How to Save Money on Homecoming Expenses

School has started or is days away for some, and that means that high school sports are in full swing and soon our social media feeds will be full of pictures of young men and women dressed to the nines in their homecoming dance attire.  These are memories that should be enjoyed for a lifetime, but the costs for these dances and activities, should not be paid for a lifetime.

If you have a teen, you should check out these tips on how to save money on homecoming expenses and get started now so you are not forced to pay big money last minute:

• Shop early.  I did some last minute back to school shopping for my teenage daughter yesterday and spotted so much clearance it was crazy!  Mixed into these clearance racks were quite a few formal dresses too! You just never know what you may find out there right now before the formal season really hits.
• Shop at discount stores.   Discount stores such as Ross and TJMaxx often have great deals on formal attire at a significantly lower price than your typical formal stores do.  You might be quite pleasantly surprised by what you find.
• Shop second hand.  Seriously, high-end thrift shops and sometimes even stores like Goodwill have phenomenal deals on formal wear.  Don’t worry! Oftentimes these dresses are from the last 6 months to a year so you know they won’t be out of style.
• Go online.  You guys!! Amazon has some amazing deals on formal dresses. I once helped my sister in law find a formal dress on Amazon for $24 that looked stunning!  Just be sure to start early so that you know that you get the right fit, etc.
• Shop bridal.  While shopping for my sister in laws wedding dress a couple of years ago, we were at David’s Bridal.  While she was trying stuff on, I decided to spend some time looking through the clearance racks and I found some really great formal dresses for $50 and under.  It’s worth a look!

When it comes to formal wear shopping, it can be done cheaply, I just suggest you give yourself time to do it!  Make a fun shopping day out of it with your teen and have fun! You only get this time with them for a short while.  Make it fun!