Prom is one of the most memorable times of someone’s life. Getting dressed up with best friends, the pictures taken, and the times spent following prom all go into play while reminiscing on an unforgettable high school experience. Although you can remember prom till the day you die, you can forget the fortune you spend making the special day absolutely perfect.

Ladies. Let’s add this up. Shall we?

Dress prices can vary. You can be reasonable and go for the simple, inexpensive dress in your underclassman prom experience. However, once the grade level gets higher, the dress extravagance and price is even higher. You may recollect hearing, “It’s my senior year, so I can go all out.” There’s nothing wrong with this statement, at least, until the “enter” button is pressed on the calculator. Senior year prom dress: $400, nails: $40, high heels: $40, jewelery: $50, two months in advance of tanning: $50, hair: $60, make-up: $30, prom tickets and dinner: $70 — not to say ladies should be paying for the last two items. Our grand total comes to $740. Who says the night to remember has to cost us our savings account?

Fortunately, there are some alternates for these pricey factors of prom we can resort to.

Let’s start with the remarkable dress. Ordering a dress offline can be tricky, but with the right amount of research, it can be beneficial to the right bargain hunter. The main things to remember while shopping online for a prom dress are to read the return policy and to keep your eyes and options open. Compare prices and find which dress meets your budget as well as your expectations. A flexible return policy gives the shopper freedom to order as many dresses as they please, evaluate the winner, and return the remaining dresses. This could seem superficial; however, a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do.

Next, the nails. Whether you choose gel, acrylic, shellac, or plain, old nail polish, the price won’t be cheap. It’s important for nails to look clean and elegant in pictures taken of the corsage. Painting your own nails isn’t always the best choice (especially when a right handed person realizes they have  to paint their right hand’s nails, too). Even so, there is always someone who can paint nails decently. I would recommend the Sally Hansen French Manicure White Tip Pen for simplicity, elegance, and a manageable nail painting job. Nail painting only takes practice and is well worth the time once the $40 or so is saved.

Third, heels and jewelery. A far as these necessities go, it is only patience and determination for a good price that will bring you a reward. Heels show up in unlikely places as must be taken given any available chance. Jewelery is best found at a good price for high value when it is on sale. Wait until last season’s diamonds get marked down, then give up your precious cash for them. After all, they are diamonds– they don’t exactly go out of style.

The next subject is tanning. I, myself, am guilty as charged. However, in past years, I have gone the faster and cheaper route, making me incapable of hypocrisy. “The cheaper and faster route,” spray tans, are an excellent substitute to tanning beds if you don’t mind loosing the tan after 1 or 2 weeks.

Hair and makeup. The finishing touch to perfection. I would not recommend at home hair and make up on a first go. Although, that is not to say I wouldn’t practice the hairstyle and makeup until it is at your standards in order to save the approximate $90. Youtube.com is filled with step by step tutorials to put the viewer in the right direction and eventually master the hairstyle themselves.

Finally, the prom tickets and dinner. Although we ladies can take a breath at this expense, who is to say we can’t help the guys out? Planning a formal dinner at home with the same meal prepared at a restaurant for half the price makes the memories that much more special.

As proven above, we have nearly chopped the prom total in half. Paying more for the same item doesn’t give the item more value. Instead, keeping the money for that item gives your  wallet more value. As we attempt to make prom night a once in a lifetime experience, we should be as smart and practical as possible. Substituting others’ labor for what we can do with our own talents ends up being more beneficial to us in the long run.