Prom is around the corner, usually a very special event in any teen’s life. Despite all the joys of prom, it can end up being very costly as well. According to stats, the average American will spend close to a thousand dollars on prom this year. Families with lower incomes tend to spend more on prom than families that bring in more money. According to the Visa survey, families with income below $25,000 planned to spend $1,393. Families that make below $50,000 tend to spend around $1,100, and lastly, families with an income of over $50,000 planned on spending $800 on average. In addition to the cost differences upon various incomes, dads also tend to outspend moms when it comes to giving their child a memorable prom experience. Yocelen Pina, ’18 agreed with this on saying, “My father was way more lenient when it came to prom costs than my mom ways. He offered to pay for a lot of the little things that some would say are unecessary, but he wanted me to have a great experience so he didn’t mind.” On average dads will spend about $1,160, while moms would typically spend around $710. Julie Jimmenez, ‘18 says “To cut some of the costs of prom I had my dress altered by my aunt, and I’m going to have a friend do my hair and makeup. It saves a lot of the costs on getting a professional makeup artist, when you have a friend that could do it nearly just as well.” If you budget well, and look for ways to save money on various costs throughout prom, it doesn’t have to end up breaking your bank.