One of the things that works to keep relationships alive is spending quality time with each other. In these days of the information age, it is increasingly difficult to find the time to nurture our relationships. With long hours at work, helping the kids with their homework, transporting them to their extracurricular activities, cooking dinner, cleaning up, and going through the bedtime routine, what time is left?

Unless you orchestrate time for your relationship, other less important things will pile up and take up what little precious time you have. Pick a night that is “date night” with your partner and make a game of being as creative as possible. Try to see how many things you can do without spending money.

To get you started, I’ve laid out a few suggestions to help you through the coming year. What follows are 52 ideas on how to spend creative time together without spending money. Feel free to add or modify any of the items on the list to suit your particular relationship and circumstances.

WINTER

1. Take a walk to see the Christmas decorations.

2. Play cards, maybe strip poker.

3. Watch a movie together.

4. Go outside and have a snowball fight.

5. Get some finger paints and create your own body art with others as your canvas.

6. Ride a sleigh.

7. Go ice skating.

8. Work out or exercise together.

9. Put on your own improv show.

10. Sing to each other.

11. Review or create a photo album or scrapbook of your memories together.

12. Play a board game, maybe chess, Scrabble, or Twister.

13. Go to a bookstore, have a coffee and read for hours.

SPRING

14. Work together on a remodeling project.

15. Plan and complete a yard work project together.

16. Spring clean together, room by room. When you’re done, reward yourself by making love in the room you’ve cleaned.

17. Put on old clothes and wrestle in the mud after a torrential rain.

18. Give yourself a massage.

19. Play catch football, baseball, softball, or Frisbee.

20. Go to a car dealership and test drive the car of your dreams.

21. Practice basketball together.

22. Dance together.

23. Shower together and wash each other — everywhere.

24. Take a free adult education class together.

25. Go to a mall and have a contest to see who among you can get the most free samples.

26. Go rollerblading or bike riding.

SUMMER

27. Build a campfire and roast marshmallows.

28. Go swimming or swim naked.

29. Giving each other manicures or pedicures.

30. Go somewhere crowded to people watch.

31. Go to a free outdoor event, maybe a concert.

32. Lie down on a blanket outside and watch the clouds or stars.

33. Go on a picnic.

34. Watch a fireworks display.

35. Get creative and engage in sexual role-playing. Be whoever you would like to be for the night and be exciting for your partner as well.

36. Sit by the water somewhere.

37. Do a long striptease for each other.

38. Have a water balloon fight.

39. Sit outside and read poetry to each other.

FALL OUT

40. Go for a walk together.

41. Go window shopping.

42. Incorporate food into your lovemaking: chocolate syrup, whipped cream, fondue, strawberries, anything you and your partner enjoy.

43. Call or write to someone you haven’t had contact with in a long time.

44. Cook something together.

45. Spend an afternoon just talking to each other. Talk about things you’ve done, plans you have for the future, important people in your life, or current events.

46. ​​Take a bubble bath together.

47. Go to a free movie or museum.

48. Take a walk and find the potential in old houses and their properties.

49. Create an imaginary story together, either orally or in writing.

50. Take turns being each other’s genie in a bottle fulfilling all your partner’s wishes and fantasies.

51. Play with the fallen leaves.

52. Create an exciting scavenger hunt that ends in your bed.

Now you have 52 suggestions of things to do with your partner for each week of the year divided by season. You certainly don’t have to follow my suggestions. Feel free to add your own or repeat your favorites as often as you like.

The main point is not to see how perverted you can get. The idea is to keep your relationship alive by making time together a priority. It’s important that you find things to do as a couple that you both can enjoy. If you have vastly different interests, you can enter this in the spirit of taking turns with each happily agreeing to participate in the activity chosen by the one whose turn it is that week.

As long as you get in the habit of making your relationship a priority, and set aside time each week to rejuvenate the feelings that drew you in in the first place, then you have a good chance of staying together for the long haul.

Please do not allow insidious boredom to enter your relationship through the back door. This is what often happens when we are busy putting other things ahead of our time for others. You know what I mean: work, children, our friend in crisis, etc. There will always be a competing interest in the time you have set aside for each other.

Other than natural disasters, the threat of death, or major crises, don’t let any outside forces invade your time together. Be sure to create opportunities for you to do things together without outside influence. With over 50% of marriages today ending in divorce, make this small investment in the longevity of your relationship. You have nothing to lose and much to win. What’s stopping you? start today.