12 hot tips for cutting prom costs

Warning: These tips are only for students who are secure enough to not care what their peers think about how they pay for the biggest social night of their high school career. This frugal minority can laugh all the way to the bank while the haters spend the morning after sifting through piles of credit card charge slips.

• Instead of renting a tuxedo, borrow one. Or wear a suit.
• Wear shoes you already own rather then renting or buying.
• Limos are expensive rentals, even for a group. Instead, do a 24-hour lease on a luxury car. Better yet, if a parent has a halfway hot ride, borrow that.
• Borrow a prom dress. If you have to buy as a last resort, check eBay and other Internet sites such as PromGirl and Edressme.com.
• When ordering the corsage and boutonniere, guys, request the cheapest in-season flowers in the colors you need.
• Skip the hair and nail salons. Have a skilled friend hook up your hair in a kitchen or go to a beauty school’s student lab. And do your nails yourself.
• Do your own makeup. If you’re not great at it, ask somebody for help.
• Borrow, don’t buy, jewelry.
• Skip the pricey posed photos and do it yourself with a digital camera. Wal-Mart has some great affordable options.
• Have dinner at a restaurant where you have coupons or a discount. Save the leftovers to satisfy after-prom munchies rather than paying for another meal.
• Buy your prom tickets as late as possible. You may be able to find somebody who bought tickets, can no longer attend for some reason, and is willing to sell them to you for less.

Finally, the ultimate tip for the shamelessly enterprising. Start a pre-prom 50-50 raffle, selling tickets for $1 each or 6 for $5 for at least one week. Advertise it as something like The Prom Payoff and sell tickets to any warm body you encounter. Have the drawing prom night and award the winner 50% of all ticket sales. Guess who keeps the other half? Sell enough tickets and you could recover a significant chunk of what you spent on the big night.