Moms Talk: How Much Should You Spend On Prom?

Each week the Mentor Patch Moms Council answers a question on parenthood posed to them by readers or another member of council.

This week's question: How much is reasonable to spend on prom for your kids?

Jill Korsok:

Two years ago, when my daughter went to prom, we talked about what we should spend. We thought the dress would be the biggest expense but found a beautiful dress at for only $99! Her date offered to buy the prom ticket, so that was easy.

She had a group of friends she was attending with and they debated on what to do with dinner, which they thought would be the most expensive part of the night. My husband and I threw out the option of allowing us to host them all for dinner at our house and they were all really happy to accept.

We decorated the house and grilled steaks and veggies and all of the other parents were happy to contribute parts of the meal. We served mocktails in wine glasses and left them alone to enjoy each other's company without all of the adults around. When they were done eating, we took photos in the back yard before they left by limousine for prom.

My daughter always says it was such a nice night because they didn't have to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars to enjoy the night.

I think when it was all said and done, my daughter spent about $150 and had a great time!

Melanie Majikas:

My girls aren't old enough for prom yet, but my philosophy is that if they are old enough to go to prom, they are old enough to contribute to the expense.

Whether that will be the entire expense or just a portion of it, I don't know. I'm not a big fan of the trend of making prom into a mini-wedding experience.

There's a fine line between making it a special event and making it over the top. But we'll see as it gets closer how I feel about it!

Mary Jo Stack:

I don't think I really know the answer to this one.

I think proms have gotten out of hand and agree with Melanie that they should not become mini-weddings.

My kids are not big dance goers, so I may not need to deal with the costs of proms. I also agree that kids need to help foot the bill.

Renee Ochaya:

I’d like to know the answer to this one as my oldest will be in high school next year.