Most people seem to think that to have a great first date means you have to empty your bank account or max out your credit card just to impress your date and have a great time. A great first date or any date does not have to mean a couple of dozen roses and dinner by candlelight, although that is a very grand and a very romantic gesture.

The idea behind going out on a first date is to spend some time together with someone you like, get to know him or her and have a good time. A great first date does not have to be expensive, it just has to be something the two of you can have fun doing together. Take note that having fun together means both of you like whatever it is that the two of you decided to do on your first date. A first date where only one of you is having the time of his or her life is no good.

Here are some great first date or any date ideas that are certainly inexpensive, but definitely not cheap and yucky.

Date for book lovers:

• Go to a poetry reading or a book reading by an author you both enjoy.
• Sip coffee together, either at a coffee shop, your place or at your date’s place and read chapters of the same book to each other.
• Play a game of which quote came from which book and who wrote it. You can even set it up Jeopardy style.
• Sit at the beach or in your backyard under the moonlight and recite poems to each other. If you can recite a poem you made up especially for your date, all the better.

Date for movie lovers:

• Schedule a movie night at your place or your date’s, and then agree on what theme your movie night should be. If the two of you agreed on a horror night, then the movies you ought to watch should be horror and suspense flicks. Or you can agree to watch all the movies that you hated and point out to your date exactly why you hated that movie.
• There are some places like parks and museums that show good movies to the public for free. You can check out which places in your locale that do just that and make it a point to return the next time they do some showings.

Date for homebodies:

• A game of Poker or Scrabble. If you want to take it to the next level and do Strip Poker or Strip Scrabble, it is up to you.
• Spend time in the kitchen cooking each other’s favorite dishes. You can invite friends and family to eat what the two of you have cooked with you.
• Stargaze.

Date for those who love the outdoors:

• Go for a walk at the park or the local botanical garden.
• Go for a swim at the beach or build sandcastles. Make bets on which one of you will make the best sandcastle.
• Jog or work out together.
• Pull together a picnic basket and spend time at some secluded or isolated spot.

First dates or any date doesn’t have to be expensive. Great dates can be pulled off without spending too much. And if your first date is based on money, you may set a trend that you can’t afford or top in the future.

Book readings, movies, cooking at home, working out together oh my. It should be obvious that if you don’t match your interests well with your date then these date ideas won’t work for you. Make sure you use any available compatibility matching features the dating sites have to offer. If you need extra help, try a site like Chemistry.com, PerfectMatch.com or Eharmony.com which boast science based matchmaking and compatibility.