The cost of a school dance can really add up – especially if you’re a parent who wants to make a statement with flashy cars and dresses.
But one mum has proved that making sure your child has a great prom night doesn’t have to be expensive.
Debbie Hills, 47, managed to cover the entire cost of her daughter’s prom night for just £12.50.
Aimee, 18, initially refused to attend her school’s prom due to bullies.
But just three weeks before the event, the teenager changed her mind, meaning Debbie had to scramble to get everything sorted.
Debbie said: ‘Aimee wasn’t very confident, like a typical teenager she had body confidence issues when she’s a size eight.
‘She didn’t have a large friendship group and was bullied at school – she didn’t want to go to school and didn’t really do well in her exams.
‘I’m a single mum and I struggle for money anyway, so I had no idea how I was going to do it because dresses cost a fortune.
‘Everyone should go to prom and Aimee’s really glad she went. She has some lovely memories, she would have regretted it if she hadn’t.
‘Prom shouldn’t be about the pressure of money, it should be about the kids spending time together and having memories to look back on.’
Thankfully, Debbie knows how to stick to a budget, and set herself a challenge of making her daughter’s night special without splashing a load of cash.
School cook Debbie managed to find a dress for Aimee being offered for free on Facebook – which Aimee ended up loving.
The dress needed some alterations, which cost £5, and Aimee wore her own shoes and did her own hair and makeup.
Aimee’s prom ticket cost £5 and she needed a new pair of tights for £2.50. The student was chauffeured to prom for free by her great uncle Percy in his Jaguar.
That brings the total spent on the night to just £12.50. Bargain.
This isn’t the first time Debbie’s managed to cut down costs for school dances. Her older daughter Rihannon’s prom night cost £24 thanks to a donated dress, while her son’s event cost £55, including a new suit, shoes, and a bottle of whiskey for a neighbour who dropped him off in his Porsche.
‘We know that we’re lucky,’ said Debbie. ‘It is nice to spend a lot on your child’s prom and treat your kids if you can afford it, but we’re more grateful than greedy.
‘We don’t do the whole ‘look what I’ve got’.
‘My kids will go into Primark and look for the stuff that costs a pound, they don’t go into Hugo Boss and want a £500 t-shirt.
‘Aimee really deserved to go – when my dad was diagnosed with cancer her only priority was making sure she visited him every day and making sure he was eating.
‘Even now, she still visits him twice a week and does things for him.
‘She’s a great kid – she rarely thinks of herself and always wants to help everyone else.’
Aimee’s purple halterneck and diamante studded dress has now been passed on to another school leaver, while Rihannon’s was donated to the school.
Debbie said: ‘We’ve passed the dresses on for other people to enjoy.
‘One of the conditions when we picked up Aimee’s dress was that we weren’t allowed to sell it, but we wouldn’t have done that anyway.
‘We’ve always struggled, and it was nice to be able to do something for families in a similar position.
‘Money is tight for most of the people I know, and most of those are working families.’
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