Has True Love Officially Carked It?

Forgive me while I fixate for a bit longer on keeping relationships alive. I was ready to let it go after last week’s column, but then Seal and Heidi dropped their bombshell on us all, leaving us with the fallout – true love has been obliterated to smithereens all around us.

Everywhere you look, people [...]

Weddings & Princesses

Weddings and princesses. Diehard fans of both these things know they have something in common.
Both give us hope.
Hope that there’s something magical going on out there. That fairytales really do exist. And that true love is real.
Let’s start with princesses. So rare, kids can be forgiven for thinking they’re make-believe.
When I [...]

He Loves Me? He Loves Me Not? Why Women are Suckers for Mixed Messages

It’s official: Women have a thing for Mr. Mysterious.

To be exact, women like a man more if they’re unsure about whether he’s interested in them or not. They thrive on it, in fact.
A recent study, titled “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not…” and using only women as the test subjects, [...]

The Sad Truth About Online PDAs

We got hot ‘n’ heavy last week talking about the etiquette involved in Public Displays of Affection (PDA).
Like everything else, the PDA has adapted with our tech-savvy world and what we now also have is the original PDA’s pixellated cousin – the ODA (Online Display of Affection).
Listing status updates like “I love my pumpkin pie” [...]

Y is for Laughter Yoga (Video)

This is one date I’ve always wanted to do. Laughter Yoga clubs exist all over the world.They are free to attend, usually held in public parks or city squares, and the benefits of practicing are enticing – more endorphins, less cortisol. An antidote for anxiety, stress and inflammation in the body. It may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more. You burn calories when you laugh. Best of all, you feel good!

Giveaway: Friends with Benefits In-season Passes

Friends with benefits. We’ve made no secret of it – that’s how the Den and Emma story started. Great friends, then, for the better part of a whole year, friends who knocked socks occasionally (okay, it was a bit more than occasionally. More like a couple of times a week. You can see how we [...]

Intimate Moments in the… Kitchen?

New research shows Australians’ passion for food is reigniting relationships across the country with 44% admitting to ‘intimate moments’ in the kitchen and almost one in 10 confessing it happens at least once a week.
Kind of makes you want to rethink your next invitation to a dinner party, doesn’t it?
In all seriousness, I’ve [...]

An Open Letter to Ms. Julia Gillard

Dear Ms Gillard,
I need you to do something for me, please. Well, it’s really not just for me, it’s for all of Australia, and indeed the world.
We need you to legalise gay marriage in Australia.
I’m not a gay woman. But that doesn’t matter.
You’re still cheating me out of something that’s very [...]

The Movie Trailer Marriage Proposal

You guys know I’m a sucker for a great marriage proposal… this one is awesome! It’s all explained in the video…

Win a Date Night with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston

A funny thing happened to Den after we got married.
He noticed that when out with friends in bars or clubs, women were more flirty with him. They would be more open, talk for hours rather than fobbing him off and spout cliches like “All the good ones are taken” (cue flirty eyelash-batting) and “Well, if [...]

Who Lies About Money?

The very clever team at Deals.com has come up with this cute-as-ten-buttons visual representation of Love & Money based on some recent findings… just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Money is one of those Big Things that couples argue most about. You only have to look below to see that no matter if you’re doing it [...]

Date Ideas and The Circle

It’s been quite the day! I joined the lovely crew of The Circle on Network Ten here in Australia to chat all things date night, cheap dates and more… unfortunately we were cut off just at the end by a press conference covering the Tropical Cyclone Yasi events overnight – what a news day!
Thankfully everyone [...]

Revenge: A Dish Best Served Cold

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…
And it does seem to be the women that are particularly good at exacting revenge.
It’s easy to fly into a temper when your partner does something wrong by you. Something really wrong, I mean. Like cheating. Lying. Stealing.
Any damage to the ego seems to result in calls [...]

Tips for Working Together as a Couple

I have a confession to make.
You’d think, being someone that makes it their business to write about relationships, that I’d have my shit together when it comes to my own relationship.
Not so much. All the theory and knowledge in the world about a subject doesn’t trump the complexity of emotions.

The truth is, [...]

mX Column: The ‘We’ Couple

I wrote just recently about how people lose, on average, two good friends once they fall in love.
One of the theories about ditching those friends goes that once you’re in a relationship, you probably don’t have enough time to spend with your friends to maintain close bonds.

You know what really gets my proverbial [...]

All Hallows’ Eve

Well we’re fresh off a plane (well, three planes) home from the USA. What’s it like to be back in Australia? For a start, there is a notable lack of pumpkins lying around in people’s doorways here. You see, we don’t really celebrate Halloween. It’s changing slowly as Hallmark and the like try pushing the [...]

What Do You Wear to Your Vegas Wedding?

Good question! Thanks for asking.
Well, originally I was all about the Betty Draper mid-century theme to match my Elvis wedding.
I thought it would be an awesome twist on a Vegas Wedding… classy, while still keeping in theme. And those fashions are everywhere right now!

I was totally coveting the one from the Louis Vuitton campaign, but [...]

mX Column: The First Date

The first date. The job interview of the dating world. You have but one chance at this.
Don’t. Stuff. It. Up.
The pressure is on to make a good first impression. You want the venue to speak volumes about your taste, it also needs to be classy without trying too hard.

My dear friend E was taken on [...]

Revealed: What Relationships Really Cost You

Well we know nothing comes for free these days. Turns out not even love is free. It comes at a cost.
And the going rate is two of your best friends. Ouch!
From The Age Newspaper:
“Research has shown that when people start a new romantic relationship they are likely to lose two members of their inner circle [...]

J is for Jigsaw Puzzle

I loved our J date idea. It was a horrible, cold, rainy Melbourne afternoon – no one would want to be outside in that. Luckily, we were prepared and snuggled in our warm apartment with a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle that I picked up from the supermarket for $3.99…

5 Great Date Ideas Beginning with J

Jigsaw Puzzle
On a rainy afternoon, settle in with one of those huge 500-piece jigsaw puzzles and some hot chocolate and yummy snacks. It’s a great way to spend a miserable day together.
Jump Yourself Silly
Ever seen one of those trampoline parks? They have indoor and outdoor ones, it’s basically Olympic-sized trampolines all set next [...]

5 Hot Date Ideas Beginning with H

Oooh… H is one of those tricky ones we keep coming across! These five Happy Date Ideas were the only ones I could come up with, but I know you clever little things will be able to offer some more great ideas to me as well.
Hedge Maze
Get lost in a hedge maze together. This is [...]

Why We Love, Why We Cheat

In the midst of researching for my new ebook, I came across this great presentation given by Dr. Helen Fisher at the 2006 Ted Conference. We love Dr. Fisher’s research and I don’t know how this particular clip has eluded me for four years now.
In it, she explains the brain chemistry of the stages [...]

LoveStars Astrology Date Night Review

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I really, truly believe in astrology.
I’ve been scoffed at before for it, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’m still a believer. I could not be more of a Pisces if I tried. I’m your typical dreamy (read: flaky), emotional (erratic) romantic (unrealistic) type with an [...]

Using the Mere Exposure Effect to Your Dating Advantage

I wrote in my column a few weeks back about the theory behind Office Romances and why they are so prevalent these days. The idea is that the Mere Exposure Effect dictates your hormones here… the more time you spend around someone, the more attracted you will become to them.
And – obviously – vice [...]

Alphabet Dating: 9 Date Ideas Beginning with C

C is for Casino
Ever played roulette? No? Perfect. Set a budget for your date night (it’s no secret we like ye olde faithful $30 limit) and head to a low-betting table at a casino to learn the ways of roulette and (hopefully!) win some money. If you pick a table where there are no [...]

Alphabet Dating: 9 Date Ideas Beginning with A

So to support you (and us) through an Alphabet Dating adventure, we are going to publish a list of date ideas each week that start with our Letter of the Week (Sesame Street, we’re coming after you!)
If you’re thinking of Alphabet Dating, now’s a great time to start. You can check back in every [...]

How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?

I wrote late last year about creating Love Maps in your mind, to track the small details about your partner that are important.
The Daily Mail has reported how millions of men don’t know the most basic of details about their partner – including dress size and even eye colour.

2,000 men in the UK [...]

We Went Plane Spotting

AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR EMMA: darling, please do not read this post – I fear for my life! I know you read all my posts, but you can skip this one – it’s boring.

As much as Emma is going to hate me saying this, I’m going to say it anyways… Emma has some expectations [...]

In Sickness and in Health?

I was fairly taken aback to read recently that a US doctor has just discovered that women with terminal illnesses are seven times – that’s seven – more likely to go through a divorce than men with the same illnesses.
Says the article:
“When Dr. Marc Chamberlain, a Seattle oncologist, was treating his brain cancer [...]

The Secret to Hugh Jackman’s Happy Marriage

Well, we were thrilled to see this headline in The Age newspaper today: “The Secret to Hugh Jackman’s Happy Marriage”

The Age reports:
“Hugh Jackman has a happy marriage because he has date nights.
The X-Men Origins: Wolverine star – who has been married to Deborra-Lee Furness since 1996 – has revealed he and his wife always make [...]

The Stupidest Idea We’ve Had Yet

Well, this is exciting. Denis and I have been challenging our users to a 4-week Date Night Challenge for awhile now. The idea is that you create an account over on $30 Date Night and save your four favorite date ideas from our list of amazing ideas and print them off. Then you and your [...]

Government Gives Second Honeymoon for Troubled Couples

A Malaysian state government is taking it upon themselves to give assistance to troubled couples, encouraging them to work on their relationship rather than divorcing – by sending them on a second honeymoon and providing counseling.

(Source: AP) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Malaysian state government says it plans to offer free honeymoons to save [...]

How to Make a Love Map

In our spring clean-up this week (more on that later), I unearthed a file of papers from when Den and I did our pre-marriage education weekend earlier this year. In Australia, these weekends are generally a prerequisite for marrying in any given church – though after being pleasantly surprised by the genuinely great information we [...]

5 Fresh Date Ideas for the Mornings

Sometimes (like last week!) the only time you can find for a date night with each other during a hectic week is a sliver of time of a morning… whether it’s a few hours on a weekend or stealing time before you go to work, here are a few morning date ideas that may appeal [...]

Pho Fo’ Date Night

One of our anonymous users suggests taking your date to eat Pho – Vietnamese noodles for date night! Well, I can’t say I’ve ever been out for authentic Pho and neither had Den. I Googled around to find some recommended places in Melbourne and was stunned to find one of the best was within a [...]

Men vs. Women on Love, Sex and Romance

I recently stumbled across The Great Male Survey on blokey advice site AskMen.com and was fascinated by the answers from all over the globe to the Dating and Sex questions. In a fantastic move, the same questions were also answered by a bunch of females for Shine on Yahoo and here, I correlate for you [...]

Denis, NAKED TWISTER is not a first date! Part 2

If Naked Twister doesn’t work, then what will get her into bed?
Emma and I had this push and pull friendship. We would flirt to a point and then one of us (usually Emma) would put on the brakes and BOOM we would stop talking.
At the time I was not aware – Emma had [...]

Is ‘Happily Married’ Unfashionable?

I just stumbled across this wonderful article by Aaron Traister: It’s hot! It’s sexy! It’s… marriage!
Traister writes:
My wife and I have been married anywhere from seven to 150 years (I’m not good with dates). During those years we have moved six times, and each move was like an exotic gift that happened to be covered [...]

5 Ways to Do Something New With Your Sweetie

Here at $30 Date Night, we work from the philosophy that doing new things with your sweetheart sparks the same brain chemistry as when you first fell in love. This is why we suggest date night – doing something new every week will keep your loved-up and giddy!
Quite literally speaking, when you do something new [...]

10 Fun Date Ideas for a Lazy Sunday

We moved date night to Sunday this week, as it was the only spare time we could find to indulge in a few hours quietly together. There’s something lovely about a lazy Sunday date. I’ve compiled a list of a few great lazy Sunday date ideas here for you, after the jump.

SUCCESS!!! Mineral Hot Springs Date… sorted!

This date night was brilliant!!! And spot on the money too! $15 each entry… BUT
 
THE GOOD!
It’s hot, damn hot. And sooooo so so good on a freezing cold night. You get to splash around in the outdoors, under the stars with plenty of greenery around you. It’s perfect for winter… when it gets [...]

$30 Date Night in Bushfire Country

Easter time – I decided to take Emma into a small Country town in Victoria for a $30 date idea. In the summer that just passed, the state of Victoria was hit with some major bush fires – affecting large regions.

We stopped off at Beechworth in Victoria (Australia). They call it Ned Kelly [...]

Veggie Bar Date Night

Date night at the Vegie Bar – Melbourne (Australia) – Brunswick street.
I haven’t been to the Veggie Bar since 1997 – things haven’t changed that much in 12 years, still the same place I remember it was. This time around it was my turn to sort out date night; Emma has been on this [...]

5 Creative Ways to do the Movies – the $30 Date Night way!

So, we know that a lot of you love the movies… and we don’t want to begrudge you one of your favourite pastimes… but if you are going to do it, do it with flare! Remember, it only takes a small injection of novelty to make it a butterfly-inducing date!
Here are five ideas to [...]

The name is Bond… James Bond.

So date night was Quantum of Solace last night. Bang bang, drive fast, run around the place – martini, shaken not stirred – or in the new style bond, same theme just more contemporary. Search for stationary then oops, accidentally slip onto the pretty girl and have sex. Ahh, everything that makes up a classic [...]

Farmers Market Date Idea

Sat morn I consult the $30 Date Night guide… “FARMERS’ MARKET!” Brilliant… Emma will love it. Now, what the hell is a Farmers’ Market and where will I find a market such as this in the city of Melbourne?

I’m picturing sheep, cows, goats… farmers in overalls and straw hats sitting on bales of hay. [...]

Behind the Hedge…

There is definitely some sex appeal about being caught. It’s so cheeky, soooooooo 16 year-old-ish! Remember the days of meeting girls behind bike sheds or basketball courts, hoping not to be caught by the teachers…

Paint a Portrait

$30 on art supplies… easy!

It’s wed night, date night… in usual fashion I’ve left it to the last minute. I jump on the $30 Date Night site and start clicking madly through the date suggestions when I stumble upon “paint a portrait of each other – Submitted by Ming from Melbourne.” Perfect, this is tonight’s date, thanks Ming!

To blog or not to blog…
the Bourne Identity exposed

For the first post I can say I’m a little nervous of how much to give away… laying out my thoughts in an open forum for the world to see, significantly diminishes my fantasy of being “Australia’s top government assassin,” you know… something that resembles that of Jason Bourne.

Shhh! … it’s a secret.

I admit [...]