Sucking it in to save money

March 12th, 2008 at 06:31 pm

At least once a year, I'm forced to dress up in something either than jeans and a t-shirt, and be my husband's Trophy Wife at a black-tie event related to his work.

In the past, I've gone shopping for gowns in January, which is when you'll usually find such things on sale. I've always lucked out and have never spent more than $100 on gowns that were originally much more than that.

Last year, I actually lucked out and came down with dysentery or some other cleaver excuse not to go (the exact nature of which currently escapes me). And, this year, I figured I would be off the hook since my husband switched jobs last summer.

Boy was I wrong. I now have two prom-like-events-for-the-geriatric-crowd coming up in the next month that require "formal" attire -- both of which involve me having to sit at a table with the same people, so wearing the same dress to both events won't work....

Aside from the fact that I didn't bother with my usual January gown shopping outing this year or last year, I've also put on a few pounds so I now either need to shed some weight fast, suck it up and invest in a new dress, or just suck it in and hope that nothing "pops."

The things we do for love.....

Posted in Shopping, Odds and Ends, Just need to whine, Savings | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Sucking it in to save money”

Thrifty Ray Says:
March 12th, 2008 at 07:52 pm

I dont envy you...I am not a dress up kinda girl. Good luck gown shopping...you might look for a resale shop...alot of those gowns were only worn once--and are considerably less expensive.
homebody Says:
March 12th, 2008 at 08:26 pm

Do ya wanna borrow some old prom gowns?? With three daughters, we have lots! Then of course there is the bridesmaid dresses from YD's wedding July 2006! Oh wait YD has one of those, she wore it to the Marine Ball last November!
Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
March 12th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Would you notice if someone else wore the same gown to both events?
compulsive debtor Says:
March 13th, 2008 at 06:23 am

If they were a week apart and I was sitting at the same table with them, I might, Joan.
marjorie Says:
March 13th, 2008 at 02:18 pm

Around here the symphony has a shop they call "Encore" and it's used dressy stuff. If I needed a tux for my son I'd go there. It might be worth a check around to see if something similar is available in your area, esp. if you need 2. Hopefully the others will be in the same boat, and won't know about like shops
scfr Says:
March 13th, 2008 at 04:37 pm

How about consignment shops?
When I went on a cruise, I hated the thought of spending something for "formal nights" that I would probably never wear again. I found a Bob Mackie sequined concoction that I could wear right off the clearance rack and that was still in acceptable shape for $20 or $30 (I forget). It cracked my family up, because I had never wore anything remotely that fancy before ... and haven't since!
compulsive debtor Says:
March 13th, 2008 at 05:05 pm

Fortunately, I have two things that do fit so there's hope for me yet... I was informed last night that this will be a regular thing, so I think I'll be stocking up on a few other ball-type dresses next January.
luxlivingfrugalis Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 02:23 pm

Here's what I usually do for these kind of events - a black slinky turtleneck and black velvet skirt w/KNOCK 'EM dead popping jewelry (okay it's fake-o knock em dead costume jewelry), but you can really go for the glam here.

Where I live the doctor's wives have thrift shops in the hospitals. Might be worth a call around. I've gotten some terrific deals on just the kind of formal wear you're talking about.

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Sucking it in to save money

8 Responses to “Sucking it in to save money”

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