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This mom had little money for prom, but she still made her kids feel like a million bucks.
04.13.18
In Karin Klein's Southern California community, it's not unusual for families to drop close to $1,000 on a prom dress.
Klein's family has never been one to splurge in that way. As a parent, Klein was always uncomfortable with spending money on something that might only be used once. And her kids' awareness of fashion-related environmental and human rights concerns kept the family on an tight budget.
"There were always a lot of talks [with the kids] about where we place our values," Klein says.
<p>Spending that much for prom might sound over the top, but it's not unheard of. American families are spending on average <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2017/05/25/prom-how-much-do-teens-spend/342865001/" target="_blank">more than $600</a> on prom-related expenses <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/prom-across-america-students-spend-wear-really-care-110047696.html" target="_blank">according to a 2017 Yahoo Prom Across America survey</a>. For many families struggling to pay rent and put food on the table, $600 isn't just a splurge, it's out of reach. </p><h2>But prom night doesn't have to cost as much as a used car, and parents like Klein have found realistic ways to keep it affordable.</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTUzNDQwMi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTg3MDg4N30.wgD_EPnwzZYWLB9WhI-NccPyuRuKvp8022SCTtuDaFM/img.gif?width=980" id="43ec7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="116ccd0d5561435e2f07fa50c48adb8c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">GIF from "Mean Girls."</small></p><p>Here is how the Klein family spent a fraction of the average prom-related costs in three big spending areas:</p><h2>1. Attire and accessories</h2><p>With two kids who wore dresses and one who wore a tux, the Kleins experimented with a variety of options for prom wear.</p><p><strong>They purchased new:</strong> For her oldest daughter's first prom, Klein bought a slip dress, which she paid to have altered because it was too long. Klein then hand-made a shawl and bought her daughter shoes from a discount store.</p><p><em>Total cost: $160</em></p><p><strong>They reused, borrowed from friends, and wore hand me downs:</strong> The next year, her daughter borrowed a dress from a friend and re-wore the shoes she had bought the prior year.</p><p>And having used her older sister's first prom dress as a play outfit as a child, Klein's younger daughter decided she wanted to wear that dress to her first prom. They paid to have it cleaned and pressed.</p><p><em>Total cost: Cleaning fees</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTM5ODA4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5MTc2MjI1OX0.BqOwPHWWFSm4KlpMkGNGWg-LFslViu-M09mL1QcvLy0/img.jpg?width=980" id="9a685" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5cc25e5ae30abc60b7d2cd6f0296f6db" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The dress the Kleins bought new (left) and their eBay steal (right). Photos by Karin Klein, used with permission.</small></p><p><strong>They bought on clearance and from auction websites: </strong>For cute shoes and accessories at a great price, the family headed to Payless.</p><p>Klein and her girls shopped around, but they didn't really like anything, and the dresses were very expensive. They turned to eBay and found a vintage slip gown for $7.</p><p>"I figured for that price it was worth gambling; it came cleaned and pressed, to my surprise, and fit her perfectly," Klein recalls. Her daughter still really loved her shoes from the previous year, so she wore those again.</p><p>Klein's youngest daughter liked that prom dress so much that she says that if she ever wants to marry, that ivory dress might do the trick.</p><p><em>Total cost for prom and potential wedding dress: $7</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTUzNDQwMy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTU0NjQ0MH0.R_WSSCPR4-odyRFEczppc-lJj_1F1aowJuEvXFAisg4/img.gif?width=980" id="a6961" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="258f75168d6673bdff1e1a859a45a156" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">GIF from "Footloose."</small></p><p>When it came time for her son to attend prom, Klein decided to purchase a tux, dress shirt, tie, and vest on clearance instead of rent them because she figured it was a better investment. He ended up wearing that getup to <em>four</em> proms, and Klein has since loaned it to other kids in need of a tux for prom. </p><p><em>Total cost: $132 plus the joy of an investment paying off for other families.</em></p><p>Lastly, they committed to eliminating corsages and flowers to cut down on both on costs and waste.</p><p>In addition to ideas like borrowing, swapping, and thrifting, a number of organizations in communities across the country give away donated prom dresses to those who cannot afford them. Check out the <a href="http://princessproject.org/" target="_blank">Princess Project</a> or <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=cinderella+project&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS705US705&oq=cinderella+pr&aqs=chrome.0.0l2j69i57j0l3.2505j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">Google "Cinderella project"</a> and your location to find one of these locations in your area.</p><h2>2. Hair and makeup</h2><p>Klein's oldest wore her hair down and wore minimal makeup that she did herself for each of her proms.</p><p><em>Cost: $0</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTUzNDQwNC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTgyNDU4M30.H-odPfkHFQkpJ1joytA7b9C2kZtu6DN3IvbdFGb3TL8/img.gif?width=980" id="8cec2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7873715d965fd4ccd8ef6b39cbf6d2a3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">GIF from "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion."</small></p><p>Klein says her younger daughter did her own make-up and hair but that the hair did not work out so great. </p><p>Klein, a writer, happened to be up on a reporting fellowship in an extremely remote area of arctic Alaska around prom time. She gave her husband and daughter instructions for a simple updo, and they managed to get her out the door looking good, but it fell out shortly after. Klein says she was pretty unhappy about it. </p><p>"She's not one to make a fuss about things, but it was definitely a disappointment to her," she says. "She hadn't asked to have her hair done professionally, but it was one of those times when a mom wishes she'd been home for her daughter."</p><p>After the hair fiasco of the previous year, her daughter asked if she could have her hair put up professionally the following year. Klein obliged. </p><p><em>Total cost: $0 and $65</em></p><h2>3. Transportation, food, and post-prom</h2><p>Klein's daughters sometimes had rides from significant others who could drive or they shared the cost of a party bus with friends. They swung through In-N-Out Burger for dinner.</p><p>In Klein's community, a lot of parents rent hotel rooms for their teens for the night, but her family was not comfortable with that for a lot of reasons, so they skipped out.</p><p><em>Total cost: $0-$50</em></p><h2>Outside of the actual prom ticket, the Kleins had years where they spent nothing on prom. </h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTUzNDQwNS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDE3NzU3Nn0.UP-dcTxDcMjRITbA6EcAkXFL-ResUho87M7UayBJrL0/img.gif?width=980" id="f7c16" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8bf7906310bd270a634ada7cb18de1c7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">GIF from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yte0zX_uOoE">"100 Years of Prom in 2 Minutes"/Teen Vogue</a>.</small></p><p>Their most expensive year cost around $280, which is significantly below the American average for the night. The cost of the prom ticket at their school was $70. </p><h2>In fact, most schools and communities are doing their part to help make sure the night is accessible to everyone.</h2><p>School administrators are directing families to <a href="http://www.wafb.com/story/37690633/girls-can-get-free-prom-dresses-this-weekend-at-community-event" target="_blank">resources like community dress give-aways</a> and often assist lower-income families with obtaining prom tickets, too. (<a href="https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2017/04/10/how-to-make-prom-possible-for-redlands-students-in-need/" target="_blank">This school</a> partnered with a non-profit; kids wrote essays in exchange for everything they need for prom.)</p><p><strong>The fact is, prom <em>can be</em> affordable. </strong>One fun night doesn't have to (and shouldn't) break the bank. As the Kleins have discovered, a creative spirit, knowing where to look for deals, and a commitment to the fun of it all makes all the difference.</p>
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