Here
are some neat money-saving tricks any savvy teen can profit from when
planning for prom.
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Chantelle
and her date.
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I
squeak when it comes to spending money, my money that is. And here we
are at one of the most potentially expensive times of the year —
prom time! To those who, like me, prefer to save a dollar when you can,
I offer these tips, based on the experience of my friends and me, on
how to crave, save, and pave the way to keeping more of your hard-earned
cash. Even if you can afford the very best prom products and services
money can buy, my advice here will allow you to better appreciate your
good fortune. For spendthrifts like me, my only admonition is this:
Try not to sacrifice quality just to pinch a penny. After all, this
is a night to remember, and you want the memories to be as priceless
as possible.
The Dress
Shop
around. Beautiful dresses come in all price points, so you only need
to set your overall budget and then stick to it. Prom specialty stores
will have the best selection and service. If you can't find a new dress
in your price range, try consignment shops. I once found a great strapless
dress in one; it had a fitted bodice that laced up the back with a slightly
full skirt (just the right width for swing-dancing, which I adore),
in light pink, white and silver. It fit me to a "T" once a few nips
and tucks were taken here and there. With a new dress, you'll have the
best chance of getting a perfect fit from a shop that will stand behind
its quality. When shopping for used clothing, you have to be more careful.
Check for hidden stressed or raveled seams, stains, odors, ripped hems
and missing buttons, beads, or trim.
Cost: New: $100 and up. Used: $90 and up,
depending on condition.
The Hair
Have your mother or a friend put up your hair. I look at the Pageantry
PromTime hairstyles and find one that suits me, my dress, my mood, and
the occasion. Pretty hair accessories or glitter spray add glitz and
glamour to the evening. We curl, tease, brush, tug, pin, spray and pray
my hair into place. If you are an active dancer, make sure you have
enough pins in your hair to keep it in place. One evening, I was dancing
away, when my hair began to spit bobby pins, springing and flying all
over, hitting my date and other friends. We laughed and tried to recover
the pins, but my hairstyle was lost for the evening. I pushed my hair
behind my ears and continued dancing. A small brush or comb in the purse
is handy for just such situations.
Cost: $10-$20
The Nails
Do
your own nail treatments. Before getting acrylic nails, consider the
cost and upkeep. With acrylics, you can expect salon appointments weekly
to fix broken nails, fill in gaps, and repaint. And, if you pick the
acrylic off a little at a time, it sometimes takes a few months for
nails underneath to recover. Also, if you live a very active life (think
cheerleading, acting, performing, volunteering and chemistry lab), permanent
acrylic nails will cramp your lifestyle.
The alternative: open your own salon at home and
apply press-on nails. For under $10 you can purchase two sets of nails,
so you have extras in case any pop off before the big event. Also, you
can apply these after getting dressed, so they aren't in your way for
pulling on stockings, applying makeup, zipping up, or doing hair. You
can apply nail polish before or after gluing the nails on, whichever
works the best for you.
Feet are a different story for me. I love getting
a foot massage, then having my nails painted. It relaxes me and I feel
even prettier. My favorite tip: let your toenails grow a little long
before you have a pedicure, so there is something to shape and file.
How about trading off with a friend — a good friend — and
save even more by giving each other a pedicure.
Cost: Home manicure, under $10. No added
cost for a tranquil pedicure, since you have all the materials you need,
while it pays great dividends in feeding the soul.
The Jewelry
Make
your own necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings. Since I have my
own beaded-jewelry business, it's been easy for me to design sparkly
accessories to match my dress perfectly. But even if you aren't in it
as a business venture, making jewelry is very cost-effective and easy
to get into. If you're interested, you might find a library book and
teach yourself how to make your own.
Some of my friends make their own dress, but buy
their jewelry from consignment or thrift stores. Tiaras, necklaces,
earrings, ear cuffs, bracelets, rings, and even toe rings can be found
at 40-75 percent off the original price. A good friend purchased a tiara
at a local consignment store and the owners threw in a purse for free.
You never know what deals you'll get. And don't be afraid to ask, "What's
the friendliest price you can give me on this item?"
Cost for homemade necklace, earrings and
bracelet set: Under $20.
The Flowers
Choose
ready-made or silk alternatives. For corsages and boutonni?es, made-to-order
arrangements are expensive versus the grocery-store variety. A friend's
mom ingeniously made his date a silk-flower wrist corsage to match the
girl's dress. As a memento, silk flower arrangements will last practically
forever. The cost for silk flowers is approximately one-fourth the price
of real flowers, so there's another area to conserve.
Cost: Supermarket ready-made costs around
$15-$20. Homemade silk corsage: $5-$10.
The Photos
Go digital or watch for photo processing coupons. My dad is the "official"
photographer for all our special occasions. With his digital camera,
we see instant results. Another bonus is that I can delete the ones
that aren't complimentary to me or my date?(no blackmail material for
younger siblings). One-hour photo services are not advisable for keepsake
quality photos, but there are some excellent photo services online —
and you can even find coupons for extra discounts. (See Ofoto's website
for more information http://www.ofoto. com/Welcome.jsp). And with my
website designer brother (Brent, who is drop-dead gorgeous!), sometimes
he'll put up a website for friends to see my prom photos. Or we'll scan
my pictures and send them via email — which saves money on paper
and printing costs.
Costs: Digital photos posted or sent online:
Free! Online printing service: $10-$40
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Sound
advice: Our resourceful "Teen
Scene" columnist Chantelle Wright enjoys the prom and post-prom
party without breaking the piggy
bank.
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The Transportation
Leave the driving to family or friends or share a limo. As a joke I've
offered to take our 15-passenger van to events and pass it off as a
stretch limo or a party bus, but we haven't carried that threat out
yet. Limos are fun if you find a reasonable price, especially by dividing
the cost with friends. But if a limo rental isn't within your budget,
a family car or friend's vehicle will work wonderfully. For one prom
my sister attended, the senior class used a portion of its budget to
rent party buses. These were purple buses with Christmas lights adorning
the ceiling. That strategy didn't work (the buses lacked atmosphere).
Cost: Family vehicle: $3.20 (the price
of a couple of gallons of gas). Limo split 5 ways for 5 couples: $120-$160,
or about $32 per couple.
The Post-Prom Parties and
Picnics
Savvy after-prom savings ideas might include a picnic on the waterfront.
Pack food before the prom and put it in a cooler. Remember the utensils,
cups and plates! Plan a bowling party with your friends and make reservations
at the lanes weeks in advance. They provide food, drinks, and a party
atmosphere. Another suggestion is to rent a video and invite friends
over to watch and enjoy breakfast fixed by your parents.
Cost: Picnic: $15-$20. Bowling: Under $30
per person. Movie rental and meal: Under $10 each.
Chantelle Wright is Miss Georgia Teen America
2001 and overall poise winner in Georgia's Junior Miss pageant. The
17-year-old Conyers, GA, resident appeared in the Fox 2000 film Drumline,
a TV pilot for Turner Television, and was shooting the Paramount Pictures
movie The Fighting Temptations, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., last
fall.
