2. Let your partner choose a number between 10 and 20.
3. Head out of your road and begin. Flip the penny. Heads is right, tails is left.
4. Every time you come to a junction, flip the penny and turn in that direction.
5. Once you get to the number, stop and look around. Make a date where you are.
Amy and Dan, two good friends of ours, tried the penny date one day, and they ended up about 58 miles from home, having supper at a Red Lobster. Sounds delicious to me! I would suggest making sure you have enough gas in your vehicle before starting out.

I’ve heard Canada phased out the penny. Is this true? If so, what to do?
Have you ever tried a penny date with your spouse, fiance’, or boyfriend?
If so, where did you end up?
If not a penny date, what other kind of unique date ideas do you have?
Fifty eight miles is a long way to drive for Red Lobster, but I suppose it’s quality time together riding in the car. :) I’ve never heard of the penny date, Lynette, but it sounds like fun.
I’ve never heard of a penny (here in Australia- cent?) date before, sounds interesting. My husband and I met at university so came up with lots of low cost, date ideas- pizza in the back of a friend’s old car overlooking the lake near uni, foot rally dates, canoeing, outdoor movies, treasure hunts and so on. Great memories and lots of fun:)
I’ve never heard of a penny date before but it sounds like fun, but not practical in a big city (imagine the crazy places where we can end up).
My husband and I usually end up cooking elaborate dinners at home when we want something different and sometimes we even dress up a little bit to get into a nice atmosphere.
This is a great idea! I’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing :)
This sounds like so much fun! I’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing :)
Sorry – my computer stuttered. Feel free to delete the duplicate.
We’ve not ever tried the penny date, but we did go on a geocaching date once which was kind of neat.
I love your ideas for the penny date! I once went on a date where we were let loose in Walmart and were given a $5.00 limit to buy something for the other person. It was a lot of fun, and a sweet date too! You could do this at the dollar store/tree as well!
Yes, Canada phased out the penny a few years ago, but really, any coin will do, as it’s not your spending limit on this kind of date, just a way of choosing left or right. :)
I am from Canada, and it is strange to go to the States now and be given back change that has pennies in it. If people pay by credit card or a cheque, they pay they exact amount, but if you pay by cash, they round the total up or down to the nearest five cents.
I have never heard of a penny date, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
This is such a cool idea! I love it. Now… I don’t think my husband would like it, but I think it sounds fun.
I have never heard of a penny date. What a cute idea!
That sounds fun. I might have to give that a try sometime — my hubby is very spontaneous, so he’s likely to adore it. I…will try not to cheat and say it’s heads when it isn’t. :)
I’ve never heard of a penny date either. Hubby and I like to use our phones when we’re out to find places to eat along the way. We do this mostly when we’re traveling. We google the name of a nearby town and find the restaurants. We’ve eaten at some very interesting places by using that method.
No I have never heard of a Penny Date, but what a marvellous idea. I think once my hubby is recovered from his surgery, we will have to do this. What fun – not knowing where you will end up. We all tend to get into a rut – what a wonderful way to break the cycle :-)
I have never heard of the penny date but I love the idea. I will definitely try it.
Priscila, that sounds like fun! A fancy dinner at home without the high price tag of going out. :)
Lynette, fascinating post :) I’ve never heard of penny dates before and they sound fun. 58 miles is a long way to travel for dinner, lol.
That’s okay! :-) thanks for stopping by.
I have friends who go geocaching. I’ve never tried it, but it sounds interesting!
Lori, that does sound fun. Especially on a tight budget! :-)
:)
We’ve done that too. :-) I love the convenience of cell phones!
In Texas, it’s not so far. I think it’s because of our road systems, but I would only do this on a Saturday or a rare day when we have nothing else to do! :-)
I think so too. :-) I hope he recovers soon so you get the chance to go. :-)
I’ve never heard of the penny date either! I’d be afraid we’d end up somewhere and not be able to find our way back…haha!
Since we live in a small town, good restaurants are few and far between. No Red Lobster, Applebee’s, Olive Garden, etc to be had. What we have for fancier dinners is quite pricey so we just end up at Subway, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizza, or our favorite BBQ place. Or barring that, we may splurge and go to the grocery store in search of the discount meat section for a nice steak or something. We’ve even been known to take a short drive, stop at the deli section of a store & go to a park to eat. Those are the best dates!