This post is for my readers in and near Monroe, Mich.: The Monroe Thrift Shop, 119 S. Monroe St., Monroe, Mich., announces a half-off sale on selected clothing items throughout the shop. The shop currently has a large selection of books, linens, housewares, toys, some luggage and sports items. A selection of gently used prom [...]

Are you on the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store mailing list? Check out this week’s flier for 50 percent off “all that glitters” special occasion fabrics April 5 through 24. Yes, those are prom dresses in the photo. Use the coupons in the flier to purchase any trims and threads you need that are not [...]

This post is for my readers in the Toledo area. Yes, southeast Michigan residents, you are welcome to shop too: Planned Pethood of Toledo is sponsoring a Prom Dress Resale from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday March 26, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday March 27, and 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday March 28 [...]

This post is for my readers in and near Monroe, Mich.: The Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St., Monroe, Mich., is hosting a Prom Fashion Show at 2 p.m. Saturday April 3 in the Center Court. Now, I’m a big fan of low-cost prom ideas, so why am I plugging a fashion show? Reason: [...]

Now that you have some idea of what expenses might come up relating to senior prom, what’s the best way to handle those costs? You could discuss and negotiate every line item with your teen, (My daughter was quite agreeable to keeping other expenses down when she realized I would buy her the dress) or [...]

If you are planning for spring prom season, you need to have some discussions with the teens about after-prom activities. A lot of high schools in Michigan and Ohio host either after-prom or after-graduation parties for the senior class, depending on local tradition. These are typically casual, festival atmosphere events that last all night. Since [...]

How are you getting to the prom? Some teens, or their parents, hire a limo. This is not a budget-friendly detail – especially for the high schools that hold their proms some distance away (bigger city = bigger reception halls that are available). If you want to split the cost among your friends, that’s a [...]

Some of the senior proms in the Monroe, Mich., area are dinner-dance combinations. If your dinner is included in the dance or social event, that’s great. The tickets cost more up front than a dance-only option, but it does solve a lot of hassle. If you have a dance-only event and will need to figure [...]

Some of you are used to watching for haircut coupons to your favorite salons, so that you can get your hair styles done for a little cheaper. You’ll want to watch for those deals if you have a teen who will be getting ready for prom. Boys need haircuts just like the girls do; and [...]

It’s a rare occasion when a teenager is dressed up in something other than jeans and a T-shirt. Of course, you want to have photos of the young men and women in their senior prom attire. But before prom night takes place, you need to think about the cost of photos. There are multiple photo [...]

This is the first in a series on senior prom expenses. If your son or daughter is going to senior prom, the chances are pretty good these days they are already a veteran of formal school dances and dinner parties. In the Monroe, Mich., area, most of the high schools host three major social events [...]

Yesterday’s mail call included the proofs and order forms for the formal graduation pictures at Monroe High School. I’m rather pleased with how the professional images turned out, given the fact my camera had technical difficulties Friday night. We’ll order one. Yes, just one. But I sent the link to other family members who might [...]

My co-worker Michelle Swartz had a fun story in Sunday’s edition of The Monroe Evening News about local high school seniors getting ready for prom. The article is at Primped, polished, prom-ready. She also included Prom Cost-Cutting Tips and a list of typical prom expenses. My daughter had heard about the $500 dress that Michelle [...]