Cheap Dates That Won't Make You Look Like a Cheap Date

Creativity and Thoughtfulness Are Keys to Pulling Off a Thrifty, But Fun Date

Good news, daters: you don't have to fret about dropping a wad of cash to ensure you and your datemate have a swell time.

Read: Stay Happy with these Healthy Date Ideas

In these particularly challenging economic times, whipping out your credit card or draining your bank account simply aren't necessary to have a fun, memorable date (and should never be a prerequisite for impressing your date, anyway).

And thanks to a ModernMan.com feature, real-life daters have shared plenty of specific ideas for cheap date night plans that will wow any potential (or current) love match. Like …

Read: Date Ideas For Your Long Weekend

-- At-home couples massages, via a message therapy school trainee;

-- Pack a picnic, and get creative with the location, like a local winery, special park or another more private location that has special meaning to you;

-- Think opposites: go places in the off-season (beach towns in the winter, ski lodges in the summer, for example) to save bucks;

-- A planetarium. Love this one, and yes, partly because it reminds us of Ross and Rachel's first date on Friends, one of the most romantic TV dates ever;

Read: What to Do on Valentine's Day: Date Ideas That Don't Suck

-- And our fave: "My husband once borrowed a projector from his office and essentially created a drive-in in our backyard. I came home from work and he'd set up beach chairs with blankets, popcorn, and beer, and Wet Hot American Summer ready to play. It was way better than watching Netflix in bed for the gazillionth time," one woman told ModernMan.com.

Check out ModernMan.com's complete list of cheap date suggestions, and then tell us: What are your favorite cheap date ideas? Share 'em in the comments section and consider it your good deed for the day to your fellow romantics.