NY Times says average cost for prom: $1,139

Unbelievable. And absurd.

Tim (sophomore at Stepinac) was invited to the Croton HS Jr. Prom. Silly me, I thought junior prom was semi-formal. Guess I'm old and out of the loop.

Between the tux and other stuff, we laid out over $200 for Tim. He did look good great - and will kill me if I were to post his picture.

Joe went to two senior proms and we didn't lay out anywhere near the money NY times is talking about. I know, girls are more expensive.

Here's the article.

I guess I should at least feel good about all the money I saved my family by sitting out the big night. This year, according to the credit card company Visa, prom spending will reach an average of $1,139 per family, up 5 percent over last year. Parents of high school students are planning to pay for almost two-thirds of the cost, with the children covering the rest. (The numbers come from a survey of 3,000 people interviewed over the phone in February and March by GfK Roper OmniTel.)

More than $1,100? That’s a lot to shell out for a big dress-up party, while you sit home hoping that your offspring don’t get drunk or do anything else foolish. (Maybe it’s the influence of all that red-carpet coverage?)

Along with the statistics, Visa introduced a personal finance app called Plan’it Prom, to help families budget for the big dance. The free app will “help you cut costs for a night you’ll never forget,” the introduction says.

If I were shelling out $1,100 + for a prom, I'd certainly never forget it ...

Comments

[MR]

That's about what my wedding cost - the Polka Band came cheap and most of the vodka was home made. Memorable stuff.