Here's a piece from the Wall Street Journal that says
families with teens going to proms spent an average of $1,139 on the event last year.
All I can say is "wow".
Most of the cost is in the attire (as you might expect), but there are also costs for transportation, flowers, photography, and tickets for the event. They all add up to an average of over $1,100. Which is over $1,000 more than what we spent this past year.
My son went to his prom (called a "Spring Fling") this year with a group of friends. He spent $45 on a ticket and about $50 on clothing. We dropped him off/picked him up. Food was included in the ticket cost -- as was post-event entertainment (they went to a local indoor go-cart/laser tag/entertainment facility -- staying until 1:30 am.) It was a great night for him (he had a blast) and we didn't need to spend a fortune.
I'm not sure how we could have spent a fortune if we wanted to. Perhaps some readers who are prom parents can enlighten me on how the costs get so high.
Anyway, I was surprised the numbers were this high. If they are true, the cost of prom is getting as out of control (relative for what you get) as the cost of weddings.
What did you (or your child) spend on prom this year?
