Dates
on a
Shoestring
Ten cheap tips for keeping
a relationship humming
along.
T
UJ
w
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LU
LU
go
here she was, navi-
gating toy store
aisles crammed
with ecstatic tod-
dlers and harried
parents, picking out
her childhood fa-
vorites: Legos, Play-
ROBIN SOSLOW doh and other
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS creative playthings.
Jodi Nordmann
wasn't looking for a
niece's birthday gift.
She wasn't search-
ing for the child
within.
Rather, the re-
cent Johns Hopkins
University graduate
was hoping to find
some novel ways to
turn a rainy Sunday
into a funday with
her boyfriend.
"I brought over a
surprise package
filled with all of
these constructive
kiddie toys," said
Ms. Nordmann. The
reaction? "He loved
it — we had so
much fun."
No matter how
serious or casual a relationship is,
after the first few weeks couples
usually find themselves scratch-
ing their heads when it comes to
dating ideas. Desperation can set
in.
However, a little imagination
goes a long way in keeping things
fresh in a relationship. The same
goes for any friendship. The sug-
gestions below can add that es-
Robin Soslow writes about the
single life from Ocean City.
sential element of fun back into
your life, as long as your mind is
open.
• Go garage sale-ing. A tank of
gas, a pocketful of change and
you're in business. Check news-
papers for estate sales, garage
sales and yard sales. Browsing
won't cost you a cent, and bar-
gains won't cost you much more,
and the crazy things people col-
lect can be a great source of con-
versation.
"Ken and I were just driving
around and decided to stop at a
garage sale," said Cynthia Hoff-
man, who lives in Columbia. "It
was the most guilt-free shopping
I'd ever done," said Ms. Hoffman.
She found a possibly antique tele-
phone table and other accent
pieces for just a few dollars, while
Ken picked through countless
"pre-owned" record classics, an
economical way to satisfy a chron-
ic music addition.
•
Cruise the
karaoke scene. Some
clubs charge no cover
on karaoke nights.
You can have fun for
hours watching oth-
ers get up on stage
and sing along with
their favorite hits,
prompted by lyrics on
the video monitor.
And if the spirit
moves you, you might
just find you can belt
out the tunes, too.
• Hop on the learn-.
ing curve. Libraries
and schools are just
some of the places you
can find course sched-
ules for adult educa-
tion classes nearby.
Take the opportunity
to learn another lan-
guage, so you'll be pre-
pared for that trip to
the Continent. Course
choices range from
the practical, from re-
finishing furniture
and gardening, to the
g more esoteric, such as
water-color and wine-
3 tasting.
Or perhaps you'd
...>" prefer something
more physical — sign
up for a karate class
together.
- • Give it the old col-
lege try. Check out nearby colleges
and universities to see what low-
cost and no-cost events they offer
to the public. You can have a won-
derful time at student film festi-
vals, plays, concerts, outdoor
festivals and art shows.
• Go antiquing . Get out a li-
brary book and study up before
you hit the trail Laurie S. recently
took a country drive just to
browse, and came back to her new
Silver Spring house with an an-