How We Took the Sting Out of High School Graduation Costs

Every parent of a graduation senior knows that senior year ain't cheap! The costs of must haves have gone up tremendously while some of the old extras have now become must haves. I learned this firsthand when my son graduated from high school this year. A conscientious young man (and valedictorian, I may add), he grew increasingly disturbed by the money that dear old Mom and Dad had to shell out. Together with my gifted son, we came up with a plan to save the family money--and perhaps garner him a better graduation gift.

High school cost saver #1
At my son's suggestion, we bought second hand robes from a local consignment shop. Brand new graduation robes would have cost us $60-we paid $20. However, I was adamant that weren't buying a used hat. We did pay for that, $40. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded but I'm a little squeamish about my son wearing someone else's graduation hat.

High school cost saver #2
My son's cousin was graduating just a day before. After some negotiation, our two families combined the parties. Our pocketbooks thanked us and so did our mutual friends. Back to back grad gigs would have been taxing on families that live a distance away. We saved money by grilling the boys' favorite foods and swimming in our pool.

High school cost saver #3
Virtual invitations took the place of paper stationery. To be honest, I bought a handful to send to relatives faraway. I knew that wouldn't be attending but I felt like the invites would make a good keepsake. We went online and created graduation invitations virtually. We posted the invite on Facebook and sent links through Twitter. Graduation invitations were sent via email with a RSVP tracker. I love this method! I will be using it again!

High school cost saver #4
My son didn't want a "photo shoot" for his graduation picture. Just a few good photos for the scrapbook. We hired a local photographer, a college student, to take his pictures. We saved money and one of a kind shots. This college kid did a terrific job, even giving glimpses of the elusive teenage smile in several shots. How proud we were.

When the fun was over and Mom stopped crying, I was grateful. My son had the graduation he wanted and I still had plenty of money for buying the one thing he wanted, a new suit.

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