Keep the Cash, Up the Romance

Feb. 14, 2007 — -- Shelling out for an expensive meal and uncorking a fine bottle of wine often makes romance a cinch, but many couples can't always afford an extravagant night of loving.

"Good Morning America's" "Romance Brigade" of Matt Bean, editor of Men's Health magazine, and Nicole Beland, deputy editor of Women's Health magazine, recently helped one couple find romance on a budget and showed how easy it could be to get a lot of love for a little cash.

Lacey and Ben of Tulsa, Okla., have been married for 10 years. Lacey spends most of her time running after their three daughters, 5-year-old Faith, 3-year-old Clara and 1-year-old Anna. Ben's job as a product manager for a fencing company keeps him out of the house most of the day.

With their hectic lives and single income, romance often has to take a back seat. Lacey told Beland that a night out could be quite expensive because of baby-sitting costs.

"It's not hard to get a baby sitter, but it is hard to pay for the baby sitter, and then go out to eat and then go to the movies. You know, it really adds up," Lacey said.

Bean showed the couple how they could find a budget-friendly baby sitter. By going to moms.meetup.com and plugging in their zip code, Lacey and Ben could find other parents in the area who wanted to meet so they could work out supervision for each other's kids.

"Once you get to know them, once you get to trust them, you can work out something," Bean said. "Maybe they'd take your kids for a weekend, and you'd take theirs for another weekend."

Beland also showed Ben and Lacey a no-cost way to spice up their love life and be spontaneous.

"When you get into the bedroom at the end of your long day … put a bowl of romantic requests next to the bed, that you guys each write," Beland said. "So, they say things like, 'Let's arm-wrestle,' or 'Nibble on my earlobe.' This gives you these fun, silly, playful things to do, so that you can finally connect."