“The dresses that are in my budget [$300] are ugly with no embellishments,” said senior Bobbi Johnson. Bobbi, like many seniors, is trying to find ways to look great for prom while also staying in budget.

Looking for dresses online can be a great way to find dresses that are in budget but those come with a lot of risks. Sometimes online alternatives can take a while to come in the mail, the dress could look completely different from the picture, or your dress could not fit.

Bobbi in the past has had bad experiences purchasing dresses that do not fit so she decided to hit the shops.

“Sales associates are not trying to help their customers stay within their budget….they are just concerned with making sales,” said Bobbi ‘16. When Bobbi went to look at dresses the sales associates showed her either dresses that were in her budget that were not cute or dresses way over her budget which they claimed Bobbi “just has to try this on.”

After Bobbi found the perfect dress she sighed a moment of relief until she saw the pricetag.

“My mom started crying in the middle shop because the dress we both love was $100 over budget and she was trying to figure out how we could afford this dress along with other things that need to be payed for senior year,” Bobbi said.  

At this point Bobbi has spent $400 on a dress not including her prom ticket, transportation, hair, makeup, or shoes.

So I asked Bobbi, “how are you going to pay for everything else?”

“Well I am going to save money by doing my own makeup and charging to do other people’s makeup. I am going to get shoes off of Shoe Dazzle [$40]. I’m going to do my own nails and I’m going to get metallic jewelry temporary tattoos [$5] instead of buying jewelry,” said Bobbi.

She also is going to share a limo with a group of her friends.

Luckily for Bobbi, prom tickets at Bishop McNamara High School are at an all time low. This year tickets are $90 for couples $60 for singles.

Last year, according to a survey by Visa,  the estimated cost of prom for families around the nation $919 and for the northeast $1169.

Although the price of prom can be outrageous, by cutting a few cost Bobbi was able to afford prom.

“This is how I feel about prom, I’m going to have the same face in every dress. As long as I like me, I’ll like me at prom in anything I am in,” Bobbi said.