So Anna and I recently moved to Westlake Village near Thousand Oaks and were very excited to use the Young and Frugal Challenge as an excuse to get out and check out our new town. When we talk about going out its always to a bar or lounge like P6 or Suki 7, a Cheesecake Factory or Chili’s in the promenade or a dinner and a movie and at The Oaks Mall but of course that comes with a price.

With the focus of making the date night enjoyable and inexpensive Annie and I set off to make a plan to meet the challenge. First the food and booze then the entertainment.

With a few clicks on Yelp we came across Cisco’s Mexican restaurant which is only 2 blocks from our apartment and we decided it would be a great place to start The Challenge. When looking at the restaurants website two words caught our eye: Happy Hour, well actually to be more precise $2 Margaritas. Cisco’s in Westlake Village on Westlake Blvd, has a great Happy Hour from 4-7 everyday. $2 Margaritas, $3 shots, $3 Well drinks, $3 drafts, $6 24oz Coronas and Pacificos and $6 Jagger-bombs (an old college favorite) and of course 1/2 off appetizers. Now with dinner and drinks planned for the night the next step was to find some entertainment.

We decided to check the Thousand Oaks City website for an inside look into the upcoming events, concerts and show in our area. When looking for something fun and unique to do remember to check out the calendar on your town’s website. You’ll find a slew of fun stuff to do and great deals in the process.

Thousand Oaks has a lot of art shows, plays at the Civic Arts Plaza and special performances at places like the Thousand Oaks Library. Annie and I decided to check out one of the Bodie House Concert Series at the Thousand Oaks Library. The most important thing to remember when checking out the events in your town is to RSVP in time to get a spot. What’s great about event’s like this is that if you are running short on funds the admittance is free but donations are appreciated.

So after all this planning Annie and I were very excited to hit the town. We sat down at Cisco’s around 6:00PM on Friday evening. The place was already filling up with a bunch of people ready to start the weekend off right, inexpensive drinks, good food, loud music and fun people. We both started with a $2 Margarita, Annie had the chicken flautas ($4) and I had the Cisco’s Nacho’s con carne (that’s about the extent of my Spanish) ($4.50). Going along with the vibe of Cisco’s we decided to get a 2nd round Annie a Margarita($2) and I had Jack and coke ($3). At the end of dinner our bill came to $17.50.

We signed our check, hopped in the car for a short drive to the library for the concert. The library is a great venue, small, intimate and very welcoming. We were happy to donate $20 to the library for the concert. At thi

s concert, like most of the Bodie House Concert Series, they had appetizers and dessert available for all in attendance. We had an opportunity to see Jimmy LaFave, an extremely talented guitarist and singer whose laid back and comical nature really brings you in to his performance. The concert was great and something we both will be doing again together in the future.

So after all was said and done the evening came to a grand total of $37.50. It’s always fun when you have a chance to break your usual routine and try something new. So remember always check out your local resources for fun events and keep your eyes peeled for those two magical words: Happy Hour.

Be sure to read all of the Los Angeles $40 Date Night Challenges before voting, so check them out below!

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