4 Money Saving Tips for Cheap Graduations

Congratulations! Graduation is a time for great celebration. No doubt you are swelling with pride for your son or daughter, thrilled at their accomplishments. Not so exciting are the costs associated with graduation-besides senior pictures and cap and gown fees, there are also announcements, open houses, and graduation gifts to worry about. However, graduation is only as expensive as you allow it to be. Save a few bucks with these four tips.

Make your own announcements and invitations - While the fancy announcements available through your graduate's high school look impressive, you can make your own that are just as good looking using materials in any office supply store. For a traditional feel, try a cream-colored heavyweight linen paper, or create a spicy and unique announcement with paper that features a chili pepper border. Customize your announcements to fit the personality of your graduate. The same goes for invitations - all office supply stores have a variety of blank cards that you can use. Computer programs such as Microsoft Publisher allow for professional looking invitations to be created in minutes-just be sure to print a test copy first.

Prioritize the announcement list - The cost of postage for announcements and invitations can quickly skyrocket if you allow it to. Take your list of announcement recipients, and rank it by importance. By prioritizing your announcement list, you can easily make sure the most significant people are sent invitations and announcements, and those who may not be interested aren't added to your postage costs. Grandpa Joe and Aunt Shirley will definitely want to know, but your ex-neighbors and tax preparer probably won't be hurt if they just hear the information from you in passing.

Throw joint open houses/parties - It's natural to want to throw a get-together for your graduate and family members or friends, but these parties don't have to be expensive. If you're familiar with other people in the neighborhood who have a son or daughter graduating, get together with them and make it a joint effort. Shared parties mean you can spend less money on decorations and food, and also means less stress for you, because the responsibilities will be shared. However, it is important to remember who the party is for-the graduates. If they don't like each other, they probably won't want to have a party together.

Avoid the extras - Graduation is a lucrative business, and that's important to remember when your son or daughter starts receiving graduation memorabilia catalogs from school. While at first glance that fancy Class of '07 picture frame may look neat, it's really not necessary or more special than any other frame (and generally much more expensive). In most cases, you can pick up a nice picture frame at a home décor store that will look better and last longer than the ones offered by the schools. Other non-essentials include coffee mugs and t-shirts. If your graduate really wants something, you can purchase it as a graduation present, but if the logo or mascot of the school isn't on it, it really isn't worth the money.

It's definitely possible to have a great graduation without putting a large dent in your wallet. Remember to set priorities, and don't be fooled by the bells and whistles presented by graduation product companies.