You’re judging me aren’t you? I feel your judgey eyes piercing me. You have debt Michelle, you’re supposed to be saving Michelle, what in the heck are you thinking Michelle? Well let me tell you some more information.
This is the second time that I spent $100 on a party and I didn’t regret it then and I don’t regret it now.
Why?
Because it’s for a fundraiser. This fundraiser happens to meet all of the criteria that I look for in terms of what I would give my money towards:
- Education-I am a huge supporter of education and its power to help people achieve their dreams. The party that I paid for will give the scholarship recipient a full ride 4 year scholarship to college PLUS money for housing and books. This is a no brainer. I have to support this.
- Fashion-I get to dress up in a cocktail dress and wear a fabulous hat or a fascinator. How many opportunities do we get to do that?
- Open bar-I feel like this one is self explanatory. Mint juleps anyone?
I don’t belong to a church so in lieu of a 10% tithe I donate to organizations and charities for causes that I believe in such as: education, helping the homeless, food pantries, and encouraging Americans to travel abroad.
The $100 dollars that I spent to attend this party is substantially under the 10% monthly tithe that most people allocate funds towards on a monthly basis.
So, what is this event? It’s called The Derby Party. And it is held every year the same day as the Kentucky Derby. Everyone dresses in gorgeous dresses and suits and wear hats, fascinators, and drink mint juleps. At 4:00 p.m. everyone watches the 2 minute race and then continue to party on.
The first time I attended I wore a $4 Anne Taylor cocktail dress that was worn maybe once before I snatched it up at Goodwill. I was asked all day long about that dress and loved telling people where I got it. My hat was $12 dollars and my shoes were from my closet.
I loved every minute of that event. There were thousands of people going downtown for the event and people were honking at everyone because the looked so nice!
Here is a video from the first year that I attended. It will explain the event a little further.
I will continue to contribute to organizations that are in line with my values and don’t regret for a moment paying the $100 for the event. I should state that I am frugal in a lot of ways that help balance out the cost and I purchase the ticket before the prices go up…yep, that’s the inexpensive ticket.
I also look for ways to contribute to charity whenever I am involved in some sort of transaction. For example, I donate to food pantries when I’m at the grocery store. Or, I purchase a good or item that donates a percentage of its proceeds to charity.
I’m wondering if you attend events with high entry fees? Do you feel guilty, awkward, uncomfortable going to these types of events when in debt?
This isn’t the best picture of me but I think I’m several mint juleps into the event 🙂 $4 cocktail dress btw-Magical Goodwill. Check out Thredup.com and use my affiliate link to get $20 off your first order. ThredUP is an online thrift store with high quality items on it!
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Chelles says
That picture is to-die-for. LOVE the flower.
We attend a lot of fundraisers for charities we care about or work directly with. When we totaled our donations last year, we spent over $800 alone! We’re big believers that we should spread what little wealth we have around, and if it leads to a good time, it’s just an extra bonus!
Michelle says
Thanks! I actually sewed that flower onto my cheapo hat. I feel really good about donating and am super excited about attending this year! I think it’s awesome that you donated so much. I feel good about sharing with others-we are truly blessed.
Dear Debt says
That sounds fun and goes to a great cause! You look great by the way. I don’t really attend expensive events more than $25, but have often thought about it. If it was the right event, at the right time I probably would.
Michelle says
Thanks for the kind words! It was a ton of fun and I can’t wait to go again in May. I don’t always splash out on things like this but I love that I can: help someone get an education, dress up, see cute guys, and have an open bar. Fabulous.
Sher@FatGuySkinnyWallet says
Looks like you had a great time! We generally don’t attend events with a high entry fee. Most of our giving is for church, or sometimes an Haitan orphanage that we were heavily involved in.
Michelle says
It was fantastic! If I belonged to a church I would tithe, since I’m not I like to find other ways to give.
Tonya@Budget and the Beach says
I always think it’s ok to donate money to a cause that is important to you, but only when it doesn’t compromise any of your goals, put you into debt, etc. Like putting on the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting others. Truth be told, that’s always been a thorn in my side about certain religious organizations. Some people are probably so poor they can’t even afford to buy good food for themselves, but are donating 10% “religiously.” That’s another rant for another day. Back to the point…that doesn’t sound like the case at all, and seems like a great event to be a part of. For me, right now, I probably wouldn’t do something like that. Since I’m very money conscious right now I’m more likely donate my time than $. I did, however, support my cousin with breast cancer by buying this sweatshirt thingy which all process went to help her financially. I guess for me it’s a case by case basis.
Michelle says
I also enjoy donating my time but as you discovered-I have none! I really enjoyed volunteering and really miss having the time to do it. For me it’s also on a case by case basis, I can’t always pay these large donations so I do it very infrequently. But, this event is a number of years in so I could plan a year ahead.
save. spend. splurge. says
I don’t get PF bloggers or others who shame people for enjoying their money. Even if you’re in debt you still need to have a bit of fun or else you’re going to snap.
Michelle says
It’s always a balancing act I just am not going to go all hardcore and never do anything. I would go insane. I’ve also known about this even for several years so I could plan my participation a year in advance.
Daisy says
I think that if I were in your shoes, I’d have done the same thing. The open bar is a huge bonus and I don’t know about where you live, but if I were to go to a party that didn’t cost $100 and didn’t have an open bar, I would have easily spent $100 on drinks, transportation, etc. Plus, you donated to a good cause, and that matters, too. Looks like you had a good time.
Michelle says
Fortunately, Denver is somewhat reasonable…I can use public transport to go to and from downtown (free) where a lot of events tend to happen.Drinks cost around $8-$12 depending on where you go out. I had an amazing time and am already thinking about what I’m going to wear. I won’t wear a hat though-it drove me crazy. This year I’m wearing a fascinator.
studentdebtsurvivor says
How fun! I’ve always thought it would be neat to go to a Derby party. Donations to a cause that I support is always something I feel good about.
Michelle says
I’ve always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby. At this point I might not make it to Kentucky until next year, until then I will have a kick butt time at this event.
Lisa E. @ Lisa vs. the Loans says
I absolutely LOVE the hat! Yes you’re in debt, but I agree that giving doesn’t have to go against that goal. Plus, it looks like you had a great time all for a good cause.
Michelle says
I sewed on the flower! I can’t wait to go this year. I just bought my dress (Goodwill) Rocking the used cocktail dress again. I had a fantastic time.