You Don’t Need to Spend $1,000s on Your School Ball

How to have a great time on a budget, with advice from a Year 12 student.

In our final year of school, we tend to get so stressed out we forget to celebrate all our ‘lasts’, like the last time we have to sit through a school assembly, or the last time we have to compete in the carnivals.

But there’s one thing most students in their final year of school don’t forget to look forward to: the school ball.

However, school balls can be expensive, with the average price of a dress being around $300, not mentioning all the other expenses that come your way. One of my classmates knows this first hand; she spent $400 on a dress, and then had to fork out an extra $200 for a suitable belt.

But for my ball, in total, I only spent around $380 dollars and still had the time of my life. So can you if you follow my savings tips on the following (usually) expensive school ball necessities.

Dresses

Ball dresses are one of the first things girls think about when it comes to preparing for their ball, and it’s normally where the most money is spent. Depending on the style of dress and the amount of bling that comes with it, you could find the more extravagant dresses hitting the $1,000 mark. However, there is hope.

I didn’t want to spend thousands on a dress, so instead of buying brand-new, I looked for something second-hand, or even one that I could hire. I found so many different options out there, and most of the prices were in the $50 – $100 range. I ended up getting mine for free from a family friend who let me use their bridesmaid’s dress from a wedding.

Suits

Getting a suit is one of the only things guys even need to worry about. Still, when choosing a suit and tie, you want something that will match your date’s outfit, so don’t leave this to the last minute.

For example, if your date is wearing a dark red dress with gold accessories, you could wear a black suit with a tie the same colour as the dress (and, if you really wanted, you could also wear gold cufflinks). Another thing that can visually tie you to you date is a corsage/boutonnière, which should have a matching flower that both you and your date choose.

If you are not wanting to spend a lot of money you can hire a suit for around $50 and share the cost of the corsage/boutonnière with your date (but remember: she’s already probably spending way more than you).

Hair and Make-up

If you leave it to the last minute or go high-end, hair and make-up it can cost you around $200. I suggest double-checking the prices at nearby salons and booking early.

A few weeks before my school ball I called up a few different places to see their prices for hair and make-up, which in the end cost me $115. That’s an extra $85 to spend on a seat in a limo or just extra money to save for later.

Limousines

Limos are a fun way to get to the ball with a large group of friends and mostly consist of you singing your heart out to pop songs that you don’t know the lyrics to while drinking water out of wine glasses. Trust me, even if you are thinking, ‘I would never do that,’ you probably will.

If you’re worried the price factor will keep you from the experience of walking down a mini red carpet and into the limo, don’t fret. It only cost me $50 to split the price with nine other people and we even stopped before the ball to get photos. However, to achieve that price, we did have to do our research and book early; otherwise, it could have easily cost us $80 or more each.  

Photos

Taking photos with friends is a lot of fun, and you’ll want to get as many as you can, because it probably cost you quite a bit of time and effort to look the way you do on this special night. Just remember to take more photos with people than by yourself; that way you have memories to go back to when you’re older, of all the people that have been in your life. Plus, it might just make someone else’s day.

The good news is you don’t need to hire a photographer to help capture the moment, if you’re trying to minimise spending; just use your phone instead!

Tickets to the Actual Ball

This is probably one of the most important things that people always forget to account for when budgeting. Ball tickets can be expensive, depending on how many people are coming and where the ball is being held.

For my school ball, we went to a five-star hotel and had a buffet dinner (photos were also included). It cost each student 125 dollars for the ball ticket and went for three hours.

Just Remember…

On the night I was as dressed up as all my fellow peers, having only paid half the amount. Most importantly, years from now, the thing I’ll remember most is how we all had fun, got lots of pictures and made memories that we can keep as we move out of school and into the world as adults.

Spending more money wouldn’t have made the night any more special.

Photo: Universal