Never pay full price for anything!

That's my mantra. I might have a bit of a reputation for being a tight-ass (I much prefer the word "frugal") but I've finally managed to claw my way off that treadmill and tuck a little away into my savings account. I can probably stop re-using my dental floss and tea bags about now, but old habits die hard.

Anyway, I've been a bit of a party animal lately. Literally:

We had a kids' disco at church last week. The theme was Country & Western so I whipped this little number up on the old Bernina for under thirty bucks. Even if I do say so myself, my teats were udderly AMAZING! It was a bit of a nuisance being repeatedly milked throughout the evening but I have to say, it was worth it.

The school ball was going to be a bit more of a challenge and I'm afraid I did go a little over budget so I'll give the breakdown on what it cost. But first, here's a cleverly disguised picture of me and Smiley getting ready for our big night out with the Year 12 and 13s at the Ellerslie Convention Centre:

True identities cunningly concealed

Elegant, huh? Oh...and because the theme was "Frozen Enchantment", here I am with my...muff:

"Muff"...*snigger*...so much innuendo I'm considering giving it a Facebook page of its own.

So here's the lowdown on what it all cost:

Ticket to the ball:  Nothing (did Smiley's hair in exchange for the ticket)
Dress:  $15! Bought it in another town three years ago when I spotted a bargain. Thought it would look nice in my "collection"
Furry Muff (*snigger*!) and Cape: $10 + $5 postage from Trademe. Bought a couple of years ago for my "collection" (total: $15)
White Sandals:  $2.50 from the Charity Shop (had to scribble the price on the bottom out with vivid but nobody noticed)
Hair: Fake piece: $2.00, Blingy thing $3.90 - from the Asian shop in Southmall
Earrings: $2.00 from the Asian shop in Southmall - the man in there is getting quite friendly with me now.
Gloves: $4.00 (I know, I splurged to go with the theme) - from my Asian friend

And finally...I was going to use the muff to insert (*snigger* - oh, be mature will ya!?!) my important stuff into the lining but my extravagant friend R talked me into buying a flash little clutch. She is such a BAD influence on me!

I LOVE IT!!!! The thing cost me more than the dress but isn't it FABULOUS!??! Besides, I got it for 80% off: $25 (reduced from $60). I did have big plans to flick it off on Trademe (hopefully for a similar price to what I paid for it) but LOOK AT IT!!! It's FABULOUS!!!!

So the total cost for me to go to the ball: $69.40c. Did I really need that fabulous little clutch with the blingy bling? Why yes. Yes I did.

So Smiley and I went to the ball where we behaved with sophistication and decorum all night (until the coach turned into a pumpkin)