This week’s cheap & creative date is…

Pizza + Picnic!

What: Wintery indoor living room picnic – romantic date without leaving the house!
Where: Your home!
When: Whenever you want!
website - n/a

The ingredients to make a successful indoor picnic:

• At the grocery store, buy the ingredients for homemade pizza dough (see below) + a bottle of wine
• Cook pizzas together – a couple that cooks together, works together! {Rob’s personal favorite quote}
• Move any coffee tables out of the living room & lay a picnic blanket on the floor
• Gather all candles from around the house and light them around the picnic area
• Put on Frank Sinatra Pandora radio station (mood music per your discretion:))
• Turn off lights and let the candles illuminate your romantic indoor picnic!
• After wine & pizzas, you can also play cards by candlelight & continue to enjoy each others company at your indoor pic-a-nic!

Rob’s recipe for homemade pizza dough:
{3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1 pkt active dry yeast, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 1/2 cups water (110 degrees), 2 tbsp olive oil}

1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt in bowl. While mixer is running, add water and oil. Beat until ball forms.
2. Remove from bowl. Knead lightly into ball.
3. Oil inside of clean bowl. Place ball inside and cover. Let sit for 1 hour.
4. When breaking dough into pieces to knead flat, keep the remaining dough covered in bowl with a moist towel.
5. Add toppings, like mozzarella & ricotta cheese, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushroom, sauce, tomatoes – go crazy!
6. Bake individual pizzas at 425 degrees for approx. 12 minutes

Total: Pizza ingredients + wine = $20!

Happy Indoor Picnic Dating,

PocketBook Jess

This week’s cheap & creative date is…

Local Beer + Local Art!

What: Local brewery/restaurant & local art gallery/learning center
Where: Downtown – EB 161 N. High Street; CAC 139 W. Main Street
When: Elevator Happy Hour – Monday – Friday 3p-7p; Cultural Art Center – Monday-Thursday 7p-10p (earlier hours as well)
website - Elevator & Cultural Arts Center

Top reasons why this $20Date is awesome:

• The Elevator is one of our most favorite restaurants in all of Columbus. It wasn’t until recently that we were able to try their Happy Hour! (which is amazing!)
• Happy Hour = $3 drafts, $5 appetizers
• You can sample their draughts before committing. All of their Columbus-made brews are delicious, but my favorite is the Nut Brown Ale & Rob’s favorite is the Dark House – yum!
• After enjoying a great Happy Hour in a really neat (and historic) restaurant, we drove through Downtown to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Cultural Arts Center, also a historic building (formerly the Ohio Arsenal!)
• Free entry, this building carries charm and character.
• Galleries on the 1st and 3rd floor, all local artists and artisans.
• You can easily observe any of the classes going on, and there are many! We spoke to two different instructors – Rob wants to now take a sculpting class and I want to take a weaving class

Total: $5 Elevator Pizza + $5 Corn Brats Appetizer + $3 Draft + $3 Draft + tax/tip + free entry to CAC= $20!

Happy Dating,

PocketBook Jess

{As seen on Fox28′s Good Day Columbus}
This week’s cheap & creative date is…

Gyros + Bowling!

What: Fun, affordable bowling alley + family-owned authentic Greek food
Where: North Columbus – TCL – 5860 Roche Drive & YGG – 6196 Cleveland Avenue
When: TCL- Sunday-Thursday 9p-12a = specials! YGG – M-Th 11a-9p, F 11a-10p, Sa 12p-10p, closed Sunday
website - CapriBowling.com

Top reasons why this $20Date is awesome: 

• Mondays-Thursdays, 9p-12a = 90′s at 9:00! “Bowl at 1990 prices” $2/game, $3 shoe rental
• Mondays-Thursdays, 9p-12a ALSO = College ID nights! $8 gets you 2 games, shoes, slice of pizza & a beer! What?!
• Fridays & Saturdays = Rock ‘n  Bowl! 10p-2a, $3/game, $3 shoe rental
• Yanni’s is delicious! And family owned & operated with authentic yummy food. Making this local establish and must-try! {alas, I did not have my camera at Yanni’s…no pictures of delicious greek food}

Total: $10 to bowl for 2 (which includes 1 game & shoe rental) + 2 Small Gyros $3.95 each = $20 with tax!

Not to brag, but I won;)

Happy Dating,

PocketBook Jess

This week’s cheap & creative date is…

Live Music + Tacos!

What: Great local music in a great local bar + delicious authentic tacos (out of a truck!)
Where: Victorian Village – 251 West 5th Avenue (Taco Truck right next door!)
When: Happy Hour M-F 5-8 ; Los Primos is open late
website - TheShrunkenHead.net & Taqueria Los Primos

Top reasons why this $20Date is awesome: 

• Shrunken Head has great things going on throughout the week!
• Mondays = Comedy Open Stage, starting at 9p
• Wednesdays = Open Acoustic Mic Night, starting at 8p
• Fridays = Honky Tonk Happy Hour, 6p {Music, raffles, prizes, cheap drinks! Hosted by Matt Monta}
• Los Primos is right next door! Enjoy live local music, a couple of beers and then grab some tacos!
• The food is definitely quality, delicious and CHEAP!
• Their Happy Hour is GREAT! Seriously. Go during Happy Hour–you will be happy!
• 5-6p: $.50 PBR & Yuengling drafts & well liquors <–this is a crazy awesome deal
  
• 6-8p: $2 domestic bottles & well shots
  $3 imports & microbrew bottles
  $2 PBR 16oz – $3 PBR Tall Boys – $4 PBR 32oz drafts
  $3 House Wines

I went on this $20Date with my best good friend Justine!

Total = $4.50 (for 3 tacos) + $12 (4 microbrews) + tip = $20!

Happy Dating,

PocketBook Jess

This week’s cheap & creative date is…

Beer + Pizza!

What: Fun, upbeat bar + pizza truck & patio
Where: Short North – 1044 N. High Street (B) & 1030 N. High Street (LNS)
When: Happy Hour = M-F 4p-8p (B) ; M-F 3p-3a (LNS)
website - Bodega & Mikey’s Late Night Slice

Top reasons why this $20Date is awesome:

• Bodega has one of the best happy hours in all of Columbus!
• 1/2 off all drafts (over 50 drafts) from 4-8p, M-F – many, many craft, delicious beers
• Fun, artistic atmosphere
• Mikey’s is just a hop, skip & a jump from Bodega
• Mikey’s shows movies on the side of the building everyday when the sun goes down! This date was an episode of Ren & Stimpy:)
• Delicious yummy awesome pizza (with hilariously-named sauces)
• You can even do this date during the chillier months–the front of 83 Gallery has a seating area that is heated, so you can watch the movie while semi-outdoors.
• We would love to include 83 Gallery in on this date but they were closed when we went. (future addition to this date!)

Total = $11 for 4 drafts + tip + $3/piece of pizza ($6) = $20

Happy Dating,

PocketBook Jess