21 Solo Date Ideas That Cost Little or Nothing

A solo date is time you plan for yourself, doing something you enjoy, with nobody else’s diary to fit around. It can be free, it can happen at home and it can last half an hour. These 21 solo date ideas include free outings, small low-cost treats and things to do in your own room or flat.

You find a little café you’d love to try and send it to the group chat. One friend is working, another is saving, and “we should go” never turns into a plan. You can still go on your own.

My advice before you start: expect nothing. Nothing big will happen, and the first time might even feel a bit boring. That’s fine. You don’t need to be single or feel confident to try one. You only need an hour and one idea from this list.

How do you plan your first solo date?

Start with something you already enjoy, keep it short and go at a quiet time of day. Familiar activities make being on your own feel less strange.

If I were planning a first one, I’d keep it simple. A walk first, because outside nobody notices you’re alone. Then a café, but only for half an hour. If I liked it, I could stay longer. If I didn’t, I’d still have tried a new drink.

Go during the day. Loud groups put me off more than anything, and they’re much rarer on a weekday afternoon or a weekend morning than in the evening.

Decide your budget before you leave. Free counts. Remember to include the bus fare.

Sort the practical bits. Check opening times and how you’ll get home.

Give yourself one small job. Find a book with a good first sentence, photograph front doors or order a drink you’ve never had. A small focus helps when you’re not sure what to do with your hands.

It may go better than you expect. Researchers Rebecca Ratner and Rebecca Hamilton found that people often think they’ll enjoy going out alone less than they really do. In one of their studies, people who visited an art gallery on their own enjoyed it about as much as those who went with someone. The University of Maryland has a short summary of the research.

7 free solo date ideas outside your home

These cost nothing, apart from maybe a bus fare.

1. Go for a walk with a tiny photo challenge

A walk is the easiest solo date there is. When I’m out on my own, I mostly watch nature, and sometimes whatever’s going on around me.

Give your walk a small focus, like colourful doors, odd shop signs or reflections in puddles. Take a few photos just for you and use your favourite as your phone wallpaper.

Try this first: walk a route you know and look for five things in your favourite colour.

2. Browse the library without a reading list

Head to a shelf you never visit. Open a cookbook, flick through a photography book or pick a novel only because you like its first sentence.

Public libraries are usually free to join, and many run free events and small exhibitions, so check what yours has on. Leaving without a book is fine. If you do bring one home, a cosy reading corner in a small room makes it easier to sit down with it.

3. Visit a free exhibition

Look for a free gallery, museum display or community exhibition nearby. Check opening times and whether you need to book.

You don’t have to see every room. Find one thing that catches your eye and stay with it for a few minutes.

Try this first: pick the piece you’d take home if you could, then read its label.

4. Explore one street you always skip

Choose a street near somewhere you already know and walk it slowly. Look at shop windows, front gardens, murals and old buildings.

Keep it to a daytime walk in an area where you feel comfortable.

5. Have a picnic with what’s already in your kitchen

Pack a sandwich, leftovers or a few snacks, fill a water bottle and find somewhere nice to sit. A bench works just as well as a patch of grass.

Check the weather first and take a jumper or something to sit on.

Try this first: eat your usual lunch outside instead of buying special picnic food.

6. Find a free local event

Look at listings from your library, community centre, university or council. You might find an author talk, a craft demo, a lunchtime concert or an open studio.

Check that it’s free and whether you need to book. Pick something you’d enjoy watching even if you don’t chat to anyone.

7. Make a playlist and take it for a walk

Put together five or six songs for a mood you like, from cheerful pop to the songs you had on repeat at sixteen. Then take them on a route you already enjoy.

Keep the volume low enough to hear traffic and what’s happening around you.

Cheap solo date ideas for a change of scene

These cost a little, and you decide how little. Check prices before you go and count the bus or train in your budget. One small treat is enough.

8. Try the café you keep meaning to visit

This is the one I’d try after a walk. Half an hour, one drink, a seat by the window. Nothing special has to happen. You sit, you watch the street and you finish your drink.

I love tasting drinks I haven’t had before, so I’d go for whatever’s new on the board. A solo date is the perfect excuse, and nobody will ask why you ordered the lavender oat latte.

Check the menu online first so you know it fits your budget. Mid-morning and early afternoon are usually the quietest times.

Try this first: go to a café you already know before trying somewhere new.

9. Go to the cinema on your own

Pick the film you want to see without negotiating with anyone. Look for cheaper weekday screenings or discounts you can get, and check the rules on bringing your own snacks.

The film gives you something to focus on, so you don’t need to work out what to do once you’re there. Book an aisle seat if that feels easier.

10. Give yourself a second-hand book budget

Visit a charity shop or second-hand bookshop with a set limit, say one book. Read the first page before deciding if it comes home with you.

Leaving empty-handed is fine. Half the fun is finding a title so odd you have to take a photo of it.

11. Go out just for dessert

You can sit in a café or restaurant without ordering a whole meal. Choose somewhere that serves desserts on their own and check when they’re available.

Order the one you’re most curious about. You don’t need a birthday to justify a slice of cake.

Try this first: a bakery with a few tables feels less formal than a restaurant.

12. Take a short day trip

Choose a nearby town or neighbourhood that fits your travel budget. Plan one main stop, like a market or a park, and leave the rest of the time to wander.

Pack water and a snack, and check the times of trains or buses home. Keep the trip short enough that travelling doesn’t take up the whole day.

13. Browse a market and pick one small treat

Wander round a food, craft or vintage market. Look at what people make, chat if you feel like it and decide your spending limit before you arrive.

If something catches your eye, choose one thing within that limit. A handmade postcard, a fruit you’ve never tried or, in my case, a drink I’ve never had before.

14. Try a beginner class

Look for a cheap one-off taster session at a community centre, library or local studio. Drawing or pottery painting gives your outing a clear purpose.

Check the full price, including materials, and whether beginners can come alone. There will be other people there, but you still took yourself.

Try this first: book a single session before you think about a whole course.

Bonus idea: take some writing paper to a café and write a letter to a pen pal. Here’s how to find a pen pal safely.

Solo date ideas at home

Sharing a flat or living with family doesn’t rule these out. Headphones, a free corner and an hour when the kitchen is empty are enough.

15. Draw while an album plays

Pick an album and draw, paint or make a collage while it plays. Scrap paper and an old pen are fine.

Draw the view from your window or something a song makes you think of. You don’t need to be good at art first.

Try this first: draw for the length of three songs.

16. Set up a tiny tasting

Put a few things you already have on a plate: different apples, cheeses, chocolates or crackers with toppings. Taste them one by one and notice which you like best.

This is my kind of solo date, because I love trying new drinks. A few different juices or sodas side by side work just as well as food. If you buy something extra, keep it to one small thing.

17. Have a film night for one

Choose a film you’ve wanted to see, get comfortable and make a snack. Put your phone in another room if you want to follow the story properly.

Try this first: pick the film before you open a streaming app, so scrolling doesn’t become the whole evening.

18. Style your own wardrobe

Try new combinations with clothes you already own. Pair a favourite top with something you rarely wear, or see what a scarf or belt does to an outfit.

Take mirror photos of the outfits you’d wear again, so you remember them on a busy morning.

19. Learn one small skill

Find a free beginner tutorial and try something small, like an origami shape, a short dance routine or ten words in a language you’re curious about.

Check you have everything before you start. One finished paper crane is plenty for a first go.

20. Cook yourself one lovely plate

Make a dish you love or a small recipe you’ve been wanting to try. Cook a single portion where you can, or plan what you’ll do with the leftovers.

Set a place at the table, even if it’s a toastie. If you want something sweet afterwards, my stovetop cinnamon rice pudding for one is made for exactly this kind of evening.

21. Make a mini exhibition from your phone

Choose six photos from your camera roll and put them in an album with a theme, such as skies or small things that made you laugh. Give it a title and add captions if you like.

Keep it small enough to finish in one sitting. If you did the photo walk from idea 1, those pictures are a good place to start.

Fancy trying something with your hands? Here’s how to start a creative hobby when you think you’re bad at everything.

Which solo date suits today?

If you want something to focus on, go for a film or a class. If you’d rather keep it familiar, choose a café you know or stay at home.

On days when you don’t want to spend anything, try the library or a photo walk. My no-spend weekend plan has more ideas for enjoying what you already have.

Some days you’ll want company instead, and some days staying in will win. You can always change your plan.

A few questions about solo dates

Can I go on a solo date if I have a partner?

Yes. A solo date is simply time you spend doing something you enjoy on your own. It fits happily alongside time with a partner, friends or family.

What if I feel awkward or bored?

Start somewhere familiar, go during the day and give yourself one thing to do, like browsing books or watching a film. A bit of boredom the first time is normal, and you can leave whenever you want.

Do solo dates have to cost money?

No. A free exhibition, a picnic from your own kitchen or an evening of drawing all count.

How long should a solo date be?

Half an hour is enough for a first one. You can always stay longer if you’re enjoying it.

Start with one small plan

Pick the idea from this list you’d happily do with a friend, and do it on your own instead. Choose a day, check what you need and keep your expectations low.

If you enjoy it, do it again next month. If you don’t, you’ve learnt something about what you like, and there are 20 other ideas waiting.

For more small ways to slow down everyday life, start with slow living for beginners. If you’d like a free Slow Living Tracker to keep note of the small things that help, join the newsletter.

This post is part of my living alone series. You’ll find every article in one place in How to Enjoy Slow Living When You Live Alone.

With warmth,

Zeny

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