# Poor Families Spend $600 More On Prom Than Wealthier Ones



## Leeda.the.Paladin (May 26, 2019)

Poor families plan to spend more than 5% of their income on prom this year, according to a new survey.

Families with a household income of less than $25,000 plan to spend $1,393 for the prom, according to Visa's annual nationwide survey on high school's most storied night. 

That's compared to those making more than $50,000, who plan to spend an average of $799. 


This means that those who fall around or under the poverty line are spending an average of nearly $600 more than those who are more well off, and about $475 above the overall average.

The federal poverty line was $24,250 for a family of four in 2014. 

Low-income families spending more than wealthier ones on prom night was a trend in past years as well*, *according to Nat Sillin, Visa's head of financial education in the U.S.

In both 2012 and 2013, poorer families said they would spend more than the national average and those who made more than $50,000. But last year, as well as in 2011, the opposite was true.

Overall, the survey found that prom spending is down 6% this year from a year earlier. But far more parents are planning to pick up the costs -- 73% said they'd pay for their teenage dream this year compared to just 56% last year.
Spending for the evening includes the costs of tickets, clothes, limousine rental, flowers, photographs, food accommodations, and, of course, an after party.

Overall, the average planned spending of the more than 3,000 people surveyed was $919


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## Transformer (May 26, 2019)

How about graduation parties.  My nephew a former pharmaceutical sales executive now making 1/3 of his former salary went all out .....country club type swim party with three levels  with different music and food on each levels.  Such as the first level was for younger kids swimming with typical fast food fare, dips, pasta....live rappers.  Second level was for the 20-40 set, grilled meats, more upscale salads and dips such as lobster, huge Alaskan crab legs, and other seafood buffet with a D.J.    Third level was for folks my age in a sit down dining environment where we ordered our entrees and Luther Vandross,and the SOS and Gap Bands playlist entertained us. 

It was cool, very nice but I kept wondering about the cost especially since he’s under employed now.


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## Black Ambrosia (May 26, 2019)

I think we touched on this in an older thread on the woman in NYC who went all out for both her daughter and son. It came out later that she was a scammer. Anyway, the gist of the conversation was that prom is a bigger event in these communities because a lot of these kids aren't going to college, may not have weddings, etc. Prom is "the" event and so the parents go all out. IMO all these people (rich and poor) stay doing too much.


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## nyeredzi (May 28, 2019)

The years discussed here are a fee years back. What is the link or source of this?


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## Brwnbeauti (May 28, 2019)

I was given 100$ for everything, EVERYTHING. 
Extra money came from braiding hair.


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## Everything Zen (May 28, 2019)

Prom was the most boring event ever. I didn’t even want to go and had to dig up a couple of church friends as dates after my best friend wanted to go last minute and begged me to go with her and find us dates after I turned down a nice black guy who asked me to go with him because I had no plans of going in the first place. I still feel like  for that. 

Homecoming junior year was fun. My dad drove my date and I. Those are the only events I ever went to. I pride myself on still being able to wear my dresses.


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## Theresamonet (May 28, 2019)

Brwnbeauti said:


> I was given 100$ for everything, EVERYTHING.
> Extra money came from braiding hair.



I paid for all my prom related stuff myself. I bought a dress, shoes, got my hair and nails done, did my own makeup, and... went to prom. No trumpets, no petting zoo, no one released doves...


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## kcbelle925 (May 28, 2019)

My mom paid for my dress and to get my hair done and I slapped on just lipstick, didn't wear much makeup then. My date hailed a cab to get us to the venue. The after party was held at my friend's grandma's apartment while grandma was away.


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## Crackers Phinn (May 28, 2019)

I honestly wish they would take that extra $600 and buy dresses off the rack with a little tailoring instead of these kitchen seamstress monstrosities.  Every prom season is loaded with a new batch of Gordon Gartrell rip-offs.   I know Joanne Fabrics got to have more than one kind of  satiny material.


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## Dposh167 (May 29, 2019)

I'm going to take a huge guess my prom dress + hair+ shoes  was about $200.
I got a free eyebrow wax because the hefer took off half my eyebrow so I wasn't paying for ish
I got one of my white friends to borrow her mother's benz to drive us to the prom.
I had no date so I didn't have to worry about any man
It was a good night and cheap too lol


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## GinnyP (May 29, 2019)

Theresamonet said:


> I paid for all my prom related stuff myself. I bought a dress, shoes, got my hair and nails done, did my own makeup, and... went to prom. No trumpets, no petting zoo, no one released doves...


No petting zoo or released dovesGirl.........that was funny


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## Evolving78 (May 30, 2019)

I went to prom a few different times. My mom made one dress, and we altered it into a different style of dress. I bought my shoes, my purse, and  we made my earrings and bought applicates for decorating the dress and shoes. A family friend cut and styled my hair, and the second time my cousin styled my hair. My cousin did my nails, and I went to the chick in the hood that did nails out of her house. I did my own makeup. My third dress, accessories, etc I purchased myself. My dates paid for the tickets and I paid for the pictures. I went to the salon and paid for that as well. 
All of this stuff these parents and kids are doing is out of control, money or no money.


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## Transformer (May 30, 2019)

One year I actually bought my prom dress.  My good friend who parents couldn’t afford anything wanted to attend the prom so I gave her my bought dress and made another one for myself.


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## MizAvalon (Jun 3, 2019)

Black Ambrosia said:


> I think we touched on this in an older thread on the woman in NYC who went all out for both her daughter and son. It came out later that she was a scammer. Anyway, the gist of the conversation was that prom is a bigger event in these communities because a lot of these kids aren't going to college, may not have weddings, etc. Prom is "the" event and so the parents go all out. IMO all these people (rich and poor) stay doing too much.



Exactly. Same with these red carpet baby showers.


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## RoundEyedGirl504 (Jun 8, 2019)

I think a big part of this is the outsourcing of a lot of the stuff now. Depending on how long ago you went. You bought a dress off the rack, did your own nails and makeup , had a kitchen beautician hair style, and that was that. Folks now have professionals who charge from $50-$500 for the beauty services plus those “custom” dresses. Everybody wanna be Beyoncé.


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## Everything Zen (Jun 8, 2019)

I don’t understand it myself. I’m graduating from grad school in two weeks. My parents bought me a new living room furniture set as a gift and we’re catering the open house from our local grocery store with some nice cheese plates, charcuterie, shrimp and crab trays, olives, local favorite wings, salad, dessert, champagne, etc. I’m having less than 20 people attend bc it’s out of state for most of my family. Very low key I keep hearing about people having weddings, proms and graduations where people have to pay to attend - WTF for and why?


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