Avoid the I don't knows

Make a plan ahead of time.

This may seem obvious, but not so.  I can't tell you how many times date night suddenly arrives and nothing has been planned.  There is either not a babysitter for the kiddos or your looking at your date saying, "What do you wanna do?" Only to get back, "I dunno know, what do you want to do?" (On these nights, my husband is usually driving towards the freeway without a destination as I am frantically using my urbanspoon app to come up with a restaurant, praying we don't need a reservation.)

Here is the solution:

* If you have kids: Have a standing commitment with a babysitter. Budget the babysitter in and find someone you can count on to come hang with the kids every (Mon? Tues? Wed?...)day night.  Or ask your mom, if she is close by, to take the kids once a week.

* Take Turns planning the night: It sucks when you are always the one having to come up with the plan, or when you are constantly being dragged to something you don't necessarily want to do...again.

*Start thinking about it ahead of time... Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.  This is where making reservations would come into play.

* Make sure you are showered and shaved ;)