Credit crunchers please come and revive me from shock - how the other half live

[stormforce10]

A mum of a girl in dd's class invited me to a charity party when I was doing todays school run. I said to let me have the details and I'd check. I assumed tickets would be £5-10.

How wrong was I? Its only £50 a ticket she chatted on happily. Its a black tie ball. I'm going to get my dress later I saw one I really like only £500 in the sale down from £900.

Fainting dead away. I can't imagine spending £100 on tickets for a night out with DP let alone another £500 on a dress. Maybe some of you would be that's more than my disposable income for the month

Well in honesty, we could afford it as both have decent jobs.

However I wouldn't spend the money on principle, it is a waste. £100 on the tickets maybe, but I just couldn't justify the expense of £500 for a dress that is excessive, I am sure I already own something just as suitable anyway!

That is just me though, being frugal isn't so much about saving money for us, we are in it for the philospohy of it all and all this throw away waste. For example I could buy the dress but would probably get no further use out of it so that is the waste factor more for me.

Although agree it is totally excessive for one night out, whatever your salary/disposable income is.

I can't imagine spending that much on a night out either. And a dress costing about £500 , that's more than I would spend on a wedding dress!!

I would pay for the tickets, but no way would I spend that much on a dress!

from my experience it will probably go on the credit card which is nearly up to its limit!

I have to say for a black tie ball that sounds about right - cost of venue, putting on a band, three course meal, disco etc then allowing an excess profit for the charity.

And I suppose if she is organising it then she may feel that she has to be the belle of the ball, but no way would I spend £500 on a dress

even if I had the cash, surely you'd be better just giving 600 quid to the charity?

No way would I pay 50quid for a ticket. Can't afford silly amounts like that. Charity begins at home in our house :)

I wouldn't consider 50 quid for a night out crazy money, especially if it includes food and a charitable donation.

500 quid for a dress you'd wear a handful of times OTOH is just silly.

We went to a charity ball last year, yes we paid £50 each for a ticket but I wore an old dress, didn't buy a new one. I felt it was a good night out with lots of friends and the charity benefitted.

£500 on a dress is bonkers though, that's what people pay for wedding dresses!!

£50 each seems reasonable, but I would never spend £500 on a dress. Would probably end up wearing something I already had or searching the charity shops for a bargain.

£50 seems to be the going rate for a charity ball in these parts. I personally would not pay £100 for two tickets. I also wouldn't pay that much for a dress!

Hah. I once had this conversation with an acquaintance at a posh west london kids birthday party. She'd been strongarmed into buying two tickets for a charity ball or dinner or summat and was moaning about it. She used the kind of tone I would use for a situation where I'd been pressured into spending a tenner to support a cause I wouldn't particularly have chosen to support of my own free will, ie pissed off but resigned.

It turned out the amount involved was

£2500.

There were not enough to really cover what I felt about this. Truly, tis another world.

tickets - reasonable
dress - silly - rent a £500 one for £50 for the night

surely if its to raise money for charity its better to put that 50 quid to the charity rather than a dress?
Or am I thick?

500. got piddled on by child.

Ticket price is very reasonable for around here (west London) infact I was on the committee that organised a charity ball recently and it is bloody expensive. Our tickets were £95 each and that only covered the costs. The money for charity was raised from the auction and raffle.

But £500 on a dress . . . . .bonkers! I have a couple of old trusty dresses I drag out for these events; one was £80, the other £120. Have had both for years so on a cost per wear, they've both been a bargain.

Enjoy the ball if you go but remember the auction usually starts once everyone has had a drink for a good reason!

Ticket price fine. But I'd wear a dress from my wardrobe.

Charity do at ds's school is £30 - 4 course meal and a glass of sparkling wine. Cheap but still hard to sell tickets. No way I'd buy a new frock for a do like that though.

thank you. Sounds like the ticket price is normal then but the dress is extravagant. I've never possessed an item of clothing that costs more than about £80 and those are few and far between (maybe one or two in my life time)

It looks like we may not be able to go anyway as there is a clash of dates.

Utter madness. I've spent many years living frugally, even when I didn't strictly need to, just in case...... As a result, I now have a buffer to allow me to put the heating on in this cold weather and eg replace the washing machine which just went kaput. I simply couldn't countenance buying a £500 dress.

Just don't go. The clash of dates will help.

Girl meets dress does posh frocks for hire just in case any of you need one in the future.

Had a look at their website. Those are pretty decent prices.

I know, plus no wearing the same dress twice.