How much to budget for prom?

[leagirl12]

We have two teens (boy and girl) and one will be going to prom in a few months. We want to set a budget that will apply for both proms. They will be responsible for anything over the budget we set. Being a boy and girl their expenses and the things they will have to pay for will be different but we want to be equal with money for both so that is why we thought we would set a total budget amount and they can spend it as they see fit.

What do you think would be a good amount to set? This is all new to us. DD is only 10th grade so no prom this year but she will probably go next year.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

My kids are exactly the same ages as yours. Both may be going to Prom this year because DD just started seeing a boy who is older. I plan to cover clothing for each, and their ticket. Not sure about the rest yet. So I guess I am not much help, lol!

 

[whitney250]

I'm not positive how much it is to rent a tux, as that was never something I had to do, but prom for girls can get quite pricy. Depending on what kind of dress she wants they can be anywhere from $100 to $700 (INSANE). Hair depending how how long/thick her hair is, will probably be around $50ish, and up. If she gets her nails done that can be another $50. You can get the shoes on the cheaper side normally, at places like shoe carnival for like $35 and up. I'm not sure how much you're willing to spend on their prom a piece, but many of my friends would either pay for their dress and their parents would help out with the rest or vice versa. She could do her own hair/makeup/nails and save a lot, and then just have the dress and shoes as an expense. Sorry if it sounds like I'm just rambling!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would budget 1,000 per kid. Probably cheaper for a boy since you save on the dress portion but I know around here some boys like to rent a nice car instead of doing a limo which costs more.

That would be for everything. Dress/tux, shoes, hair, nails, spray tan ??, limo/car, prom tix, jewelry, accessories, corsage.

 

[nugov2]

If you are doing the same for both I'd give them both 600-700, that way your dd doesn't get the shaft having to pay way more out of pocket than ds. That should cover most for her and I'd guess all(or close to all) for him.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

In order to start the answer, I have more questions: What all do you (and kids) expect prom to include?

Some will say it is not prom without ticket, clothes, limo and dinner. Our local schools have prom tickets priced $25 (Senior class) and $75 (Jr class) each.

Last year, I spent $200 on a formal for DD to wear to the JROTC ball and she had planned to wear the same dress to prom (different school and different dates). The $200 dress got torn so we had to go to Amazon to find another dress. $50 plus a bit of alterations.

That's another cost difference between boys and girls. Alterations! Tux rentals usually come with minor alteration, but girls have to pay extra.

2013: Both DSs skipped the tuxedo rental. One opted for his 3 piece suit (jacket, vest, slacks) with tie and pocket hanky. The other went with black slacks, tuxedo shirt with bow tie, and black suit jacket. Since they already owned the suit jackets...our out of pocket cost was $75 for both boys.

I cooked dinner for the boys and their dates (ok, the dates' families also), but the prom kids had the special dining area.

When DD went last year, I offered to cook. The date and his family said they were going to feed her. They did fast food. Not my choice and I don't think thought that was the plan, but she was graceful.

Oh don't forget the cost of flowers, if you are planning corsages. DD was given artificial flowers for all of the dances she attended. She has kept all of them over the year.

Photographers are usually at the dance. It is nice to have that reminder, but if you can't swing the package price ($45 for starters), a camera in the pocket works great.

I think being fair is a good thing, but I can tell you there is no way my children have received the exact amount of money when it came to these excursions and dances. By starting the conversation with your teens now, you are including them in the decisions.

If I had to do it again: Boys would each receive clothes, flower allowance and $60 for dinner and the price of the ticket for himself and the date. Girl would receive the clothing, $60 for dinner and her ticket price. (If her date buys the ticket, she can use the money for photographer) I am traditional, but I expect my daughter to have the money in pocket to cover what she needs.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

There are so many factors to consider...
Dress...can be very pricey to purchase or you can rent, borrow or buy used.
Shoes...probably at least $35 unless you find a great deal.
Prom Tickets...varies widely
Dinner...depends on place
Limo?...we have never done this due to cost.
Nails...or not
Hair & Make Up...will she do her own or have someone else do? (DD always gets her make up done free at the Clinique counter at Belk.)
Corsage/boutonniere
Tux Rental...I have no idea bc DS is only 14
Pictures if you decide to purchase.

Guys are less expensive to send to prom IMO.

 

[sk!mom]

I favor starting a budget with what you can afford or are willing to spend and going from there.

My DD18 (a college freshman) went to prom the last 3 years. Dress cost can vary widely. One year DD found exactly what she wanted on sale for $78. The next year, she found the perfect dress, on sale again, just under $200. The third dress was seriously gorgeous and $300.

Shoes ranged from $30-100. To make the $300 dress affordable DD found the exact shoes she wanted for $30 shoes on clearance.

Flowers were around $20 for a boutineer. The boys bought the tickets. Dinner was really no more than a typical weekend and the boys paid again.

No car/limo rental. That's really not done here.

Maybe $30 for hair and $30 more for nails.

 

[dpswift]

We did everything on a budget. The girls dresses for their first proms were around $100. For senior ball we spent about $200 to $300. They each also had a share in a limo rental, tickets for jr prom and the boys bought flowers.

We bought dresses from a variety of places. JCPenny, a bridal shop, a prom dress store and the last one was from Craigs list.

Pictures were included for my older DDs Jr Prom and she went alone to her Sr Ball and did not want a picture. For my younger I bought a large package for her Jr prom because it was important to her boyfriends parents. I think she had the basic picture for Sr Ball.

We most likely spent between $300 and $500 each time when you add in hair and alterations.

 

[angierae]

I don't think it's really possible to be "fair" money wise between a boy and a girl, but you can spend as little or as much as you want.

Dinner was included in DD's prom. The ticket was $125, I think. She and her date split it. She drove my car. Her dress was about $150, she had short hair at the time so we didn't pay for her hair, she did her own make up. To be honest, we spent more on Homecoming her senior year because she was on Homecoming Court. (We did hair and make up that time.)

I think her prom shoes were about $40? She didn't want her nails done (which we have done for Homecoming.)

But yeah, if you want to do hair/nails/dress/shoes/limo, its going to be expensive. It doesn't have to be.

 

[Jeff_G]

Why would the parent pay for prom, shouldn't the kids pay for that?
As I guy, I bought a three piece suite, took my date to an expensive restaurant and paid for it all myself. I was working an after school job by then and wanted to pay for things myself.

 

[kathy884]

For DS last May
$235 tux rental -- Found out that Men's Warehouse is less expensive and I'd try them instead of where I went next time. He did look fabulous in this tux, though, I will say.
$15 corsage for date
$50 prom tickets (picture was included)
$30 post prom tickets
$50 dinner (Cheesecake Factory with three other couples)

I would not have gone for a limo or a car rental. He would have had to drive the Honda minivan with 150,000 miles on it or do this will his own money.

DS's friend uncle, though, is a limo driver and gave the driving and limo as a gift to nephew who DS was quadruple dating with (DS's best friend). DS though was asked to contribute to a tip, $20, which I was happy to contribute.

So sending my son to prom was about $400 // I paid for it, as I thought it would be nice for him to go with his girlfriend. He was interested in going too, but with limited funds -- low paying summer job, birthday money, small allowance -- if he had to spend his own money he would have skipped it. He would not have wanted to take that much out of savings for a one night experience, but he did think it would be a really fun high school experience. // He was very appreciative of our paying for him to do it.

The main area where I could have saved I believe is tux rental, and again, next time I'll check out Men's Warehouse.

This was DS's senior prom (He graduated last May). It is also the one and only formal dance he went to over his four year high school experience. He loved dressing up and thought it was really a great evening / had a blast with his friends -- danced the night away and then played basketball at post prom.

 

[Judique]

Prom can be really expensive!

Dress - $240
Shoes - $90
Ticket = $80
hair - $140
nails - $30
prom pics - $60

These are all the expenses I can remember from 4 years ago.

 

[danygirl]

I bought the outfit for each but set a reasonable budget. Girls paid for their own mani. The girls got together with friends for hair and makeup.

Kids at our school hire a student photog to take the group pics. Shared limos. Families host preprom potluck

It is a nice night but not something to spend a fortune on- unless you have a fortune
College $$$ is more important!

 

[saraisunknown]

When I went to my prom I paid for everything. Dress, shoes, limo,hair,and tickets. I did my own nails and make-up to save money. The only thing my parents paid for was my flowers. It was good for me because it made me budget with what I had.

 

[redsonja76]

When my daughter went to senior prom last year I found her a dress at the thrift store for $5. I added some bling to it from the craft store for $3. It was a great gatsby theme so I found hair and makeup tutorials on Pinterest and did that myself so that was free. Her shoes were purchased earlier in the year for homecoming for $120 but she wears them to all formal events. She borrowed my clutch so free. Her date paid for her ticket. Prom doesn't have to be expensive. She looked absolutely gorgeous for a fraction of what others spent.

 

[Cindy B]

My daughter did prom last year (she was a junior boyfriend was a senior).

I know my daughter could go overboard so I set a limit of $250. (She originally started looking at $400 dresses and I put a stop to that! )


She found a fantastic brand new gorgeous gown for $35 on Ebay. Alterations were more than the dress. (I want to say $80)

What drama on the dress... this was the 3rd dress. The first dress she had she didn't like after she got it home, the 2nd dress didn't fit after she lost weight and she couldn't find another size, so then she turned to Ebay.

After the dress drama, I said no MORE!

Shoes were brand new and were only $25

Hair and makeup was $50


Tickets are expensive here- like around $150 per couple. They drove themselves there so no limo. My daughter also had a job so she had any money for anything that she wanted to spend herself.



There are deals to be had- you have to look.

 

[MrsPete]

I wanted my daughters to find a middle-point between wild extravagance and too cheap. I wanted them to learn to be frugal and use their resources, and to realize that this is a one-night event -- in fact, it's only a couple hours -- yet still feel festive.

When my first daugther hit high school, I told her that I'd give her $50 + tickets for a small dance (homecoming or winter semi-formal) and $200 + tickets for prom. She could spend it anyway she liked, but that was my limit.

My rationale was that I wanted her to have a reasonable amount of money for a fun event, but I also wanted her to realize that you can't splurge-splurge-splurge on every detail -- you have to pick and choose which things matter most.

I did the "+ tickets" thing because I figured that tickets cost what tickets cost, and they had no opportunity to be frugal in that area.

How'd it work?

For her first small dance, she picked a short, sparkly dress in the $40 range, which left a little for some cheap jewelry. She wore a pair of silver sparkly heels that I already had. Perfect.

For her second small dance, she found a similar dress in blue, but it was a little over the budget -- she put in some money of her own, and she wore jewelry she already had.

For all of her later small dances, she traded dresses with friends. Everyone seemed happy.

For her first prom, she picked a budget-buster dress. It took the whole $200, but it was beautiful and very "her". When she picked it, I pointed out that it meant she'd have nothing left for shoes, etc. No problem -- she wore a pair of my shoes and carried a clutch purse of mine. She did her own hair and make-up.

For her second prom, she was fortunate enough to find a $50 clearance dress -- very different from her big, princess gown first dress, but "older", more mature. With her remaining money, she bought a pair of sparkley Toms . . . but in the end, wore the same pair of shoes she'd worn to her first prom. She was left with a little over $100, and she asked if she could spend it on college clothes instead of prom clothes.

My youngest has done similar things:

For her first small dance, she picked a nice dress that fell into the $50 range, and because she won't wear heels, she wore a pair of ballet flats that she already owned.

Before her next small dance came along, she found a great little B&W dress for $15 on a clearance rack, and she asked, "Mom, I know we don't have a dance coming up right away, but I love this dress -- could I go ahead and get it and credit it towards my budget when it's time?" Uh, yeah. That's exactly the type of thinking-ahead that I want you to learn! When the time came for that dress to be worn, we did end up adding a light sweater because it was sleeveless, and the weather was cold.

She hasn't done prom yet, but we're actually going out TODAY to see what's on New Year's clearance. She's interested in a black dress.

I'm completely happy with what we've spent, and they are too.

 

[NinaBella]

In Tampa, the trend is one parent reserves a "Party Bus" and each kid riding contributes a portion of the costs. It works out well and I prefer the kids do this over driving anyways. We have had tragic car accidents on prom nights.

How much you spend is going to vary depending on your lifestyle and kids social circle. It may sound obscene to some but in the social circle we are associated with it would not be unheard of for a girl to show up in a dress that is over $1,000. Fortunately, one of the moms recently told me about a place called Lending Luxury that "rents" dresses for formal occasions. (http://lendingluxury.com/) My daughter is only 6th grade and still wears children size 10/12, but it is good to know that I could get an expensive dress for the rental price of around $50-$200. We are not in the position to spend an obscene amount for one dance knowing they will not wear it again.

My oldest son is 22 and in high school his girlfriend was at a different school. We purchased him a very suit from Men's Warehouse and he wore the same suit to both schools (because of course they had to attend both) but he just changed the shirt and tie to match her two different dresses. Her dresses were gorgeous and very high end from a high end boutique dress shop. We had the less expensive end of the deal just swapping shirt and tie. One of her dresses had gorgeous beading on the bodice and by the end of the night the tie was near shreds from rubbing against it and it was a $70 tie! Both of her dresses were Jovani dresses.

A lot of the teens here are going to the Phantom of the Opera that is currently showing. My friend took her daughter and attended with her office. They are wearing formal gowns. I went dress shopping with my friend last week and Macy's had a sale on formal gowns (20-40% off) and many there were buying for the show.

 

[aaarcher86]

In Tampa, the trend is one parent reserves a "Party Bus" and each kid riding contributes a portion of the costs. It works out well and I prefer the kids do this over driving anyways. We have had tragic car accidents on prom nights. How much you spend is going to vary depending on your lifestyle and kids social circle. It may sound obscene to some but in the social circle we are associated with it would not be unheard of for a girl to show up in a dress that is over $1,000. Fortunately, one of the moms recently told me about a place called Lending Luxury that "rents" dresses for formal occasions. (http://lendingluxury.com/) My daughter is only 6th grade and still wears children size 10/12, but it is good to know that I could get an expensive dress for the rental price of around $50-$200. We are not in the position to spend an obscene amount for one dance knowing they will not wear it again. My oldest son is 22 and in high school his girlfriend was at a different school. We purchased him a very suit from Men's Warehouse and he wore the same suit to both schools (because of course they had to attend both) but he just changed the shirt and tie to match her two different dresses. Her dresses were gorgeous and very high end from a high end boutique dress shop. We had the less expensive end of the deal just swapping shirt and tie. One of her dresses had gorgeous beading on the bodice and by the end of the night the tie was near shreds from rubbing against it and it was a $70 tie! Both of her dresses were Jovani dresses. A lot of the teens here are going to the Phantom of the Opera that is currently showing. My friend took her daughter and attended with her office. They are wearing formal gowns. I went dress shopping with my friend last week and Macy's had a sale on formal gowns (20-40% off) and many there were buying for the show.

Well, this certainly makes me want to rethink our Tampa move lmao