The Hungry Runner Girl: How to go on a date when you are dirt poor because you spend all your money on running shoes

Saturday, January 8, 2011

How to go on a date when you are dirt poor because you spend all your money on running shoes

Hey mom and the other 2 people that call or text me.....I am phoneless again. I guess iphones don't like to hang out in the snow.

1-Don't wash your hair....shampoo is expensive you guys.

2-Seek your entertainment at Barnes and Noble. I am reading Portia's biography and I am half way through thanks to 3 trips to the bookstore. $25 saved.

a. While at said book store skip the hot cocoa and get two plastic cups of water and close your eyes and pretend it is a thick creamy cocoa dream.

b. How could I forget....read a Runners World or two, heaven forbid I spend $14 on a subscription.

my head could eat Billy's head.

3. Have awesome in-laws that give you restaurant gift cards to your favorite restaurante and eat there for your date. Don't worry when people stare at the weird things you are doing, you will never see them again.

a. Smile real big to the employees so they load up your salad with extra guac and pico.

b. Accidentally grab a bunch of napkins and plastic forks because you may have just ran out of them at home.

(I think I might need to clean tomorrow)

3- Finish the night off with Hulu and eating straight from the bag of chocolate chips with a reheated hot chocolate that your student teacher brought you because I am classy like that.

What is your favorite date night activities?

-Keep it clean, my mom reads this at least 17 times a day.

-I love dinner, movies and reading.....seriously doesn't get better than that.

How often do you clean your house?

-Pick-up probably twice a week and deep clean once a week.

If you could choose one restaurant to get a free gift card to right this second, what would it be?

-Wahoo's fish taco's.... and the gift card would have to include flying me to cali so I could eat there.

62 Comments:

At January 8, 2011 at 7:56 AM , Abby said...: I'm a big fan of bookstore dates, especially ones that involve hanging out in the travel section, going on virtual vacations.

Brent and I actually met in a bookstore :)
At January 8, 2011 at 8:00 AM , Anonymous said...: I clean my house about once a week, but try to pick up as I go the rest of the days. I would want a gift card to CHIPOTLE. I crave it once a week at least.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:06 AM , Eat: Watch: Run said...: I was just in San Diego and saw a Wahoos there and thought of you. I particularly enjoyed the blank stare on my husband's face as I exclaimed, "we should try that...HRG loves that place!"

I love Sweet Tomatoes/Souplanation...so I'd pick a gift card from there.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:07 AM , dawn @ running the dawn said...: today is going to end up being my favorite kind of date-day. it's snowing BUCKETS and BUCKETS. right now, mr. dawn is gone to play some awesome music with his peeps. when he returns we'll eat a hot meal, play some board games, go have a snowball fight, drink hot chocolate, and maybe help our neighbor by snowblowing/shoveling her driveway.

seriously, there's already a foot of snow on the ground. it's gonna be epic.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:08 AM , Anonymous said...: Hilarious!!!! Loove this post! =D
At January 8, 2011 at 8:13 AM , Anonymous said...: hmm date night, going out for dinner our coffee. I'm simple

I clean all the time.. sigh. Deep clean as needed

I love Rock Bottom! Its a great place out here in the springs.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:14 AM , Jenn said...: Favorite date night out. Simply dinner. I like actually conversing and we can't talk during a movie! Movies after we get home and then we can watch while I fold laundry-very romantic!

Oh-you are desperate with the reheated hot chocolate-ha!

Believe it or not, my house is almost always clean. I HATE clutter, my husband is a CLEAN freak who does laundry, washes floors and dishes and has even deep cleans bathrooms! My kids bought him a belt and holster for Christmas last year and filled it with cleaning supplies so he could wear it around the house. We got a good laugh out of that!

Restaurants-Oh my.....Some days I swear I would be happy with a gift card to McDonald's. My favorite restaurant-Fuji Ya sushi!

I'm going to California in April. This Wahoo's? Is it a chain, do they have one around San Bernadino? I'll have to check it out!
At January 8, 2011 at 8:22 AM , Nicole said...: I like your cheap date night! It sounds fun to me! My parents and B's parents always give us giftcards. WIN! :) I love it! We sometimes get carry out & sit on the floor watching dvr'd shows from the week. Woah- watch out! we are full of excitement and fun! :)
At January 8, 2011 at 8:27 AM , ShutUpandRun said...: I am right there with you on the Wahoos thing. We have one about a mile away which is quite dangerous.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:32 AM , Shannon said...: I will update you on the house cleaning, since I just moved into a house of my "own". However, in my apartment I cleaned when I left, and that was about it... well, I did pick up, cleaned the counters, and vacuumed every so often (vacuuming was a serious pain, since I had to lug it over from my parents house each time I needed to).

I will also update you on the favorite date night when I am lucky enough to find someone who will take me out on a date.

As for the gift card. To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't eat out very often... Maybe Hu Hot's? Or Panera? Right now I could so go for some french toast from IHOP!
At January 8, 2011 at 8:33 AM , Maria said...: Those tips made me laugh!
I am becoming more of a hermit and prefer an evening with a movie instead of going out to eat. I also love a long walk in the afternoon at the weekends. :)
At January 8, 2011 at 8:49 AM , The Risenmays said...: Before kids we used to go to the bookstore all the time. Now, my favorite date night is either a babysitter so we can go to the movies or just hanging out together at home. We LOVE gift cards. Just ate at Zupas the other day and it was so nice to only pay $2 for all three of us to eat. Definitely the best day this week. Is that sad?
At January 8, 2011 at 8:50 AM , Matt said...: Dinner and a movie is a good date for me. I like the low key stuff ;)
At January 8, 2011 at 8:54 AM , Anonymous said...: I love this!!!! How are you liking Portia's book?
At January 8, 2011 at 8:57 AM , Anonymous said...: OMG...I just had a date night at Barnes N Noble last night! Then went to see Black Swan. That was uncomfortable to watch, by the way. Before B&N had a grouper taco at The Taco Spot here in Charleston. It was only okay.
At January 8, 2011 at 9:01 AM , Stephanie said...: We love to cook together, try new restaurants and watch movies/documentaries. We also love spending time in our garden together during the summer. We're basically 80. :)
At January 8, 2011 at 9:04 AM , Kim (Book Worm Runs) said...: OK, you are awesome. If I move to California can we be BFF's?? Sorry, too creepy? :) Hubby and I are actually going on a movie/dinner date night tonight...boring but still fun. We also do the Barnes and Noble thing, too :) I deep clean once a week and (try) and pick up all the junk a couple times a week. And I want a gift certificate to Cheesecake Factory...because I love me cheesecake :)
At January 8, 2011 at 9:10 AM , Meg O @watchmegorun said...: I love cheap dates. Groupon has helped that a lot and has helped my bf and I try new places we wouldn't ordinarily try, but can't resist if we can eat super cheap. One date was especially great because we had groupons for the movies and a restaurant plus there's a cupcake place by us that gives free cupcakes whenever they reach a certain number of fb fans. All you have to do is say a ridiculous phrase they post on fb. That date was awesome bc we did dinner, the movies, and cupcakes for a total of $12!
At January 8, 2011 at 9:18 AM , Anonymous said...: Cheap dates at dives are sometimes the most fun! You get to know some interesting people on a budget:)

But making dinner at home and then roller-skating was DEFINITELY one of my favorite dates of all time. It was cheap, and broke the ice so quickly! We ended up dating for more than six months:)

Slash I should probably clean my room more often...
At January 8, 2011 at 9:25 AM , Kiley said...: I'm new to your blog, but I saw the Y hat...I take it you are a memeber (or maybe you just like BYU apparel). Well, I am a member too...thanks for a fun blog to read. I'll be following you.
At January 8, 2011 at 9:25 AM , Hungry Like a Hippo said...: Cheap datenight ideas:
-Netflix instead of cable tv/movies
-Board games! free after the initial investment! We play board games a lot!
At January 8, 2011 at 9:39 AM , Lizzy said...: Haha, we've talked about this before but washing your hair is totally overrated! Have you tried dry shampoo? And I hate cleaning but I do it once a week. I should be doing it now but instead I'm blog reading : )
At January 8, 2011 at 9:45 AM , Anonymous said...: I'm not picky about what we do for a date night--I just enjoy hanging out with my husband!

I usually pick up every day and clean once a week; I'm kind of OCD about having everything in its place.
At January 8, 2011 at 9:48 AM , Anonymous said...: We have date days where we go to a farmer's market or something like that and we each take one $20 bill and we have a competition as to who can get the most/best/tastiest amount of food for $20. Usually the boy blows half of it on some fancy hot sauce right off the bat and then tries to "borrow" $10 from me. It sounds nerdy, I know, but we have fun!
At January 8, 2011 at 9:52 AM , EBURNS said...: I cannot believe how often I read you posts and it was like I wrote it......except the impressive miles....you did 18 yesterday I did 3.25.

Crazy as it sounds, hubby and i have been having great Friday night dates running errands. we just listen to great tunes in the car, sing, laugh, pick some random place to eat when we are hungry, and stop for a treat before heading home. We love it! Also a bonus because we wake up Saturday and do a long workout, we don't care that we tire ourselves silly because we accomplished all the odds and ends last night. Makes for a lovely saturday :)

I pick up constantly, I hate clutter, but clean probably once a week.

If we are talking this exact moment, I want a giftcard to starbucks; I want a vanilla latte.
At January 8, 2011 at 9:58 AM , Suzana said...: Hoi Sushi, which is just down the street from me! They have an awesome all-you-can-eat special for $20, which is still kind of steep for a student :(
But they have awesome veggie selections :)

We clean the house pretty often, but it gets trashed alot, since there's 4 students living here. Our place will never look as clean as it did on moving day :(
At January 8, 2011 at 10:14 AM , Running and living said...: I am a cheap date. I love dinner at Whole Foods, although my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when I go there. Probably best date would be going on a hike with Chris. We have the best conversations during tough hikes.
At January 8, 2011 at 10:29 AM , Gracie said...: I love a walk or bike that ends in a picnic!
At January 8, 2011 at 10:30 AM , sdralphs said...: No wonder you did not text me back! Your phone is broken. Lets do yogurt next week for sure. I have games Tuesday and Thursday and that's it. Favorite date night for me is Cafe Rio and Comedy Sportz! Movies and cuddlings are awesome too. I clean my tiny apartment every day and deep clean once a week. I think I will have to get Cafe Rio today because of your post.
At January 8, 2011 at 10:35 AM , Anonymous said...: I am horrible at cleaning and my husband is even worse. so you don't want to know my answer to your question. I need to clean today, I think.
At January 8, 2011 at 10:49 AM , middleagedrunner said...: My tips for poor people?
Do your laundry once a week at most. requiring that you hang and re-wear all your sweaty running duds at least once if not more. Mr. Huz-you are a lucky man!
We have a great French restaurant a few towns over that I'd love a gift card to. Dinner = a date night in my house!
At January 8, 2011 at 10:59 AM , Anonymous said...: I love date nights! We like to make them cheap, too. I like cooking at home or walking to one of the restaurants in our neighborhood. Billy likes movies but then we can't talk to each other - maybe that's why he likes them? Hahaha. I kid.

We try to clean as we go but once a week, we usually do a big cleaning.

My mom gave us a gift card to Whole Foods for Christmas - it's like a pot of gold.
At January 8, 2011 at 11:16 AM , XLMIC said...: How is it that we are so often on the same page? lol Even about the hair ;-) For real.

I want a gift certificate to Trattoria Siciliana... and then I want to be able to eat the food w/o getting a migraine. No wheat for me :(
At January 8, 2011 at 11:20 AM , Katy said...: I like your tips. Especially the shampoo ones!! :)
At January 8, 2011 at 11:31 AM , Muncher Cruncher said...: I choose Pizza Factory...speaking of...WHEN ARE WE GOING?!?! You're going to have to tell me how you like Portia's Biography. I actually really want to read that. I've heard it's awesome.
At January 8, 2011 at 11:50 AM , Katie Did What said...: I LOVE bookstores. I wish I could get to one frequently enough to read entire books for free... You are genius. You've beaten the system!

My favourite date nights involve making a fancy meal at home (or something really really simple, but looks/ sounds fancy, therefore making me feel like an Iron Chef extraordinaire) and playing Scrabble or some sort of board game (I. Love. Board. Games.)

I clean as much as humanly possible. It's therapeutic. (I don't sound very fun right now... I swear I am!)

Annnnd gift card? Una Mas or Rubio's (basically the same as Wahoo's, only there aren't any Wahoo's near where I live... But fish tacos are my absolute favourite food in the world, and both of those places have TO DIE FOR fish tacos nom nom nommm)

p.s. did I mention you're too pretty??
At January 8, 2011 at 12:08 PM , Betsy said...: Is Portia's book good? I saw her on Opera. The book sounded good.
Our "dates" have gone "down the drain" thanks to having a 2 year old in the house. We are good to watch a movie while she is napping arrange to have takeout brought in. We are always in bed by 10. I know we are big losers :)
At January 8, 2011 at 12:10 PM , the hoppe pad said...: Loved the title of the post! I feel your pain! We actually have a gift card to a really nice restaurant and we would love to go tonight but it requires us to get a babysitter and at $12 an hour...not in budget! I am going to see if I can swap some babysitting time with a friend or beg my mom to come for a visit so we can go sometime this month!
At January 8, 2011 at 12:26 PM , J said...: I haven't been on a book store date in a long time!! I need to hit up Barnes and Noble tonight with Brian!

Usually I love to just sit on the couch and watch tv as a date. I am usually tired especially on Friday nights so Dinner out is all I can handle before I fall asleep at 9pm.
At January 8, 2011 at 12:31 PM , Anonymous said...: girl you know how to make me laugh with just about every post - shampoo is seriously overrated :)
i always feel like such a rebel when I read magazines or books at Barnes and Nobles for hours and then leave.
At January 8, 2011 at 12:34 PM , Christine said...: As a teacher the LAST thing I ever feel like doing at the end of the day is cleaning (or laundry). I'm with you- tidy up during the week, clean once.

Restaurant gift card: Cheesecake Factory! Or Yard House. Or anything ice cream related, if that counts.

When we're going cheap it's Netflix or Rock Band on the Xbox.
At January 8, 2011 at 12:50 PM , Nicole said...: This whole post made me crack up! I need to work on cleaning. It's not that I leave things filthy, but just a lack of picking up my messes- imagine clothes everywhere.
I love bookstores for date night, target shopping, or a movie from Redbox. I like Chipotle, Rubio's, and Baja Fresh for cheap dates. I will go to the next Wahoo's I see!
At January 8, 2011 at 1:09 PM , Anonymous said...: Dinner and a movie = my perfect date night! Although we neverrrr go out...

I clean about once a week.. maybe.
At January 8, 2011 at 1:10 PM , Unknown said...: I laughed through this entire post! (dead serious!)
I am also dirt poor because I spend all my money on races, running clothes and shoes! Oh, and a TON on groceries!

In college I would go to Borders (we didn't have B&N) and read, read, read so I never had to buy. :) How did you like Portia's bio? I read it a fews ago. It brought back a lot of dark memories for me, but THANK GOD she wrote an epilogue full of happy thoughts to leave you on your way.

"I think I might need to clean" bahahaha. I always try to take photos against a wall so you can't see my messes. I also straighten up a few times a week and deep clean on Sundays :) With all this running, who has time to keep a clean house? right?

What would I do without your blog?

Sorry for the novel.
At January 8, 2011 at 1:27 PM , Anonymous said...: This makes me laugh because my husband and I do "date night" every Friday which consists of dinner at a Mexican food restaurant and then coffee and reading at Barnes and Noble until they close. :)
I also get free movie passes a lot, so sometimes we'll mix it up and see a movie.
At January 8, 2011 at 1:42 PM , Katie said...: Date night~ Dancing! I love to dance, I just wannna dance :D

I have to clean up/ pick up everyday with a 5 yr old, I wish I was a better cleaner

California Pizza Kitchen!!! Love it!!!
At January 8, 2011 at 1:48 PM , ThE MidLiFe CrUiSeR said...: Glad to see I'm not the only thief in the blogosphere :) At least when I steal stuff, I can eat it to get rid of the evidence. I guess you could swallow your plastic utensils, but its's gonna hurt coming out!!
At January 8, 2011 at 1:54 PM , Anonymous said...: For not washing your hair that often, it always looks clean! I look like a greasy mess if I try to skip a wash :)
At January 8, 2011 at 2:06 PM , Anonymous said...: We love to do movies at home or go to bookstores, too. Sometimes going out for dinner and then coming back for a movie, or making dinner at home. Anything lowkey!
At January 8, 2011 at 2:37 PM , Mallory said...: Favorite date activities: Well, it depends. Sometimes the best date is making dinner together at home then cuddling on the couch watching a Netflix movie (this is our plan for tonight!) I enjoy going out to dinner too.

I used to clean a lot more before I got my part-time job. Now working 48+ hours per week I don't find as much time to do it, especially when I have paperwork and running to do.

I'd love a giftcard to ... ANYWHERE! I'm easily excited about giftcards.
At January 8, 2011 at 2:45 PM , Brookes Britcher said...: Can I just tell you (and I'm embarrassed to admit this, but) I bought Portia's book, read it in one night and returned it the next day.

Let us cheap-o's unite!
At January 8, 2011 at 4:27 PM , Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...: Your photos are always so good--they tell a story!! Beautiful!

Cafe Rio reminded me of the Baja Fresh salad I had yesterday! When I lived in Cali, I hit up Baja SOOO much!

Date Night: Love to cook a dinner together and watch Netflix! I'm a homebody!

Is it bad to finish an entire bag of white chocolate chips in 3 days? Cuz I just did!

Gift card: Swilly's (lil fancy place in Pullman--in a town of 27,000, you have a very LIMITED selection!
At January 8, 2011 at 4:38 PM , Pixie said...: I actually prefer date nights at home, people in DC socialize by eating out so I eat out waaaay to often. Blockbusters and a homemade meal in my pj's is the best. If we have to go out and I get dolled up I would want a gift card to Sticky Rice in DC. Everytime J.'s like where should we go for dinner I'm like "Sticky Rice". I "straighten up" weekly and deep clean every other week. I'm lazy and ok with that.
At January 8, 2011 at 7:16 PM , Anonymous said...: I love this!!! My husband and I just spent an hour in Barnes and Noble so that he could read a blogging book while I entertained our 1 year old son in the children's section. He wouldn't dare pay for the darn book!
At January 8, 2011 at 7:27 PM , ShortSkirts said...: That salad looks amazing mmmm.

Would love gift cards to Restaurant Zoe its like heaven to a foodie. They are pricey but amazing.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:04 PM , Running Ricig said...: since we bought a house, the extent of our dates are movies and pizza on the couch. fun, but not too exciting.

I clean CONSTANTLY! I vacuum everyday because I'm a wee bit of a germaphobe and OCD and do a real thorough clean once a week on weekends. Dog hair is a killer.

There's this fantastic Thai place close by Som Siam. I want them to move in with me and make me pad thai everyday. Luckily we got lots of gift cards there for Christmas!
At January 8, 2011 at 8:13 PM , Rose @ Eat, Drink, and Be Meiri said...: We don't go on date nights very often unless double dating with our friends count. In that case, we like to go out to sushi and talk about really messed up stuff and hope the wait staff doesn't get offended and kick us out. Not on purpose. Our conversations just tend to always head that direction.
At January 8, 2011 at 8:36 PM , Caroline said...: I just finished Portia's book...wow....heavy stuff...I borrowed it at the library..good way to read good books without buying them!!!

favorite date night: Movies...but that is really rare since we have to pay a sitter!!!
At January 8, 2011 at 8:48 PM , Val said...: I love love love love your date night ideas :) awesome!!!!

Favorite date night activity: going on fun adventures and dinners where we have deep conversation :)

Favorite restaurant: would have to be Whaoos fish tacos :)

I clean my house everyday :) i'm OCD
At January 8, 2011 at 9:39 PM , Anna P said...: Fav date night activity? Well right now, its probably ordering in some take out and battling it out with my hubby on our new Wii. An all expenses paid trip to somewhere exotic would be a close second.
Clean my house? Well w/ 5 younguns it gets mess quickly. We 'tidy' 2 or 12 times a day and then I had a rotating weekly 'deep cleaning' schedule a la 'Flylady.net'
Gift card? Most definitely Chili's. Or Applebees. Though I do like Pizza Hut as well. =)
I have decided I am going to stop washing my hair for good so it looks as good as yours.
Or at least until my family complains about the smell or small rodent condos start going up in there....
At January 9, 2011 at 1:34 AM , Anonymous said...: fav date night activity?? probably a fun carnival type thing.. and then some dinner and a movie at his place!... oh i would choose the Cheesecake Factory and just get cheesecake X100
At January 9, 2011 at 8:00 PM , Demetria Raper said...: i'm so glad i found you're blog. . or you found mine, actually. anyway, i LOVED this post and was SNORTING (yes, sometimes i laugh too hard and it sounds snorty. not cool, i know) out loud.

date night. . ha, what's that. they're few and far between w/no family close by to watch the little guys.

restaurant. . .i'm totally obsessed w/mexican food

How to go on a date when you are dirt poor because you spend all your money on running shoes

How to go on a date when you are dirt poor because you spend all your money on running shoes

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Saturday, January 8, 2011

How to go on a date when you are dirt poor because you spend all your money on running shoes

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