Personal Prom Fundraising

So you want the gorgeous dress, the fabulous shoes, the amazing accessories. Or perhaps you want to buy the most beautiful corsage for your girlfriend and hire the best limo in the county for her.

That’s great until it comes to the money side of things, and let’s face it, your parents are probably already panicking about how to help you out. Your personal prom fund

Why not take the pressure off them (and prove that you really are old enough to do stuff for yourself now) and set up your own personal prom fund? If you do really well, you could splash out for the night without making your parents re-mortgage their house. That’s got to be a good thing, right?

Tips for setting up your own personal prom fund

  • Start early; you’re likely to get money together in dribs and drabs, so the longer you have, the better
  • Set a budget by listing all the things you want, prioritising them and then costing it all up. An evening on the web will give you enough of an idea of how much things are going to cost, and what you really want to be able to pay for.
  • Set several dates with an associated target amount, for example: “October 31st: £50, December 31st £200”
  • Set up a piggy bank that can only be smashed (no temptation!) – even better, your own saving account so you can deposit money into it and forget.

But earning money can be hard, especially in year eleven or year thirteen when it’s all about exams. So how can you find some money?

  • Tell people what you’re working towards, especially relatives who might chip in to support your efforts
  • Have a clear out and do a car boot sale – you’re parents will probably have some stuff they want to get rid of, so you could do it together
  • Grown out of some things? Why not put old toy collections on e-bay, or ask your parents and relatives to clear out their lofts and donate items for you to sell?
  • Give your saving account details to relatives when they ask what you want for Christmas and (if you’re lucky date wise) your birthday. They can put an amount in and tell you in the birthday / Christmas card.
  • Give up a weekly treat. Cutting out the chippy run a lunchtime a week, or giving up sweets for a day a week might claw back up to £20 a month. It all adds up.
  • See if your parents will sponsor you to wash up every night for a month

It all adds up

The key to saving for your fund is not to think that if something will only get you a few pounds, it’s not worth doing. Just keep squirreling it all away and before you know it, you’ll have saved up enough to get your heart’s desire. If you want to really go for it, why not ask your parents if they’ll match what you save? Then you’ll really have an incentive!