What do Strawberry and Champagne flavoured body dusts, edible massage souffles and a Lover’s Paintbox of Chocolate have in common? Well, they are all verrry classy, very adult bedroom play products from the divine range at Kama Sutra.

Far from seedy, the packaging and concept behind these lickable, kissable products will add a touch of grown-up fun to your usual romp!

Available to purchase from Kama Sutra online.

1. Donate Blood
Obviously not for the needle-phobic! But if you are both fit as fiddles, free of recent body art and not prone to fainting, seek out your local Red Cross centre and give some blood. God knows the world needs it.

2. Volunteer Your Time
There are plenty of ways you can help out by donating your own time. Contact a charity in advance rather than just turning up – and think about what might suit you and your date. Perhaps volunteering at a dog or cat shelter (they need to be walked and groomed and played with!), a soup kitchen (won’t ladle itself!) or helping disadvantaged children learn to read.

3. Pick Up Trash
Get geared up with gloves, trashbags and tongs and head to a favourite park or stretch of beach and make it beautiful again! Once you’re done, disinfect and grab some takeaway (or a pre-packed picnic) to enjoy in your newly cleaned space together!

4. Offer to babysit
Do you have a friend or relative that never seems to take time to themselves? Offer to babysit their kids for a little while – take them out to a park or the movies and give your loved one some much-needed quiet time! If you’re feeling extra generous, arrange a surprise for them to go and have a blow-wave or a spa treatment in the time off you give them! The smile on their face when you bring the kids back will be reward in itself!

5. Op-shopping at charity stores
Take your date shopping at a handful of charity stores. If you’re prepared to dig around, who knows what you might find? Beautiful vintage clothing, great denim, retro knick knacks… if all else fails, go to the uniform section and get some fantasy dress ups! Hel-lo Nurse!

Best of all, these are all under $30 as well! Cheap AND nude? Do dates get any better?

1. Cook dinner together – naked!
Den adores this idea… all I can think of is hot oil splatters and burning myself on the oven. We’ve never officially cooked together naked, but I imagine that donning nothing but an apron each could make for a nice compromise that keeps everyone’s everything intact. And perhaps don’t shallow fry anything… On second thoughts, maybe just a nice salad will do!

2. Strip Chess
Strip chess is great fun! The rules go like this; pawns are excluded. For every other piece you capture, your opponent removes one article of clothing. You’ll notice that this changes the entire strategy of the game. Screw taking their king! Take what you can, piece-by-piece and defend to the death right down to the last little castle… sacrifice nothing!

3. Take a Bath
Champagne, candles, soft music, bubbles… taking a bath together is up there on our best rated dates for a good reason. Good, old fashioned romance and seduction are not dead yet!

Pop out to the store and stock up on some indulgent goodies for you both to make the best of bathtime together… scented oils, handmade soap, luxurious body moisturizer for afterwards… delicious!

4. Online web chat date
This can be a bit of fun for a night in together. Get onto separate computers in separate rooms of the house, find a private chatroom or a secure IM connection and hook up your webcams for some cheeky cybersex with each other! You don’t have to START naked… but I think we all know it’s a distinct possibility that it’s going to end up that way!

5. Treat your sweetheart to a massage
Spread an old sheet or towel out on your bed and tell your sweetie you’re going to give them an amazing massage! Gather everything you will need – massage oil (sweet almond oil from the health food store is best), a hand towel for wiping off, turn off the phone. Leave the room while they strip off and cover themselves with a towel and then come back in and begin. Make sure you indulge them with a good 15-20 minutes of massage before you put the moves on and ‘accidentally’ knock their towel off them…

Check out Make Your Partner Melt for some great massage tips to get you started.

6. Play Wii
You’ll have a ball playing the Wii in the buff! Wii tennis, Wii bowling, Wii yoga…

7. Life Drawing/Photography Session At Home
Pick up some art supplies or whip out your digital camera if you’re handy with it and have a night at home learning something new while also posing for each other. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never tried drawing or photography before! The internet is a great place to start. Try these posts from Digital Photography School or Artist Instruction Blog to kick you off. Now all that’s left is to convince your sweetie to pose…

8. Strip sport
Much the same as strip chess, this is one great way you can get involved in a sporting game if your sweetie loves them and you don’t, or if there’s a big game on that you feel obliged to watch but honestly couldn’t care less.

Pick a side each for the game, agree on how many points constitutes removal of opponent’s clothing (i.e. for soccer you can do one item per goal safely; for basketball you may want to negotiate for every ten points…) Then barrack hard for your team and bask in sweet success as your partner strips down, piece by piece!

9. Skinny Dipping
Find a quiet (and safe!) lake or swimming pool and indulge in a late-night skinny dip under the stars with your sweetheart!

10. Nude Beach
Look around online and find out where your closest nude beach is, then take a day trip with your sweetie and get naked with a bunch of other people! Obviously, this date isn’t for everyone but if you think your partner has the, ahem, balls (so to speak!) for it, then surprise them with the destination once you’re there. Pack a lunch, drinks and of course, loads of sunscreen!

Any of you lovebirds out there got any others for us? (Aside from the obvious!)

Main picture source: Numero Magazine issue 104 ‘Pool Service’.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is my most favourite book of all time, and from what I can see from the first official trailer Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana have certainly done it justice. I. Can’t. Wait. For. This. Movie! I’m going to pre-purchase tickets for a special Gold Class date night with Den.

For anyone out there looking to impress their mushy, romantic, rose-tinted-glasses sweetheart, I suggest you do the same.

I don’t get it… I spent the better part of last night having a discussion about relationship problems with a friend of mine.

One comment made was that his partner actually said “you never do anything spontaneous or take me out anywhere anymore – simple things like going for a hike!”

I almost fell off my chair – stunned, mouth wide open and brow lifted so high that my eyes almost popped out. “Mate, why we having this conversation? Have you forgotten about $30 Date Night – these are the things Emma and I do – there’s a website FULL of date ideas!!!”

The more I get involved with $30DN the more I’m learning about peoples relationships.

A couple of weeks ago, I was out for a drink with one of my best mates, Gath (yep – his parents couldn’t afford the “r” when they named him). Gath pretty much knows the ins and outs of $30DN… he was there at the conception of the idea and pretty much gets the review of most date nights Emma and I do…

The topic of motivation in a relationship came up – and who the target market would be for $30DN. He thought that new / fresh relationships would be the type of people who would do date night. I agree, but it’s the long term relationships that get the most benefit and wish that the long termers were the ones that used the site.

These days it seems that the younger couples are getting more out of date night – with a recent comment from a friend saying that a guy took her out on their first date to a GOLF driving range. She loved it, it was so different…

Seems like the longer couples stay in relationships the less effort they want to put into it. My friend with the relationship woes has been with their partner for 10 years now.

• Are you in a long term relationship?
• Does your partner ask you to be more spontaneous, and want to do more exciting things?
• Can you really be bothered?

Politicians, the media and dating ‘experts’ are all weighing in on the issue, making me wonder when the subject of a husband and wife’s date night became a political vote-grabbing tool.

From The New York Times, June 5 2009:

THEIRS is a seasoned marriage, 16 years and counting. They are middle-aged. Life is that modern-crazy haze: two girls in the windstorm of year-end school activities, the puppy that must be walked twice daily, the live-in mother-in-law. They both work long hours. Standard recipe for a drive-by relationship.

Relationship experts are applauding the first couple for giving life to the modern fantasy that longtime spouses can still be passionate about each other. Intentionally or not, the Obamas have become ambassadors for date night, a term that is a creature of these times. A generation ago, when Saturday night rolled around, parents simply went out. Now parents need to be prodded to date each other, as if they’re singles: take a break from the children, already!

Everyone should be following their lead. Our fast-paced modern lives are doing us no favours. A slew of problems, ranging from depression to exhaustion to divorce have all been attributed to our lifestyles. We are working harder and longer than ever before, connected 24-hours a day to technology and suffering for it.

I think that the health of The Obamas’ relationship should be of paramount concern to the country. The Obamas are going through one of the most important phases of their lives, and it is vital that the stresses of running a country (and indeed leading the rest of the world in the process) don’t take their toll on the relationship and leave everyone far more stressed than need be. If you don’t have a healthy personal life, you can’t be effective at work.

So we have big love for The Obamas, regardless of the amount of money they are spending on themselves. I say they deserve it! What do you think?

Of course, we at $30 Date Night have long known that you don’t need to fly your sweetie across the country to make date night special…. date night can be just as effective if you spend only $30. The key to doing date night right is not the amount of money you spend, it’s doing new things together that keeps your relationship healthy. Maybe we can convince The Obamas to try ten pin bowling or ice skating next time?

Now go! Get inspired and book a date night with your lovebird this week! Hundreds of fun ideas are waiting for you…

Last night I watched some talk show with Kevin Bacon in it discussing master-googling or google-bating, whichever you want to call it. Basically – its where you google yourself to see what comes up.

And so, I’ve just googled ThirtyDollarDateNight.com to check out who’s talking about our date ideas site and what’s being said. And I found a blog called Tame the bear

The blog post cracked me up – it was a nice post which gave credit to $30DN and paid attention to the sites many lame date ideas. I agree, pitching a tent in your backyard isn’t my top date idea either and doesn’t really work where we live – 19 floors up in the CBD.

And worse = “Meet for a jog in a scenic park, get sweaty and take it from there.” YEP, another non-inspiring date idea, although I seriously considered this date idea for a good laugh.

See back before Ems and I got together I devised a plan to get her into bed… or at least strip off to minimal clothing and see what comes of it… so I announced a “hottest body competition.” 4 months of training and then strip off and see who is looking better. She took the bait and we trained… we decided to run together as additional cardio to existing training regime. (Ems was already heavily into dance and I was a regular at the gym).

Running with Emma was something else… I didn’t think it was possible but Emma’s running style is like an epileptic fit while in motion. Embarrassing (for me) at the time, and a source of endless entertainment these days – run Forrest!

Anyhoo – my point to this post is – Tame the Bear, I agree… there are so many date ideas on $30DN that are lame. But that’s what I like about it… it’s the lame ideas that create low expectations – so when the date turns out crappy you’re not disappointed.

Yes, some are totally stupid and we try to filter out suggestions like “stare into each other’s eyes for an hour at sunset.” Shoot me instead!!!

But in many cases the lame date ideas turn out to be the most fun, simply because your expectations are so low – also you’re pushing comfort circles, doing new things out of routine keeps your relationship fresh and maintains new conversation, even if your both discussing how lame the night is – at least you’re still engaging with each other.

So, Tame the Bear… here is your challenge – grab your special friend for a lame date night and pitch that tent in your backyard. I know you hate the idea but suck it up for one night. Make sure you figure out some entertaining things to do during your campout – don’t actively sabotage the experience by making it boring (and don’t go into the house – maybe only for toilet breaks.) Then let rate the lameness.

This challenge goes out to anyone else who places the “approval of lame” stamp on the pitch a tent in your backyard date idea.

Send me your review of how lame this date idea actually was once you’ve done it?

Move over Rockpool, Vue De Monde and Nobu… there’s a hidden secret out there that deserves a chef’s hat (Michelin star) from each of you. Sure I’m no food critic, but I do love my food! And yes, my opinion may not mean much, but this is it… and here it is!

Food gets me going – I love it! Colors, textures and tastes – it’s all amazing to me! I love fine dining restaurants, but I cannot stand snobby upperclass wannabies that only eat at such places. And it seems that this is the type of people the $30 Date Night site attracts – go figure?

Kind of sad tho… I just checked the stats out on the Elwood RSL date idea, and 9 voters have voiced their opinion about the Elwood RSL… 3 love it / 6 hate it.

6 crazy people!!!

I announced to Emma that I was taking her out for Date Night and that we would be dining out for the evening. Last month Emma cut me down – she cut me deep with an “apparent lack of effort into date night.” So I felt it was necessary to warn her that she should not expect too much of what is in store for her.

Her next question was “Do I need to change for tonight?” I said “No.”

(see right –> Emma was wearing jeans and some cheap-ass chequered cowboy top – geez I really hope she doesn’t read this post – or else she’ll kill me!)

Ems responded… “We’re going to the Elwood RSL,aren’t we?” I answered… “D’OH.”

The surprise element to the evening was blown, but at least she knew what she was in for = no disappointment as Em’s expectations were now low.

When we reached the RSL the place was packed. Yep, who would have thought that I needed a booking? So for your reference, here’s the number (03) 9531 4331. Remember guys, this restaurant is based in Melbourne Australia. Funnily enough, Ems was not that annoyed – hoorah! Bless the lack of expectations!!!

When seated we were given the menu - YUM. The choices – so many… do I have Steak and Guinness Pie or the Roast?

What of a dill of a pickle to be in… BOTH dishes cost under AUD$15 and they both come with garlic mash which didn’t make the choice any easier. There’s no table service so you have to go to the counter to order and pay. Easy – I’ll let the chick at the counter decide what I want…

“Sorry – we’ve run out of both the pie and the roast!” Ahh dammit!!!! I was sooo looking forward to eating both of them! Counter lady wasn’t too bothered by my puppy dog face.. she bounced back with “have the eye fillet, its only $24.”

Steak and I have this kind of bond you see… we like each other – a lot! But it takes a special kind of place to cook a good steak. Even my favourite steak houses don’t seem to get it right half the time. So I was a little dubious – AND the steak broke our budget of the $30 date night… bah, rules are meant to be broken. I went for the steak – Em’s had a burger.

The Elwood RSL had a 3 man band playing (Whisky Gypsies) which were amazing! A taste of Acoustic European – don’t ask me what that means… they played a U2 track, I guess Ireland falls into the Europe category??? But the highlight of the night was the steak… OH MY GOD!!! Cooked to perfection, this place knows what medium rare means – and the cut was magnificent! I want to go back there again tonight!

You know what – I can keep raving about this place for the next 3 posts but I’m going to stop right here… if you live in Melbourne – make the Elwood RSL your date night this week! Em’s and I had a blast, you can get away with 2 massive meals for under $30 but realistically with drinks it may cost you a little more. We spent close to $60 after buying the most expensive meal on the list as well as 4 glasses of wine… that is still amazing value!

The Dralion show is in Melbourne at the moment, and it was breathtaking. Held under the custom-made Chapiteau, it was one of the most amazing, inspiring scenes I’ve ever witnessed. The amount of precision and dedication the performers executed every tiny thing with was extraordinary. Doing things I had no idea the human body was even capable of… well, if they can do THAT then what CAN’T someone do if they put their mind to it?

Yoga on a Stick

From the opening act (“Yoga on a Stick”, as a friend so aptly called it!) with a young girl contorting herself into incredible positions, all with perfect control, on one hand, on top of, well, a stick – to the trampolinists, acrobats, clowns, jugglers and aerialists… live music, real drama (they didn’t always make the trick the first time – which made you appreciate how damn HARD some of it really was – but they were always given a chance to do it again and they ALWAYS got it the second time), emotional crescendos and stunning costumes, I was captivated and so was Den.

The Love Scene was my particular favourite (duh.) – graceful, romantic and airborne all at once. I think Den liked the trampolines, but I’ll let him weigh in on that in the comments.

The point is, seeing art that blows your mind right out of your usual comfort zone creates an amazing buzz and inspires a spark between you. Not to mention, art feeds your heart and soul in a very tangible way.

So, whatever your kind of art is – gallery, opera, Broadway, plays, rock concerts… splash out and treat your sweetie to an exceptional, arty date night you know they will love.

This cute little couple are both 90 years old, married 62 years… how much fun are they having?! I’m willing to bet they do date night…