30 Things to Do as a Couple Instead of Binge-Watching Netflix

 

 

ICYMI: We’re in the midst of a global pandemic. Finding something to do as a couple that isn’t binge-watching Netflix (or any other streaming platform) is pretty damn hard right now. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Thanks to pretty much every form of entertainment going virtual to accommodate with These Times, you have lots of date options that don’t involve your couch. And while there’s a time and place for Netflix always, here are 30 other things you can do with your significant other that don't involve your TV:

1. Take a love language test and compare results. It’s an easy Internet test that tells you how you prefer to give and receive love. (And not to get all deep or anything, but I’m convinced mismatched love languages are the number one reason why people breakup.) It'll also give you the same type of high you'd get from a choose your own adventure show.

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2. Now, take an apology language test and compare results. It's the same thing, only this one tells you how you prefer to give and receive an apology. (Consider this practice for the next time you and your partner fight over the remote.)

3. Do each other’s birth charts. Spend some time Googling what exactly your rising, moon, and sun sign means, and then see how compatible you are with each other. I'm sure this is definitely something already mentioned in The Goop Lab, anyway.

4. Play a little Spotify game. Give your partner a prompt like “play me a song that reminds you of me” and then listen to the song together. Go back and forth with different prompts until you learn something about your person you wouldn't have learned from watching Grey's Anatomy.

5. Do that fun TikTok #4coursechallenge trend. Here's the game: You and your partner play "rock, paper, scissors" to determine who will pick where you go for drinks, then an appetizer, then dinner, and finally dessert. Obviously because we're in a global pandemic, you'll want to keep this take-out only th0ugh, folks.

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Date night with step sis? @jessspappas #foryou #4coursemealchallenge #fyp #foodtok

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6. Better yet, learn a TikTok dance together. To be honest, that shit will take you all day and work you out more than any show on Netflix will.

7. Go on a bike ride. I promise, it’s actually kind of fun? Not only do you get some fresh air with your partner, but you also get in a tiny lil workout that doesn’t feel much like a workout at all.

8. Cook your favorite take-out meal. Peep your Seamless account and see what the recurring to-go dinner in your queue is. Then head online to find a recipe and stop by the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. You’re about to make some bomb pad Thai!

9. Watch and listen to a virtual concert. You can check online for local writers’ rounds.

10. DIY something for your home. Whether it’s something you have to hang up or finally putting that IKEA table together, working together on a task can be great for your communication skills. By the way, this “date” works if you really just want your S.O. to help you with something.

11. Go to a local chocolate shop. Take turns trying the chocolates from assortment boxes and guessing the flavor. It’s sexy and erotic, and the brown goodness is actually an aphrodisiac too.

12. Explore a neighborhood in your city that you’ve never been to before. Find some quaint local shops or a new place to eat. If your town isn’t that exciting (or big), just pick a place off in the distance and drive to it. It’s kind of like clicking on a randomly recommended Netflix show without looking at the synopsis or rating first. Just remember to mask up. Always.

13. Sign up to watch a virtual play. It’s like a movie you can watch on Netflix, except it happens right in front of you, live—err, via Zoom.

14. Have sex. It’s that thing everyone does when they’re not drooling over Bridgerton. You two can just do it together.

15. Go on a picnic. You need to enjoy the outdoors every once in a while. Just bring plenty of sunscreen, since you’re probably pasty white after going through every season of Riverdale.

16. Get a workout in. Imagine if the hours you spent burning through your Netflix queue were spent doing burpees instead. You would probably be bodybuilders by now.

17. Binge-watch...the universe. Go outside at night and just stargaze. Take it all in. Try to find constellations and planets.

18. Go to a museum together. Museums are where people went to learn about historical artifacts before Pawn Stars was available online.

19. Take a virtual painting class together. YouTube has so many how-to vids.

20. Make cupcakes. Cupcakes just make everything better.

21. Play a board game. You can still do this wrapped in Snuggies, lying on the couch lazily, and eating pizza. If you want to make sure you stay up way too late, play Monopoly.

22. Read to each other. Books are like TV shows that have subtitles the whole time and no pictures (assuming you’re reading at your age level). If you’re looking to do something as passive as binge-watching, get the book on tape and let someone else do the reading for you.

23. Read the same book and talk about it. You can even read separately on the couch and lounge around and discuss stuff afterward, just like you’d do with Ozark.

24. Binge-listen to Serial. It’s like Broadchurch or Twin Peaks, but you can listen to it in your car. Or in your home while you’re staring at the wall. Either one.

25. Give each other hand massages. It’s not quite as committal as a full-body massage and it doesn’t take as much effort. Think of it as watching the first episode of a show you’re not sure about.

26. Make fun cocktails, like margaritas with salt on the rim, and drink them while looking at and talking to each other. As in...not at a screen. Engage each other in actual conversation instead of watching other people have a conversation onscreen because that takes less effort. If you want to really go crazy, turn off your phones too.

27. Make a bucket list of things you want to do together. Hopefully you’ll actually check off some of these things, but just planning stuff to do together can be a ton of fun. You might even learn new things about each other.

28. Read TripAdvisor reviews for restaurants in your area and try one you haven’t been to before. It’s a nice way to venture out of your comfort zone, like watching a show your friend Brad from high school recommended.

29. Look at New Yorker cartoons or other comics you both like. It’ll make you feel classy, like watching Mad Men.

30. Put your phone in airplane mode for an entire day you spend together so you can focus on just each other. When was the last time you didn’t binge-watch a show and just found out what your partner has been up to? They might have some interesting office gossip to share. It might even be as funny as something on The Office.