By Alexa Moro ’18

A perfect prom doesn’t have to be expensive; in 2015, the average household spent $919 on prom according to US News. This figure includes the cost of the dress, shoes, makeup, hair, car or limo and other so-called “prom essentials.” The money spent on these items and services is all concentrated into one day; rather, a couple of hours, not including the time spent at popular afterparties. it is unnecessary to spend so much money on an event that only lasts a couple of hours.

In some cases, the “look good, feel good” mentality may be appropriate, but there are ways to avoid the high costs of having one’s makeup done professionally or going over budget on a dress. For instance, grab a friend or an adult you know who is good at applying makeup and have them do it for you. In many cases, people won’t be able to tell the difference whether you’ve paid a hundred dollars for it or just used what you had lying around your house. But if you just can’t go without the professional makeup application, then splurge a little on that and cutback in other areas, such as doing your hair yourself or buying a cheaper dress.

There are ways to avoid spending hundreds of dollars on prom, but I understand that since it is a “once-in-a-lifetime” kind of night, people should be able to spend money to make it an enjoyable one; however, once the fuss over taking pictures is finished, no one will really pay attention to what you’re wearing or what palette of eyeshadow you have on.

The reason why prom is supposed to be so special is because of the memories made throughout the night. Spending so much money and time being concerned about looking as dramatic as possible won’t change the feelings that you have about the night. Therefore, all of the fuss is irrelevant to the memories you actually make during the evening itself; as long as you feel good, whatever you look like, you shouldn’t have to spend extra money.