I had seen the “Penny Date” posted on media a lot of times and thought it looked fun! I thought it would be interesting to have a spontaneous adventure and an easy one, too. This also took the pressure off of both myself and my boyfriend, because we didn’t have to plan an actual date.

Here are the rules:

1. Get dressed to go out and grab a penny.
2. Let your partner choose a number between 10-20. This will be the number of times you flip the penny.
3. Pull out of the driveway and begin. Heads is right. Tails is left.
4. Every time you come to an intersection, flip the penny and turn the corresponding direction.
5. Once you get to the number, stop, look around, and make a date where you are!

A Few Tips

1. In case you live somewhere where there are not a lot of restaurants, pack a picnic, or some snacks. It can also be fun to take a Frisbee or ball with you.
2. In any circumstances that you feel unsafe, it is completely OK (and in fact, advisable) to turn around and start your Penny Date over.
3. If you end up in a neighborhood full of houses, start over. No one needs a random stranger trying to make a date at their house. Not cool.

My Experience

I packed a Frisbee just in case our destination turned out to be the middle of nowhere, called up my boyfriend and explained the date rules to him. He seemed a little hesitant at first, but was willing to give it a try. He picked the number eight. Since he picked the number, I got to flip the coin.

First flip: Heads! We turn right onto the main road, past the lake and getting out of my neighborhood.

Second flip: Heads! This takes us back into my neighborhood, but in the opposite direction.

We reach a red light and flip.

Third flip: Heads! This takes us past a bunch of restaurants and shops, and through a lot of traffic.

Fourth flip: Tails! Halfway done. We finally end up with a left, turning onto a busier road.

Fifth flip: Tails! Left turn. It starts to rain. I really hope that we end up somewhere inside.

Sixth flip: Heads! It starts to rain harder. But traffic clears up a little bit as we get some distance from the main road.

Seventh flip: Tails! We turn left at the red light, and see lots of restaurants ahead. Yay for the indoors!

Eighth flip: We found a donut shop! We each get a warm donut and sit by the window and watch the world in the rain.

The Penny Date wasn’t my most exciting date, but I liked the spontaneity of it. Hopefully, if you decide to take a Penny Date, it doesn’t start raining.

A penny for your thoughts!! Leave a comment below!