Young and FrugalThe $40 date challenge has been a fun and enlightening experience for Corey (my husband) and me.  After weeks of internet research and schedule coordination, we made a few discoveries:   1) I have expensive taste; 2) It is difficult to find legitimate entertainment for under $20 on a weekend, and 3) There are many fun and interesting activities in Fort Worth that we were not aware of until participating in this challenge.  Corey and I live in downtown Fort Worth, and we knew we wanted to have our date nearby so that we could walk.  I utilized the Sundance Square website in order to search for entertainment and restaurants that were available in the downtown area.  www.sundancesqaure.com is a great tool when planning a date or weekend trip to Fort Worth.  They maintain a running list of upcoming events on their homepage, and you can also sort by a specific date on their calendar.   Through this website, I discovered that there is an improv comedy group that performs in a small theater downtown every Thursday night.  Once we decided on the entertainment portion of our date, I used the Sundance Square website to search for an inexpensive local restaurant.  The restaurant guide page led me to Jake’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers.

We studied the Jake’s menu online extensively to ensure we would not go over our $20 budget set for the meal.  While most of the menu items are reasonably priced, it is easy to go over the $20 mark by added “Extras” and sides to your order.  Corey and I arrived at Jake’s around 6:45 in order to take advantage of their happy hour drink specials which ended at 7:00.  Corey enjoyed a $3 schooner of Shiner Boch while I ordered a Margarita for $3.  I recommend dining during happy hour, from 4-7 pm, because the drinks become significantly more expensive after happy hour is over.  I had never eaten at Jake’s before, but I was not disappointed.  I ordered a BLT and Corey had a Red Steer Burger.  Both of our meals were $5.29 and Corey definitely made the smarter choice.  The Red Steer Burger is the traditional Jake’s old fashioned burger, but it is topped with hickory sauce and caramelized onions; I had serious meal envy.  Our meal total was $16.58, and with a tip our meal was an even $20.

Young and Frugal Four Day Weekend

After dinner, we walked the four blocks to the Four Day Weekend Theater.  Four Day Weekend is an improve comedy theater that is open every Friday and Saturday.  While highly entertaining, the tickets on Fridays and Saturdays are $20 each.   On Thursdays, an amateur comedy quartet rent the theater for their improve show, Curtis Needs a Ride.  The tickets for CNAR’s Thursday night show are $10 per person (Our date was exactly $40…perfection).  CNAR is an interactive entertainment experience that invites the audience to become a part of the hilarity.  The skits ranged from an SNL style “weekend update” skit to an audience suggestion (think ad lib) skit that led to an amusing “Olympic” apple bobbing skit coached by Heidi Montag.  All in all, the CNAR show cost about the same as two movie tickets and kept us entertained for the full two hours.
Young and Frugal Curtis Needs A Ride
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed our $40 date.  Next time, I might splurge a bit and choose a restaurant with a wine list and healthier menu options such as Taverna, but the date was a success!  We both left with our sides aching from laughter and a very little dent in our pocketbooks… I just hope Corey doesn’t get too attached to this $40 date idea!!

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