xmas party dresses
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| Thu, 12-01-2005 - 4:07pm |
So far I have been sticking to my plan of not putting any christmas presents on the cc, yet somehow other items are being put on the cc though so I'm really not doing as well as I should be. I'm mad at myself...I need to buy a xmas party dress for 2 formal parties I am going to. Luckily I can use the same dress for both parties, unluckily, I have been searching for weeks and only found one dress that was cheap. It was 30 dollars and I was about to order it online...when I opened the website up it said that it was no longer available. Great. So now I have been scouring ebay for a formal yet somewhat cheap dress. No such luck. I have it narrowed down to two dresses, both around 100 dollars on ebay. I cringe to think of it because I don't have enough money to go around between the dress and xmas presents so I'm sure it will end up on my cc, or else I will take money from my savings to cover it. Ugh! I just don't know what else to do...I've searched my local mall, the internet, and ebay. I only have 8 days left so I am down to the wire and have to make a decision! And on top of it all I will probably end up getting my hair in an updo for both parties and paying for that since I am not talented enough to do it myself and these parties are both swanky. And another hair expense...time to get my highlights touched up. I would let it go for a while but with the updos it will be noticable.
I'm so frustrated that I will be spending so much money on things that are not helping me get rid of my debt. I have been doing well though up to this point so all I can do just scrimp for the rest of the month and get the cheapest xmas presents I can for those I need to buy for. I already took care of 3 people on my list, but I'm over budget because my brother's present ended up costing me almost 60 dollars! Great. Hoping to go cheap for dbf's parents and his sister/brother in law, as well as my own parents (two sets to buy for--mom/stepfather, and dad/stepmother). Other than them I have my best friend whom I will probably get a gift basket with a blockbuster gift card and some popcorn, candy, etc. (cheap and easy, and she has a crush on the guy who works at blockbuster, lol) and the biggest expense is my dbf who I always spend too much on. At least I have ebay as an option for his gifts though...
Anyway, I have a final exam to take tonight. That is weighing on my mind as well as this stupid dress thing and it has me feeling low. I should have saved for this dress, I knew it was going to happen. Why didn't I plan ahead for this month? December stuck up on me and now I'm either going to have to use the cc's or raid my meager savings to make ends meet. I wish I could figure out how to do things cheaper...maybe I will do my own hair after all for the parties, and just hope it comes out ok. Who knows.
wish me luck on my final exam!

Don't you hate those extra expenses that always pop up? For the dress, I highly recommend checking out some local consignment shops. At least around here, there are some pretty swanky shops with good deals. True thrift stores (like goodwill) will *occasionally* have a really nice dress or two for super cheap--under $10. Then there are mid-range consignment stores that are likely to have a selection of very nice dresses for $25-50. Then there are the upscale consignments that carry only the top brands and really swanky styles, where you'll be lucky to spend less than $100 (but where the dresses will be the sort that retail in the thousands). I would check around your town. Consignment shops are usually not well advertised, so you might need to check a number of places to find one that is the right sort of shop, but it could be very worth it.
Also, can you borrow a dress from a friend in a similar size? I find my holiday dresses at yard sales, but I begin looking in January for the following December. I actually don't have a new one this year, so I think I'm either going to repeat last year's dress or borrow one from someone (not sure who yet).
Good luck, and don't beat yourself up. Do the best you can, and go with the flow on the rest.
Blessings,
Heather
Beg and borrow from your girfriends, or recycle an object from your wardrobe worn a little differently. i.e nice black dress, with new sparkly shawl.
My opinion is that by January no one will remember what you wore, but, you will be stuck with the credit card bills.
Do your hair yourself, or get a friend to come and do it for you.
I have paid to have my hair styles very very few times, like my wedding and my sister's wedding and I think that is it.
I know it is stressful, but, what will be more stressful, doing the best yu can in your budget now, or paying the credit cards later.
Do you have any area thrift or consignment shops in your area? Our local stores carry formal gowns, suits for men, and even wedding gowns! Often they have shoes to match for next to nothing.
This is the same problem we're running into this year. Dh always has a work holiday party that he's expected to go to. It's not formal, but I still need to dress up for it. Problem is, I don't have one single dress. Not casual, semi-formal, formal...not even a summertime sundress. Nothing. No dresses. I'm a homeschooling Mom, so the beautiful black velvet, floor-length dress that I wore last year was sacrificed for a school project the year after. LOL!! I needed black velvety material, and it wasn't in the budget to buy.....so there went the dress. LOL! I told Dh he could go to the company party alone this year. He asked if there was any way I could go, and I told him honestly that I've have to spend money for a dress, spend money for matching shoes and handbag (wives are judged on their appearance and the guys with the nicely dressed wives definitely get the praise. Yes, it's childish, but that's how it is with these people), and we'd have to pay for a babysitter, "if" we could find one on short notice during the holiday season, and also we'd have to pay for a host/hostess gift to avoid walking into his boss's home empty-handed. Once he saw the dollar signs for himself, he agreed that it's best if I stay home and he just goes alone. LOL!! :-D
Since I know that's not an option for you, definitely check your phone book for those stores I mentioned above, and if you have friends who might have a formal gown (bridesmaid gowns might work!) ask if you can possibly borrow one for the night. A friend with a teenage daughter who might have an old formal gown from school might also work. Do you have any friends who are good with hair? Or a cosmetology school nearby who might do it for little or no cost as a teaching experience for their students?
Pat
Dressy tops are so much easier to find this time of year. Do you have any black slacks or black heels in your closet? If not, those items should be relatively easy to find thrift. Then, go back to the dept stores (check the sales flyers for coupons) and find a pretty, sparkly, party top. They tend to be a lot less expensive than a dress (and finding one that fits is easier too).
If your hair is long, you could try one of those french twist clips ($3-4) from the drugstore instead of getting your hair done. Something that I do with my hair is pull it back in a slightly high ponytail, then loop the tail back under/through the elasic so the ends of my hair are pointing up. The idea is that it creates somewhat of a bun that is then hidden by arranging the loose ends of hair around it. My hair is wavy/on the curly side, and it makes a nice updo. Every time I wear it this way, I get compliments from people who think it took some effort...it only takes about 30 seconds (sometimes I have to do it a couple of times to get the look right through).
Hope this helps,
BK
I haven't read the other posts, but about the dress...I was in my local Goodwill store over the weekend and found a TON of dresses there for under $20. And this was after I spent $21 on a beautiful dress for DHs Christmas party that I found at Ross after wading through the racks for 90 minutes. It drove me crazy, not to mention my kids (!), but I found one! I usually bought my dresses at upper-end dept. stores for at least $100, but was thrilled that I realized that I could go to Ross. Then on Thanksgiving, I was at my parents house and saw a dress that my mom wore to a Christmas party a few years ago, and she said I could borrow it, so now I have two dresses! I wish I had called my mom first!
Do you have any friends that you can borrow from? I remember hearing also that some formal stores "rent" dresses for weddings and such, so you might be able to rent a dress for a lot less than having to buy something you'll only wear once...
Hope this helps!
Kathy