Date Night Jar (Free, Digital and Printable)

A date night jar is a jar full of date ideas on slips of paper. When you can't decide what to do, you pull one and do it. This one is free and works on your phone: tap the jar to pull tonight's date, fill it from 170 color-coded ideas or your own, plan the month, share it with your partner, or print it as slips with cut lines and a jar label. No sign-up, no email gate.

How does the jar work?

1. Pull. The jar starts with 24 favorites. Tap it, it shakes, and a slip comes out.
2. Filter for tonight. Tired? Tap $0, At home and Under 1 hr together, or After bedtime for quiet ideas that need no shop run, and the jar only pulls ideas from your jar that fit. Each chip shows how many of yours match; if only a few fit, one tap tops it up from our list.
3. Say yes or pull again. Tap We're doing it and the idea moves to Done, with today's date. It will not come up again.
4. Plan ahead. Plan 4 dates picks one for each of your next four Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or weeknights. Swap any single date, pick the time, and add them all to your calendar with the idea in the notes.
5. Make it yours. In Fill, tick ideas from the full list of 170, type your own, or paste a list from your notes. Filter by type and cost.
6. Share or print. Send the jar so your partner can add ideas, or print it as folded slips, tickets or craft-stick strips, with a round jar label that has both your names.

What do the colors mean?

• Purple, at home: blanket fort movie night, cook a dish from a country you want to visit, a slow dance in the kitchen.
• Pink, out: a restaurant neither of you has tried, a pottery class, the thrift store outfit challenge.
• Green, outdoors: sunrise coffee walk, stargazing, a picnic in a park you have never been to.
• Yellow, adventure: a coin flip date, a day trip to a new town, a surprise date with no hints.
• Blue, game night: card game tournaments, charades with a timer, or a game face to face in Cupie.
• Teal, apart: cook the same recipe on a call, a watch party, a walk where you show each other your street.

Each idea also shows its cost ($0, $ or $$) and how long it takes, so you can build a jar that fits your budget and your week.

Tips for a jar you will actually use

• Keep about a third free. Free and at-home ideas are the ones you can do on a Tuesday.
• Be specific. "Bookstore date: pick a book for each other" gets done. "Go somewhere" does not.
• Add a few stretch ideas. One or two adventures per month keep it exciting.
• Agree on the rule. For example: one veto each per month, then you do what the jar says.

More ways to pick a date

• Want a random combo instead? Roll the date night dice.
• Stuck on dinner or the movie? Use the what should we eat and watch decider.
• Need more ideas for slips? See date night ideas at home, date night games and couple games with no equipment.
• Long distance? Start with our long distance date ideas.

What are the limits?

• Your jar is saved in this browser only. Clear your browser data and it is gone, so share the link to yourself as a backup.
• Anyone with the jar link can see the ideas in it. The link holds the jar, not your Done list.
• A shared jar is a copy. When your partner adds ideas, they send it back; it does not sync on its own.
• The calendar file sets each date for 7 to 10 pm. Move it in your calendar if that does not fit.