Are senior year expenses killing your budget??

[StitchBuddy]

Senior year is sooooo expensive! Between senior pictures, banquets, prom, graduation party, and Project Graduation I feel like I am going to have to sell a kidney or something. I'm thinking college may seem cheap! LOL! Can't blame me for wishful thinking. And...let's not forget a senior trip!! Ugh!!!

 

[JPM3]

Don't forget the yearbook...I'd hate to think what they cost nowadays.

 

[powellrj]

I did it last year, I really feel your pain!

 

[MouseLover]

Just paid for my DD yearbook - $58.
Cap &gown+ pictures + yearbook ads + grad invitations & party + prom + senior trip.
I feel your pain. We skipped the yearbook ad & daughter may skip sr trip. None of her close friends are going. She'll have band trip too.

 

[pklein09]

This is my second time through senior year (DD graduated last year, DS graduates this year). I did not buy senior pictures. I thought the quality was mediocre and the prices ridiculous. DS is going on the band/choir trip (Disney!). They go every 4 years, so this is it for him. I'm not throwing a graduation party. I did buy the yearbook. He wanted to do a baby picture ($25.00), but I did not do a family ad. Prom is coming up, but we bought a tuxedo when he was a sophomore (he sings....a LOT....so the tux was an investment). He's already worn the tux 7 times, so we've gotten our money's worth. As for college application fees, he applied early decision and the school waived the application fee. He got in (YAY!), but the expense is flying him to MN for scholarship auditions and then flying out again in Aug. to move him in. I refuse to be nickel and dimed by the high school when college expenses are looming.

 

[dawnhaze]

I think my senior year cost my parents about $150 back in the early 2000s - and that was my prom budget (which I didn't even spend all of).

 

[rbork]

Let's see...
Senior year photos...$330
Yearbook $90
Class ring $0 Convinced him of a college ring instead
Prom (based on last year with no limo) $700
Haven't received Graduation costs yet
Senior Trip is on him....I believe HE can afford a camping trip
I feel your pain OP

Getting ready to have the "Senior" decide which college he will attend by May 1st. Feeling fiscally stressed.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

I think what is surprising me is that they are all hitting right now and I thought we had a little bit more time. The yearbook ($107), yearbook ads($300+- we may not even do one), and Senior banners ($30) are all due this month, which I expected. But DD also needed money for a deposit on her place for her trip, and we just put a deposit down for the graduation party last week, she feels like she's behind because she doesn't have a prom dress yet and most girls do- these are things I thought we at least had until the spring to pay for. The applications just opened up for her housing for college last week ($150), as well as the orientation ($140) dates, and she wanted to be on top of those to get first choice. The high school wants the $91*4 for the AP tests NOW, too!

 

[JanaDee]

Don't forget the yearbook...I'd hate to think what they cost nowadays.

Here, yearbooks are $47 if you buy before a certain date.

 

[mjkacmom]

I think what is surprising me is that they are all hitting right now and I thought we had a little bit more time. The yearbook ($107), yearbook ads($300+- we may not even do one), and Senior banners ($30) are all due this month, which I expected. But DD also needed money for a deposit on her place for her trip, and we just put a deposit down for the graduation party last week, she feels like she's behind because she doesn't have a prom dress yet and most girls do- these are things I thought we at least had until the spring to pay for. The applications just opened up for her housing for college last week ($150), as well as the orientation ($140) dates, and she wanted to be on top of those to get first choice. The high school wants the $91*4 for the AP tests NOW, too!

She is behind on the prom dresses. they get mangled in the stores, and if you order one, it's not returnable. Here the girls post their dresses on a website, so there are no duplicates.

 

[JanaDee]

I feel we're doing ok so far. Senior pics have been our biggest expense, which I knew they would be, because I wanted nice pictures and was willing to pay for them. They were done last summer. Announcements/cap/gown, etc have all been ordered and were $150. No class ring, no tux for Prom this year (only Juniors wear them for Junior Prom), no ads or banners (?) for the yearbook and as far as I know, no senior trip. His party is at home and won't be anything extravagant.

Our focus has shifted to housing deposits and getting stuff ready for next Fall.

 

[Sailorwife]

My 3rd time around & one & only girl so definitely more expensive:
Yearbook - $90
Yearbook Ad - $200
3 Ap tests - $282
Pictures - $600
Cap & gown & senior t-shirts - $100
Senior Dues - $100

We got the ring Sophmore year with the Letterman jacket. I am not sure how much announcements will be since DD wants custom ones. I also have no idea how much Prom will cost. So far there are 8 couples & they want a party bus ( ok with this so no one is driving) plus renting a beach house for the weekend (not happening by the way!). I have been out of the country (will be back next week) & she bought a dress since I have been gone. It was only $150 & looks cute in the pictures she sent me but I am reserving judgement until I see it. I really wanted to rent one because all we need is another dress hanging in the guest room closet. We are having two senior parties ( sharing with nephews on both sides of the family so costs are split). Her senior trip was back in November to Disneyland. Though we are taking a family trip ( with DH's family) to Costa Rica right after graduation. She is going to college about 9 hours away so we are trading in her small car & getting her something a little bigger for traveling. I have already done housing deposit & orientation registration so at least that is done. I am so glad she is the last one I can't afford any more after her!

 

[powellrj]

I think my senior year cost my parents about $150 back in the early 2000s - and that was my prom budget (which I didn't even spend all of).

My oldest graduated in 02 and he still had some of the same costs that DD had last year. Cap and gown fees, college deposits, cost of the SATs and ACTs, cost of the AP tests. He didn't go to prom, so we saved money there. He was also a different type of student than his sister was. She was a go getter who was in homecoming court, so that was a new outfit and then she had lots of awards and scholarships that had dinners we had to pay for. Her meal was always free, put we always had to pay. She did drop choir her senior year that I felt bad about, but we really didn't have the money for the travel and clothes that were involved and she had lost interest at that point.

 

[DCbride]

When parents of toddlers say - cant wait until she is out of diapers I am going to save so much! It is hard not to laugh... Next is child care, then sports, then high school, college visits, a wedding...then we spoil our grand kids it never ends. But, I agree some year are worse than others.

 

[VictoriaT]

Prom dresses already? Yikes! We've paid for the senior all night party ($80), deposit for announcements, cap & gown, etc. ($250) yearbook ($75) but no ad. My DF, DD's GF, is an photography enthusiast, so he took senior photos for her which turned out amazing and lessened the cost. We always do a spring break trip, and DD picked the Florida Keys, where we've been many times, so its not a senior trip, exactly.

Scared to think of prom- DD's BF goes to rival HS, so she feels she needs two dresses. Help! I wore the same dress two my and BF's senior proms many years ago. I think she can deal with one dress.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Our first born wanted a class ring so when Jostens came to school we bought him one ($400+). He wore it a couple of times.
When second born got to high school we told him he could get a class ring, or we'd give him $250 cash. He took the cash.

I also didn't buy announcements second time around but made them myself with photo software. I am trained in graphic design, but honestly, anyone could do it using the photo card software on WalMart.com or Shutterfly, etc...

 

[tvguy]

Good news, my kids went to Catholic High School and everything but the school pictures was included at no extra cost.

Bad news, tuition was $11,000 a year.

 

[taythecray]

Wow seeing some of these prices makes me feel bad for my parents I was the first to graduate in the family and tried to help them out with costs. Let's see.
Yearbook-$50 (asked for as a Christmas present)
Prom-$200
Cap/Gown-$100
Senior Photos-$200
Class ring-$250 (actually got this my sophomore year and asked for it as a Christmas present)
Senior Trip-$150 (I paid)
Open House-??? Only one I'm not sure about. Rented a pavilion at the park for $100 but tons of family members helped cook food and made invites so it wasn't too bad. My guess is around $300

 

[rszdtrvl]

I paid for everything earlier in the year - last August and October. Yearbook is paid for. Class Ring, Cap/Gown, Announcements, etc are all paid for.
I took his senior pictures myself, as we did it as an experiment to see if I actually could make them look close to a professional photo, which I did.
There is no official class trip for his graduating class. DH and I are going to take him to Las Vegas after graduation.
Only thing left is Prom, and he is not sure if he is going to go or not. We bought him a suit, so he will just need money for the rest of the stuff.

 

[pigletto]

We don't seem to have the same expenses where we are for some things (parties really aren't that common) but yes.. I feel like I am paying a fee, a deposit, or an expense for grad/prom/University/dorm every other day .

My personal favourite was the cost for graduation. There is a grad mass.. one dress. A grad luncheon.. another dress and ticket cost. The grad itself...cap and gown (which we have to purchase and can't rent), cost of the diploma, pictures etc. And that doesn't even come close to prom. Oh and let's not forget the fact that all the deposits have to go in soon for dorm ($650), and tuition. She'll need a new laptop and printer for school, so that will be her big grad gift. She doesn't need a specific laptop for the program she will be in so luckily I can start looking for deals now.

I've said it before.. this is dd's year.