<p>“From yearbooks to aptitude tests, Inside Jersey itemized many of the [sometimes frivolous] costs facing parents as they try to get their kid out of high school and into college (though it would be significantly less expensive for everyone if the kid just went straight to work).” …</p>
<p>I enjoyed a good laugh from this article. Hopefully nobody takes it too seriously because even though senior year of high school is expensive, it doesn’t have to cost $10,000. Ridiculous.</p>
<p>Buy the kid a car for graduation, give him/her the Grand European or World Tour and you can up the amount even more. The sky’s the limit. Why stop at the $10K mark. We are upper income and don’t spend a third of that. The expensive part are college tours and test prep spread between junior and senior years.</p>
<p>I loathe these articles. They present extremes ($3,000 for prom; $1,000+ for SAT prep classes; $1,000 for graduation parties) as within the norm. Then kids who don’t know better think it’s “normal” to spend upwards of $1,000 on the prom when really most people spend far less money.</p>
<p>BTW, NJ has probably the highest median household income in the nation (by state).</p>
<p>The testing, test prep, etc should all be done before senior year. </p>
<p>WRT the rest of the article, you could just as easily have said 50k or 100k. There are some NICE graduation presents that <em>could</em> cost a pretty penny ;)</p>
<p>College Applications: $210 to $600
–Spent $60 I think.
College Enrollment/Deposit Fees: $150 to $250
–I think this was $500, but it went towards tuition
Yearbook: $35 to $150
–$0. Didn’t buy one
Yearbook Ads: $5 to $200
–$0. I don’t even know what these are.
Senior Pictures: $40 to $500
–$0, didn’t take any.
Test Prep Classes: $299 to $1,299
–$0, didn’t take any.
Testing Costs: $35 to $468
–I think ACT was like $50?
–Oh, I guess AP exams were like $100 a piece… Meh.
School Ring: $180 to $500
–$0, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone buying this.
School Memorabilia: $10 to $300
–$0, I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone buying this.
Gifts for Favorite Teachers: $10 to $100
–$0, I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone buying gifts.
Framing the Diploma: $10 to $300
–$0, they gave me some sort of frame thing
Senior Prom: $500 to $3,000
–$0, didn’t go on any. Also, seriously, $3k? How?
Senior Trips: $10 to $100
–$0, I don’t know what this is referring to.
College Visits: $15 to $1,500
–$0, didn’t go on any.
Graduation Costs: $30 to $350
–$0, I didn’t go to graduation. I think $30 sounds about right though. $350 would be absurd.
Graduation Parties: $50 to $1,000
–$0, didn’t have one.
Unexpected Fines: $2 to $500
–I don’t remember having any…</p>
<p>I don’t think we spent ten grand, but these things do add up. We bought a yearbook, and a ring, and a yearbook ad, and we had a nice meal with family after graduation, and we had a modest graduation party, and we did some college visits (although this was mainly in junior year), and the kids went to prom (including a new dress for D). Nothing too crazy–no fines, no limos, no test prep other than books. But it still probably added up to several thousand dollars. I don’t know what’s news about that. It costs a lot of money to raise kids, especially if you do what most of the other kids do (like buy the yearbook, go to prom, etc.). Maybe the news is that some people manage to spend way more than average.</p>
<p>In many places, parents purchase ads in the yearbook congratulating their kids–often with a funny picture or the like. In my kids’ high school, this was quite common. It’s not super-expensive–way less than the overpriced photo packages, for example.</p>
<p>Vlandenschlutte, I have to say that your post made me sad, unless you went to a high school where nobody did any of these things.</p>
<p>I guess this is when we can say it “saves” to go to a private HS. Most of these items were covered with the tuition; not college apps or college trips, of course, but yearbooks, senior photos (each student had a student page in the yearbook they could create as they chose), graduation costs, senior trip, and graduation overnight party were all included (there were fund raisers during the four years that went toward the class grad night costs, pooled) Prom costs were extra, however, as were AP tests and SAT- anything optional or college related. Of course tuition isn’t cheap, but we didn’t have to plan extra costs for kids to graduate. They even “gave” us graduation announcements to send to relatives.
We did buy a few teacher gifts, but we did that every year.</p>
<p>College Applications: $210 to $600
–Don’t recall, probably spent up to $400
College Enrollment/Deposit Fees: $150 to $250
–0, S’s school didn’t require a deposit
Yearbook: $35 to $150
–Maybe $40?
Yearbook Ads: $5 to $200
–$0
Senior Pictures: $40 to $500
–$0, took them ourselves
Test Prep Classes: $299 to $1,299
–$0, didn’t take any.
Testing Costs: $35 to $468
–$0 senior year, school paid for 5 AP exams
School Ring: $180 to $500
–$0, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone buying this.
School Memorabilia: $10 to $300
–$0, I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone buying this.
Gifts for Favorite Teachers: $10 to $100
–$0, I make truffles. 'Nuf said.
Framing the Diploma: $10 to $300
–$0, are you kidding?
Senior Prom: $500 to $3,000
–$0, didn’t go.
Senior Trips: $10 to $100
–$20, fundraising took place over preceding years.
College Visits: $15 to $1,500
–$500 for accepted students weekends.
Graduation Costs: $30 to $350
–$40, bought the video for my parents, who couldn’t make it. They actually enjoyed watching it. No announcements.
Graduation Parties: $50 to $1,000
–$0, didn’t have one.
Unexpected Fines: $2 to $500
–Um, no.</p>
<p>In the “unexpected fines” category we can add the softball uniform that d forgot to turn in and found rolling around under the seat of her car. Not sure that’s going to be usable for anyone else . . . </p>
<p>We make our own food and the beverages are nonalcoholic, but dang, no grad party/open house? Man, and I thought I lived among the somber Scandinavians of the great frozen north.</p>
<p>Won’t tell you what I spent on pictures, but got a prom dress on the clearance rack at Macy’s for $40. </p>
<p>No gifts for the teachers. The joy of spending time with my child is “gift” enough. BAHAHAHAHA. </p>
<p>Come on, folks, these are fluff pieces. Don’t let 'em rile you.</p>
