There is almost nothing that brings dread to a single mothers heart like a looming expense. This time of year that expense can be school dances.
Prom season is such a fun time for kids but can be a huge expense. If you start early there are ways to make it less painful for you, and your daughter.
Every girl wants to be a princess at her prom and that comes with a price tag. As a single mom there just wasn’t a lot of money to put away for things like prom dresses and hair dos’s so we had to figure out how to make it work.
My advice is to start looking at thrift stores long before you need the dress. When the dances roll around all the good dresses are taken.
Also look at dress shops, I know that sounds counter productive but we bought a dress for Hailey at a dress shop for twenty dollars. It had a greasy looking stain right in the middle of the bodice, they had two dresses with the same stain for $10 each. I bought them both, came home and cut one of the lace motifs out of one of the dresses and used fabric glue to secure it on the bodice of the other.
If you or someone you know is talented with a needle and thread ask your friends if they have their old prom dresses, you will be amazed at how easily you can change them to suit your daughter.
Manicures and pedicures make you feel like its a special occasion. They are also expensive. One dance the girls went to we made a salon at home. Each girl was pampered, in turn, by the others. They got facials, manicures and pedicures and it was ridiculously cheap.
You can do the same thing with hair and makeup. Everyone knows someone who is good at hair and makeup. Talk to them and see what they would be willing to do your daughters for, if all else fails, the two of you can spend the weeks leading up to prom playing with hairstyles. Also, look for a cosmetology school near you, we had Hailey’s hair and make up done at one and it was less than I usually pay for a haircut.
It’s so amazing to watch your little girl, who only wears jeans and t shirts, come into the room in a princess dress. It’s an even better feeling to know that you didn’t have to go into debt for it.