What do you and DP do at home after dinner if not watch TV ?

[Hatandcoatandhymnbooktoo]

So we don't have a TV and don't really want one.
I have a stressful intense job, usually WFH but not always. By the time I've cooked and we've eaten dinner together more often than not I'm knackered and not really up for more conversation. I don't ignore my DH and am happy to converse if he wants to but I don't have the energy usually to start a scintillating conversation myself. We will talk over dinner, not sit in silence. Afterwards I'm rarely up for more than watching Netflix or reading something on my own laptop. We don't like the same shows.
I can see it is a bit depressing to both be on your separate devices of an evening, DH doesn't like it, but what do couples do if not watch TV together ? I mean before bed. I reckon most just watch telly but I'm getting desperate for other ideas which are not mentally exhausting as I'm that already !
thanks.

Before we had kids we played scrabble sometimes
Go for a walk in summer?
Read?

We never watch tv (intact not sure it still works) instead we cook together, walk, read, listen to pod casts, go to gym, running or cycling, cinema- all these things we do together - it makes us feel more connected but maybe not for everyone

Chatting & playing with our son.
He goes to bed at the same as us.
DH sometimes watches TV in the evening.
I’m more likely to get up early & read.

Go for a walk (you don’t need to take the dog), cinema/theatre, listen to a podcast together whilst lying on the bed (we do this a lot, love our podcasts!), endlessly tidy the bloody house (but I don’t recommend this one), sometimes go for a drive, museums when they have their “lates”, research holidays online.

DH and I don't spend huge amounts of time at home together in the evening, by the time he gets in and changed it is around 8 and I will usually have cooked, we have no DC at home and I do the daily housework and cook as I only work part time now with no commute and he is full time with a reasonably long commute and goes to the gym before coming home. We eat, talk and might watch youtube, news or possibly TV (I know you said if you didn't), then we do some more chores and it is 9pm, this is our mindfulness hour and we do whatever suits us, but not together usually, this may include watching something on a device. We don't game, play board games or go for a walk as we will both have done daily exercise before 8pm. 10pm is bedtime and time for another chat etc.

I love how your title says “if not watch TV” and people are replying “ we watch TV”!

I’ve ordered some air dry clay, I’m just going to get a random word generator to pick what we make whilst we natter. We like playing battleship, and PS5 together too.

I wish I could go for a walk with DH! But, kids at home and DH never sees the point of "walking".

We read (books or magazine or newspaper) and chat about what we've just read. It can be a bit annoying having your train of thought interrupted, though.

Honestly, normally we're so spent once the DC are in bed that we actually go to separate rooms to decompress. We both need a lot of alone time. But we spend a lot of time together or chatting during the day.

I'm often working, but if we spend the evening together and don't watch something then we quite like those boxes escape room games! We also occasionally play games on steam. Mostly one of us needs to do something while the other does housework or something. Boring!

Before kids we used to go for long walks together with the dog, but can't both do that now of course!

We do pub quiz questions on YouTube together, or karaoke (we are both terrible but love it) or, more unusually, Lego or jigsaws. We're building the house from Up together next.

Or sometimes we go for a walk around the village.

We don't eat until about 7, so after that and clearing up, the evening is well under way.
We do watch tv, and we usually have a crime drama series on the go. We will also watch the odd series with DS16.
He games, I phone scroll or read.
We both exercise in the evenings.
Sometimes, we have an early night 😉

Partner watches a lot of TV. I don't, no real interest in most of the stuff on there. I'll occasionally watch a serial killer documentary or something, but I prefer gaming, doing a bit of light housework, or going out for a drink in the local.

How about wine and then get naked? 🙂

We eat around 6-7pm.
7-9pm in summer we either spend time in garden. Usually gardening of some sort, keeping an eye on Ds playing or have a herbal tea and chat. Or we all go for a walk. Sometimes neighbours pop over for chat in garden also.
If it’s raining read, bath, tidy, diy, bake.

We watch TV together.

….and by that I mean DH falls asleep and snores and I play on my phone!

I tell my partner about the dramas i read on mumsnet and how somebody answered me when i gave an opinion 🤣 (she doesn't care about MN but she likes when is me telling the stories)

We like DIY and are renovating the house so many times we are doing something related with that.

We rarely watch TV post dinner, listen to the radio or music every evening whilst scrolling our phones, playing games on tablets (separately). We are sat together but doing our own thing, bit of chat but no full on convo usually. The radio makes it less quiet, and sometimes throws up something we chat about.
We don't eat until 7pm at the earliest though, before this we go for a run, walk, OH plays 5 a side sometimes. So by the time we've eaten, tidied, showered it's 8 or later.

Jaipur is an excellent two-player board game that doesn't take too much brain power! Would also recommend Monopoly Deal and Uno for ideal weeknight games.

So week nights we train our sport and get home at 930- so we eat and sort the washing etc.
Then have a cuddle and watch an episode of our show then sleep

Wish I came across this post before we had the baby. Some good ideas.

We watch TV, but on a non TV night, we would go to a local restaurant and walk there. Go and visit a random area and walk around. Cook - he is a keen chef, I cook on occasion- and do up the table and have a conversation over food and a drink.

We do watch TV but if not we would listen to music and read. Normally like to sit outside in summer and play with the dog.

We eat about seven, then whoever didn’t cook clears up. After that I like TV and reading, DP often plays a game on his laptop, both of us faff around online. He has a “man cave” in the spare room so sometimes is in there.

Tonight he’s been out at football and I’ve done a load of ironing, played with the cat, chatted with friends on WA, and scrolled TikTok.

Thanks everyone this is all a big help!

We go out for a walk in the summer and sometimes the pub.
Kids are old enough to be left now.