This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Point Park chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
In college, it’s common to complain about the expenses, but looking back on it, high school actually wound up costing a lot of money too! It seemed careless at the time since most of our parents forked out money to us for allowances, but now, it might seem like that money could’ve been put to better use had we saved it up for college instead. Unfortunately, we can’t go back in time and tell ourselves “I told you so,” but if we could, here are a few things we most likely wouldn’t have dropped such a pretty penny on:
- Prom. Sure, every girl fantasizes throughout high school about that special evening where they get to be a princess for a night, but honestly is it worth it? When you add up the cost for a one-of-a-kind dress, pricey flowers, limo rentals, beauty services, and accessories, the average cost of prom is $1,200. Not to crush any dreams, but that could have paid for a nice chunk of your semester’s tuition, and the reality of prom probably didn’t meet your expectations anyway.
- Sweet 16. While not everyone had an MTV taping of their birthdays, this particular birthday could get really expensive since it’s a typical age to get a first car. Some would throw a ballroom bash full of friends, and a few lucky ones actually got both. Regardless, we all probably would’ve rather saved that money for a trip to Vegas for our 21st birthdays- the one that really counts!
- Senior Trip. Turn down for what? Turn down for a thousand-dollar trip to a filthy beach with overpriced boardwalk food and t-shirt shops. Obviously we don’t think about these things at the time, but a cruise over your college spring break for some real tropical fun might have been a much better investment!
- The latest technology. Admit it, every year that a new phone or iPod model would be released you probably had to have it or it was the end of the world as we know it. 3+ versions of smartphones and Apple technology added up could have bought you a way cooler laptop for college (or a printer to go along with it).
- New clothes weekly. The halls of high school felt like a catwalk to most, and being up on the latest trends was something to look forward to. Mondays were the day to come in with the hottest new apparel straight from the most popular stores, but ironically, Mondays become the days to bum it in your favorite sweats & hoodies in college. Now, wouldn’t you prefer to have that ill-spent clothing money added into your budget for weekend fun?