Oh, hi Friday. When we went into the week, I thought, “This will be easy… a nice short week.” Um, no. With every single person in our family being hit with norovirus (literally…. it hit Harper for a few hours  on the day we got home, then my mom, my dad, then me, then TJ a mere 5 hours later… and my sister is the latest casualty…) Friday is more welcome than usual….

And when the weekends come, I’m always thinking about fun adventures. In light of our couples time last weekend, date nights have been on the brain…. ways to get creative with them… ways to make them budget friendly… and how to look cute, yet practical. You see, in our parent-less days, date nights were a breeze. We’d get all dolled up, head out late, stay out late, and pretty much do whatever. Now, things are more planned, more practical… and to be honest, that’s all ok with us (#GettingOld).

With that, what I wear has changed too. Now, it’s much more practical too. I prefer jeans and a fun top over fancier items… and my poor heel collection has taken a much too long hiatus. As we were planning to head out of town last weekend, I knew that we would be having a few nights out (although, we opted to stay in on our last night with pizza and champagne… again #GettingOld….) so I went on the hunt for some fun date night items that I could also mix into my everyday life. I ended up finding a ton of budget friendly pieces that I fell in love with…. like these slip on mauve colored mules. They’re the perfect height… and while I won’t be wearing them to any play dates… they’re perfect for a happy hour out… or even a casual lunch date. I’ve rounded up a few other budget friendly clothing options, and included a list of some fun date night options that are simple + budget friendly… but high on quality time and fun….

Clothing + Accessories: 

I stumbled across a few gorgeous tops, all under $65 that I think would be perfect for a date night… as well as work (well, at least I would have worn them to my 9-5) and everyday life. I’m particularly fond of this mauve ruffle sleeve top, as well as this blush peplum top. This blue + white striped bell sleeve top is adorable too… and I think it would pair perfectly with denim shorts in the warmer months, as well as white pants…. and I also like this grey and white striped poplin bell sleeved top. Oh, and this white one shouldered ruffle top too… it’s super casual, but would be adorable with my new favorite jeans and the mules featured today. This clutch is a great smaller option, as is this perforated white cross body bag…. and these gold mules will go with anything, as will these tan kitten heeled mules.

Scroll down for some fun budget friendly date ideas…..
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(Outfit Details || Top (under $50) | Mules ($31!) | Jeans (cut hem on my own, follow this DIY) | Clutch (under $60) | Cuff (under $40) | Sunglasses)

Date Ideas:

Our go-to, take-out from your favorite spot + a bottle of vino…
Do a date morning…. head out for a workout together + then grab breakfast (always a cheaper option than dinner….)…
Grab take-out + have a picnic… we did this for Valentine’s Day (Harper in tow)… grabbed some fish tacos + headed down to the beach to watch the sunset….
Happy Hour… great pricing…. small bites…. home in time for the couch, stretchy pants, and some 48 Hours Mystery….
Discover a new cool coffee shop together (they’re popping up everywhere)… we did this last weekend and it was so fun sitting there + sipping our drinks… alone… without rushing…