Prom dresses for the thrifty
April 15, 2008 by kellys
Filed under budget, family, financial matters, frugal living
It’s prom time again! If you are still looking for the perfect dress and are like us here at Thrifty Mommy, I have the perfect places for you to look. Now don’t say you can’t find them. I live in a small city, < 160k, so if I can find it, so can you. I helped my girlfriend look for a formal gown so I have some experience in formal wear searching.
- Call around to your local thrift stores.
- Do you have a cancer store? We have one and that is where she found her dresses.
- Prom swaps. There are usually swap meets where you can take your old dresses and get new ones.
- If you have relatives that are the same size but live far enough away, borrow.
- One of my teenagers at church got her senior prom dress at a yard sale.
These are just a few places to try to find a prom dress for cheap without looking cheap!
We went to a consignment shop in high schol that had a ton of prom dresses. Very cheap prices. Plus you can always ask old friends/relatives.
My mom made my prom dress. I was able to pick the style and fabric that way. Very thrifty. I borrowed my aunt’s wedding dress. I only had to pay $150 to have it cleaned and preserved.
One other “tip” on prom dresses … having worked in the bridal industry for many years I learned that most shops “throw out” their sample bridesmaid dresses when the new styles arrive. It may be worth a call to a bridal store to see if they have any discontinued samples they would sell. (Also be prepare to barter – if they are selling a discontinued style’s sample you can remind them that they only profit they will now make off that dress is from your off the rack purchase.) If you are a larger size – don’t shy away from doing this! More shops carry larger sample sizes too. Good luck!
Great tips.