Save for Senior Year!

[MissouriAngel]

It's very true! My daughter is in 10th grade and it's already rolling in. Ordered her class ring just a week ago, a friend has asked her to prom, she was just in the homecoming court, she has a state convention coming up, no telling what else will pop up. Scares me to think about it!

[Sophia]

My son grad 2 years ago from hs and I took him to olan mills for senior pic and got everything for around 200. We don't do the proms so no money there. 50.00 for cap and gown(I thought was crazy ) and we ordered his invitations from a print shop cheaper than getting at school and nicer. We took a senior pic and they printed 5x7 invitations one side was his pic and the other side was info. Don't worry about the senior year as much as college. TC

[Stacia]

I talked to a friend of mine and told her that my stepdaughter was a Jr. she said "start saving now for her senior year! I would save at least a grand. That's not counting pictures!" wow! That is crazy but probably true. So I just wanted to warn those of you that will have seniors soon, start saving!

Wow, I had no idea. Things have changed.

[Pianolady]

I made the mistake of having a professional photographer, the "best" for DS. $700 later I had some really great photos, they were really good. $700 good? Probably not.

DD wasn't so interested in having her picture taken so I did it myself using outdoor shots with good lighting from the sun. They turned out very well, and I printed them at Sam's Club. Spent about $30. Ended up doing the same for one of my friend's kids that didn't really want pictures taken. No one ever knew the difference.

Dresses $25-40 on clearance for DD for dances, DS never went to dances.

Graduation announcements & robe were about $125 each kid.

Rental space for graduation parties were $75 each kid. Made the cakes etc. myself, so that wasn't much money. Food/supplies for the parties were less than $100.

[oheoh's momma]

there is a lot of expenses its has been a few years try to remember..
act tests yep
college applications yep
certified copies of grades 2 free rest u pay for
clothing for honors banquets
cords for cap and gowns
girls prom dress and the stuff we got prom dress off of clearence rack 14 for a 200 dollar dress short so she could wear it again
pics u can get these done else were or just do the regular pic
lab fees
activites
class ring we bought her's during junior year and it was a ching
no class trip here but my UK daughters class went to PARIS I told her she had to pay for that one.. I never even been to paris jeeze..
so it is aching try getting your child to get a job to help and apply for schloarships both my daughters got them it helps...

[Molemommy]

My son is a senior this year and yes it can get very pricey esp if you get all the bells and whistles... we didnt.. we got the basics that we had to get from school cap and gown were 50 and for senior pics I did some asking around and found a local lady just starting out that did them for 60 the school wanted 250 and that was for one outfit and one backround... we went to beach and got tons of beautiful pics and got a cd with a release so I can print what i want... i am looking online for announcments and things like that to keep cost down
testing was 50 , college apps 50, and he got accepted to penn state whoot...
now we find out that tuition will be abut 28,ooo a year yikes...

[Momto5RN]

senior pix are done at the school - in tux have to do them to be in yearbook - dont have to buy but they are not the private photographer cutesy ones i see being done lately that some now rich photographer started that fad imo

i bought the basic package - it was a good pix ( ds usually takes bad pix ) it was photo shopped for any acne and we dont own a tux .

AP test fees we have to pay

grad cap and gowns rentals etc no real choice .
college aps we get them to pick 2-3 they are really interested in only .

yearbook free for seniors .

Class trip is a disposable but he wants to go he is a hard worker who gets great grades who will help us anytime we ask . and i dont see me getting us on family trip to disney world any time soon . Easier to pay for one person that a family lol

prom - he has never gone - he likes to dance he is very sociable and i think he would have a great time - so i am hoping he wants to go .Its up to him .

My son has a job- its babysitting for his little brother for me
he gets paid a very low wage for what he does but then i am paying for his senior trip this year for him in exchange .


if he went and got a PT minimum wage job i wouldnt be able to work as much . i make far more an hour then he does .
so just makes sense .

He was just accepted into the engineering program Drexel University in Philly as an AJ Drexel Scholar - 18,500 a year scholarship from the school--
but the school costs about 42 ,ooo a year living at home .UGH

He also qualifies for the NJ stars program which is what we hope he will go with - 2 years free at county college then 2 years at 1/2 cost ( if your grades are good ) at a NJ state college .( Rowan has a good engineering program )

I dont see kids like a car as an expenses - they are living beings have life experiences .

i see people without kids spending more on a pet then i spend on my kids senior year. and they are supported thru doing so - so find it odd some are so negative towards people who spend it on their childs one and only senior year.

[mommy2krj]

This is true. We're looking at at least $2200 just in class and registration fees...but those are for college placement courses and AP classes...two or three of them I believe.

Senior pictures...we shall see.

I know there will be a class ring, cap and gown and that kind of good stuff but I will need to see what it costs.

Invitations and such I can make myself for pretty cheap.

There is also her big band trip next year to either Italy or Ireland and she will get to go on that...but there is also a lot of fundraising we can do. If we can fund raise enough...maybe I can go too!

She'll only be a senior in high school once and she has worked her tail off to be where she is. Some of the extras she will pay for herself, though, for sure.

[erinalexmom]

Yes I am going to do alot of it because we have had a rough couple of years. We are finally getting in an ok place financially and she sacrificed right along with us. She's a good kid. I was just a little shocked by how much it all cost but thankful my friend gave me the heads up because I can start saving now. She is a junior right now. However I am thankful that all you frugal folks brought up some good points about ways to still give them what they want without having to spend the big bucks to do it!
My cousin is an awesome photographer. Does weddings and all kinds of things. But it is more of a hobby/side job kind of thing so I think he would do it fairly cheap for me. I'm gonna contact him today

[jas]

dd graduated last year and she is probably not the norm. She didn't want any extras except her yearbook. We did get the grad pics but just the very least almost. Of course the cap and gown the package came with a senior t-shirt too I think. We had to do the pics at the prefered studio for her pic to be in the yearbook and if you are going to walk you have to have the cap and gown.

As far as school fees they were minimal senior parking pass, art fee and school activity fee. None of those were buget busters by any means.

DD did not want to go to any dances, I wanted her to go but she had no desire. She didn't want a ring either. Is not that we could not or would not have bought her these things she just was not interested. She counted the minutes down that she had to be in HS and just wanted to be done with it.

It is not that she had terrible grades or didn't have friends there, she was just not into it for some reason.

If those are the memories that your child wants and is so excited to be a part of I would start putting money away for that purpose for sure as the amounts can add up as others have said.