Disclaimer: I have received a complimentary Night In Box in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. You can view our full Disclosure Policy here.
We moved across the state in December 2017, away from our network of friends, family, and our beloved babysitters. We’ve been living in an apartment temporarily while our house is being built and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a little nutty when it comes to finding babysitters that I’m comfortable leaving my children with, but surely I can’t be the only one! As a result, date nights out have been temporarily scrapped.
Before we moved, hubby and I would try to go out a couple of times per month for date night or out with friends. It was a great way for us to reconnect and decompress. Staying home every weekend over the last 8 months has allowed us to reflect on how much we value our former date nights! So we needed to get creative with date nights in.
Enter the Date Night In Box! I stumbled across this fun new activity during one of my many Saturday nights in. The concept is great; it’s a monthly subscription service, whereby they deliver you a new box each month. Each box has a specific theme and the contents reflect the theme.
When you unpack the box, you’ll find a newsletter type publication. The publication has recipe ideas to make together as a couple, facts related to the theme of the box, and instructions on navigating through the box and its activities.
This month was the Aloha box and the theme was Hawaii. There was a nice note on the first page of the newsletter stating that a portion of the proceeds from the previous month’s Date Night In Boxes was donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Hawaii Island Volcano Recovery Fund. I love supporting businesses that give back, especially to very important and worthy causes.
The newsletter is helpfully indexed so that you know what is in your box and what to expect on your date night in. There is a column in the newsletter this month that features a relationship specialist. She includes questions for each person to ask their partner over dinner and explains the impact and purpose of these questions.
Hubby and I sat down on the couch to begin our date night. We lit the Northern Lights candle that was included in the box and went through the newsletter to follow it step-by-step. Because we had already eaten dinner, we opted out of trying the included recipes, but we did ask each other the ‘table talk’ questions provided by the relationship therapist. At first I could tell that my husband thought this exercise was going to be silly, but as I asked him the first question, “how does your partner enhance your view of the world?”, he gave it a considerable amount of thought and I could see the wheels turning. He came up with a very thoughtful and complimentary answer. As we progressed through the questions, our answers forced us each to reflect even more and to reminisce in certain instances. It was an unexpected yet beautiful way to connect.
Next, we made our cocktails that were included in the box. There were two Minute Mixology drink mix packets; coconut mojito and margarita. You only need to add ice and alcohol-pretty simple and pretty tasty!
The box included 3 games: Lei It On Me, Konane, and Aloha Bingo.
First, we played Lei It On Me. There was a deck of cards (slips of paper) that we divided evenly and we each filled out. Here’s where it got interesting, er…fun. Each card had a statement with a blank to be filled in and then a sort of ‘penalty’ box. Your partner has to guess what you filled in the blank and if they get it wrong, they have to perform what you wrote in the box. We’ll just leave it at that…I have to say, my husband got more answers correct than I did, but it was another fun way to connect and spark some romance on our date night in.
The box included 2 bags of Hawaiian kettle style potato chips. If we’re being honest, we didn’t taste them because we’re both on a health kick right now, but our twins liked them!
Next up, we played Konane. At first glance, I thought it was going to be like Mancala, because it has pretty colored stones. But after reading the instructions, it’s very similar to checkers. We had a really good time playing this game of strategy, and tucked it away for future use.
After Konane, we played Aloha Bingo. It’s exactly what it sounds like except when a letter/number combo is called, the player will locate the box and read what it says aloud for the other player to perform. The commands were cute, some are corny, but you know what? It really helps you to reconnect or rekindle any lost sparks.
I didn’t know what to expect from the Date Night In Box. The concept is adorable and is a great alternative to a night outside of the house. The content is very well thought out and very well presented in a neat little package. It forces you to take the time to connect, reflect, and most importantly, communicate. Often times when couples go a very long period of time without going out on a date, or when they get stuck into a routine, their communication suffers. These activities are not what you would typically do at home, so it forces you to be engaged and step outside of your usual comfort zone (read: it makes you turn off the TV and talk to each other!).
The boxes are offered individually or in package deals for 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions. Individual boxes are $34.95 per month, and subscription packages are discounted. I’ll admit, at first I thought the price point was a little high. But after consideration, if you factor in the cost of a babysitter for about an average of 4 hours, the price of dinner and/or drinks for two at a restaurant, you’re spending well over $100 for one date night out, and depending on where you live, maybe even closer to $200. So for a fraction of that cost, you have a complete date and you can even wear pajamas (ladies-this means no bra-who doesn’t love that?!). And sparking to romance with your partner=priceless.
Date Night In offers a few options for date boxes. There’s the Date Night In, the Faith box, and Kids Night In and Kids Faith boxes. I have sampled the Kids Night In Box, and you can check out my review of that box up on my blog through this link. So, if you’re looking for some new date night in ideas, check out one of these boxes. The beauty is that you don’t have to lock in each month, so if you’re budget conscious, this is a nice way to have a romantic date with your spouse for a fraction of the cost of a regular date night out.
To see all of the options, check out the Date Night In website using this link. Here’s a promo code for a free box when you subscribe to the 3, 6 or 12 month plans!
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
