I like to think of this blog as yes primarily being about navigating personal finances as a young professional but also I like to share about doing life as a young professional too! I try to set goals for myself each year, and each year I try to stick to them (my 2022 financial resolutions). This year Mrs. Money and I took a little end-of-year trip just the 2 of us, and we had lots of time to reflect on our relationship, our life and our goals moving forward.

One such goal that we set for ourselves this year was doing a monthly date night. In years past we’d been good not great about spending time just the two of us, and post BabyMoneyFinance and SegundoMoneyFinance we went from good not great to not even that good. We don’t have family in town nearby so we rely on babysitters. This presents a challenge to the financially minded young professional like myself; going out on a date suddenly becomes all the more expensive.

However in 2022, Mrs. Money and I challenged ourselves to commit and make a monthly date night happen! Here’s how it’s fared for us this year.

Why we set this goal

Life is busy. If feels like we always have plenty going on in our personal and professional lives. Things came grinding to a halt during COVID but now things feel back to normal, if not busier than before! As part of this busyness we often have to not prioritize things as much and Mrs. Money and I found that quality couple time for ourselves was something that was not prioritized. Being a parent comes with a lot and being the parent of two kids comes with even more! We would finally get the kids in bed and collapse on the couch for some TV time, which we found, wasn’t as life giving as it could have been. We would often just scroll on our phones while halfway watching TV.

We realized how much we missed the opportunities to go out to eat (I mean we all did during COVID right?) we missed the chance to go to shows, go to the movies, see a sporting event. So at the end of 2021 when we were setting goals for ourselves, we set a goal of doing a ‘monthly date night’. That would involve getting a babysitter and going out to do something. It could end up being a group date or just the 2 of us!

Why I view it as an investment

It’s always a running joke that being YoungMoneyFinance involves always trying to spend less money and make cuts wherever possible. So it may seem odd that a personal finance blogger is talking about how it’s important (IMO) to prioritize a monthly date night where I go out and spend money! As much as I’ve learned how expensive it is between the meal out, the transportation (uber/parking), the before or after activities (i.e. pre-dinner cocktail or post-dinner ice cream!) and then of course paying the babysitter! All in all it always ends up being an expensive night, even if we don’t ball out.

However, as expensive as I’ve learned it can be, I’ve also learned the value that it’s given us. An investment will always involve an upfront and/or maintenance cost, but the return you get from that initial investment is ideally going to be higher (otherwise it’s a bad investment). For us we’ve seen a huge return in the form of strengthening our relationship, having fun, making memories and really just enjoying life more. Good things take work and our marriage is something we really value and want to pour into it!

How it’s fared for us

Honestly a monthly date night has proven to be so valuable and life giving into our relationship. It had been a few years since we really had been on many dates (with kids then 2020 really slowing us down) and I’d almost forgotten how much fun a night out with my partner can be! This year we’ve done: a soccer game, a yachtrock concert, dinners out, a comedy show and even a staycation for a night away! As expensive as these events are (plus the babysitter!) we have more than for sure gotten our money’s worth in terms of the value received!

Summary

Life is not all about the numbers or the budget, but sometimes it can take a bit of work and planning! Figure out what’s important  in your own life and start to prioritize and invest in those areas!