Prom

Last night, my school held it's annual senior prom. I'm a junior, and I didn't get asked to go by a senior, and thus, I did not attend the senior prom. Curse my school for not having a junior prom, I guess? Anyway. For those of you who don't know what prom is (let's be honest, everyone knows what prom is), it's the one night of the year that seniors live for. People spend months (literally months) preparing for this one night. My question is, what's all the fuss about?

Teenagers spend hundreds, perhaps even close to a thousand dollars on just one night. A girl's prom dress typically ranges from $150-$600, but there are always the exceptions that are lower or higher. A tuxedo typically costs $80-$250 to rent, depending on where you go. Then there's the dance, which costs about $40-$80, and the dinner, about $40-$60 depending on where you go, and the after prom admission, about $15. Then there's the pictures, which are about $30-$50, and the flowers, probably around $30-$35 total. According to the Denver Post, the average cost of prom is $1,078, but in the Midwest it's much lower, at $696. Still, spending $700 on one night alone is to me, ridiculous. All of that money turns into a memory, hopefully a good one, but a memory that could just as easily be made spending much less.

Now, you ask, how do we save on prom? Everyone spends that much on prom, it's the thing to do. Not necessarily, though. The dress, of course, is all about personal opinion. It's all about how important having the right dress is, and how much you're willing to spend on it. When my sister went to prom, she spent almost nothing on her dress, because my grandma sewed it for her. So if you know somebody that can sew, by all means, get a dress customized specially for you. A tux is a different story of course, but you can always borrow one for low cost, or rent one at a low cost as well. Saving money on dinner is easy--have a fun candlelit dinner at home. If your parents are nice, they can cook and serve you, if not, you can just make your own dinner. You can eat your favorite foods and save money. Now, there's not much you can do about the price of tickets and pictures, but holding back on the clothes and dinner can certainly leave hundreds in your bank account.

Prom shouldn't be about spending money, it should be about making a great memory, as well as ending your senior year with a bang. Of course, it's worth it when you can skip school the Monday after prom (aka Senior Skip Day), but it really shouldn't be about who looked the best. Everyone can look good on prom night, without spending their entire life savings.