Houndstooth Belt

It had been TOO long since I wore this houndstooth belt my stepmother gifted me with last year. It's so hard to decide what to wear it with. All black? A white top and black pants? No, that's too predictable and too soccer mom. A black top, black skirt and crimson-colored platform heels? Now that feels better!

This was also the first time I've worn this flowy/slightly rugged military-style DOTS skirt in maybe two years. If you have time, I really encourage you to swing into a DOTS to see what they have. I usually find a cute (and super cheap) skirt, dress or piece of costume jewelry.

Lightweight turtleneck: $15 at Target

Skirt: $18 at DOTS

Tights: $5 at Target

Belt: gifted (I know that's kind of cheating in a <$50 outfit post but oh well)

Shoes: gifted by Mb but by Nine West (I get so many compliments on these shoes that I need to get more ASAP — and I feel like they're really flattering on the legs)

Outfit total: $38

And no, I did not intend to look like an Alabama fan.

Audience Participation Friday: Good Dates Under $25

I asked you all last week, "What's an idea for a fun date that's under $25?" Here's what you said:

From Anna:

"This date is technically $20 per person, but most of it goes to charity! Earlier this summer Alan and I ran a 5k in Alpharetta, GA. While waking up super early wasn't a lot of fun, we enjoyed the 3.1 mile run and crossing the finished line together. I think exercise dates are a lot of fun and a great way to spend more time together."

Anna and Alan enjoying their exercise date (God love them)

From co-worker Josh:

"Go to the store and pick up finger foods (cheese, crackers, veggie and dip) to load up your picnic basket.

Go to Public Park (make sure it is sunny) sit down in a nice area.

Nibble, people watch and enjoy each others’ company.

 

Maximum dollars spent is $20 (depending upon your taste in Cheese)."

From Maria:

"This is a FREE date to any of the following:

The High Museum of Art

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Fernbank

ZOO Atlanta

Millennium Gate

 

Well free if you are a Bank of America customer and don’t mind a little pre-planning. My husband and I stumbled upon this little gem when we tried to pay for admission to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my BOA checkcard a few weeks ago. The woman at the ticket counter told me that since I had a BOA debit card I could actually get in free as we happened to there on the monthly BOA promotion day.  My husband also had his BOA debit card on hand and got in free as well.  Score!!  (and to think I almost opted to pay cash!)

 

Apparently, BOA has a promotion that gives BOA customers free admittance to cultural centers in cities across the country. The best part is that this does not consist of obscure days and times that you would never be able to go (like 2-4pm on Tuesdays). For example, the hours for the High Museum are Saturdays 10am-5pm. To see the full details for museums in your area check out:

 

http://museums.bankofamerica.com/

 

This could also be worth checking out if you are traveling as you could score a free pass to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, or The Phillips Collection in DC.   

 

Even if you grabbed coffee, lunch or a glass of wine, you could still keep this date under $25."    

And from Mb:

"One of the best dates or activities for under $25 is going paddle boating in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. My friends and I planned an out of town day trip to B'more. Gas fair split four ways, and another few dollars each to cover the cost of the paddle boat, made for the perfect cheap day trip. Throw in a stop to one of the many ice cream places along Inner Harbor and you easily have a date that runs you less than $25. Now if you stop at some of the fancy clothing stores or restaurants.....that's another story :)"

Mb's friends Bunting and C enjoy the paddle boats in Baltimore.

Mb and Kat also enjoy the adventure.

One of MY favorite dates is taking Roxxi to the dog park (preferably Piedmont Park) then driving around and looking at real estate. This is best enjoyed when you sleep in a little bit, swing by the Belly Store or Dunkin Donuts to grab coffee and a light breakfast. Roxxi enjoys playing with the other dogs — and we enjoy seeing what kinds of other breeds show up at the park (and watching their quirky owners). She's usually expired after an hour or less — and we may spend a few minutes walking jogging track with Roxxi on her leash (as she smiles, slobbers and walks slower by the moment). After dropping Roxxi off, it's fun to drive around both realistic and dream neighborhoods, eyeing what could end up being our home one day. We judge the exterior, trade words about what it would be like to live in each location and guess the price before pulling the flyer from the yard. This also gives us an opportunity to talk about where we see ourselves in a year or five years or longer. :)

Cute house we drove by in Downtown Decatur (just a few blocks from the square — and across the street from beautiful Agnes Scott College)

Tons of fun quality time, and maybe $10 or $15 including breakfast/coffee. 

Next week's Audience Participation Friday: what's the fiercest pair of shoes in your closet? Send photos!

What's your favorite date for under $25? (Audience Participation Friday)

Reminder time! Remember to send in your comments for this Friday's Audience Participation Friday.

What's your idea of a fun date night (or daytime activity) that costs less than $25? (Yes, I realize that photos may be tougher for this one — but try away!).

Send your submissions to lifefulfilledatl@gmail.com by Thursday, November 4 at 10pm.

A NIght at the Symphony

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (image from here).

While this is more on the splurge side of things, I still feel compelled to write about it on el blog because it was such a neat occasion (and a local one). 

The hubs bought tickets for us to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as his anniversary gift to me. This past Thursday night was the big night. We donned our business attire best (I thought cocktail attire would be a little overkill for a weeknight) and sat right up on the third row (note: the occupied row for this performance). Tickets were $43.00 a piece, which I thought was fair considering our seats and the caliber of the performance.

The music: Brahm's German Requiem. Dan picked this performance out from the bunch because it featured vocalists. And vocalists it featured! Two classical singers (one baritone, one soprano) plus a 100-plus person chorus accompanied the 1868 symphony. The German Requiem is somber in tone but not lacking in energy.  Wow. I won't pretend I can write at length about music but I will say that the performance was incredibly moving. There were moments when I got chills as the orchestra built in intensity along with the choral voices. For more information on the symphony and its history, go here. 

I highly recommend anyone see a symphony at least once (such a nice date night). A word of warning though: The music is so relaxing that you may find yourself wanting to close your eyes and nod off a bit. I would recommend a little latte or the like before you listen. Plus we should be proud of — and support — our hometown Atlanta talent (the symphony has a great reputation). Did you know that the ASO plays 200 shows a year?

Impressed by a Celebrity

(Love this! You better believe that if/when we have kids, we'll be doing Craig's List furniture and EUC clothes...)

"EBAY. I'm a pro! When I shop for baby clothes, it's NWT (new without tags) or EUC (excellent used condition). There's nothing about gently used baby clothes that's gross to me"

— Eastwick star Rebecca Romijn tells People magazine about her web obsession

Your Favorite Items Under $20

Not a bad response for the first "Audience Participation Friday." And would you believe that some dudes even responded? Awesome. I'm also impressed that many of your items were even under $10. I asked what your favorite items under $20 were — and here's what you had to share:

Miz Mb sent in a casual dress she picked up from the GAP for $20. She even shows how to wear her piece more than one way. "I love it because it’s a light soft fabric that can blend well into any season. It has a comfortable neckline and cinched waist that makes it flirty, and is something I can dress up or down." — Mira (D.C.)

(Mira continued): "I can wear is bare-legged with flip flops or with tights, boots, and a matching scarf. It’s easy to dress this wardrobe staple down or up. Last night I wore this dress with green tights and a grey cardigan before going to [my boyfriend's] to watch TV. Before leaving, I ditched the cardigan for my black fall jacket since it was chilly." (Loving the fun tights, girl)

"Totally an old navy baseball-style shirt. $5 and really comfy." — Greg (Atlanta)

"It is definitely the black/white check sleeveless shirt that I bought with you at a thrift store ... I wear it about once a week - summer, winter, spring, fall ... in colder weather I wear it under a cardigan. And it cost less than $5!" — Lou a.k.a. my mom (Columbus)

"It has to be my new Levi's from Urban Outfitters. They are button-fly and boyfriend baggy style. I found them on the sale rack and they just happened to be my size! I was very pleased to pay $19 for them. I think they're reminiscent of Jennifer Aniston's causal style you'll often see in People magazine." — Anna (Dahlonega)

"my game day jersey... i got it on ebay and i wont leave the house on a notre dame saturday without it. $5!!!" — Alan (Warner Robbins)

Alan enjoys dinner in his $5 Notre Dame Jersey from eBay (a great place to find sports items for cheap!)

Budget friendly fashion diva Olivia had a tough time picking which <$20 item was her favorite so she sent three.

Oooh! I love these Nine West booties O. picked up for $19.99.

Olivia's Barclay square velvet jacket (thrifted in Nashville for $6)

This item wasn't just under $20, it was free! Olivia gets a lot of use out of this fabulous leather jacket her mom wore in high school.

For me, I would say the Armani Exchange jacket/blazer I picked up at Goodwill a few months back. It seems to be so versatile (works with jeans, slacks, dresses, etc.). I also feel like the fabric is rather season neutral. And it was $5.59!

For next week: What's your idea of a fun date night (or daytime activity) that costs less than $25? (Yes, I realize that photos may be tougher for this one — but try away!). Send your submissions to lifefulfilledatl@gmail.com by Wednesday, November 4.

Cheers!

Katy

Store Credit

Mistake #1: buying a pair of different sized shoes on Saturday.

Mistake #2: talking on the phone and browsing the racks before trying to return the shoes.

Smart move/mistake #3: finding some awesome items before turning in the sad, unmatching shoes.

Thank goodness they gave me store credit. The shoes would have been a $12 money pit. Hell, who am I kidding? I probably would have bought the below items anyway. (Turns out it was an even exchange — and I still ended up with a pair of burgundy shoes to wear with my new burgundy tights.)

Vest: vintage (no tag) with purple lining
Shoes: Aerosoles (never worn)
Button-up: Docker's (barely worn... and it hopefully it will remedy my failure shirt situation from last Friday)

Rats. I went to return my shoes and drafted this post before I saw Traci's comment that her restaurant recommendation (Panahar) is in the same shopping center as the BuHi Goodwill. Boo!