I swore I'd never do the "walk around the mall" date, then a power outage in Scottsdale changed my mind

Mia Perez · 2026-09-25T18:10:04.798027+00:00

Last Friday my girlfriend and I had plans for a $6 movie night at the second-run theater in Scottsdale, but a transformer blew around 6pm and the whole block went dark for three hours. With nothing else open and only about $11 in my pocket, we ended up walking the mall that still had backup lights running. We did the dumbest stuff, tried on hats at that kiosk, split one pretzel, and played two rounds of that claw machine with the stuffed sharks. I kept thinking about how many times I'd turned my nose up at this exact date because it felt boring, and honestly those three hours beat most dinners we've paid $60 for. The mall was half empty and quiet in a way it never is, so we just talked without shouting over a crowd. Now I'm wondering what other cheap dates I've written off for no real reason. What's a date idea you used to think was lame until you actually tried it?

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I swore I'd never do the "walk around the mall" date, then a power outage in Scottsdale changed my mind | Cheap Date Ideas - The Community Guide