You have to buy a ticket to attend a prom? And it's $60? Not sure if I'm ready for my kids to do this thing, although it's a ways off from now. Do some kids just not go?
My friend said that when her daughter was invited to the prom, the boy's parents told her she'd have to pitch in half for the limousine. Why can't they just drive their own car to the prom. Seems like it wouldn't matter either way.
Lots of kids didn't go to prom at my high school. I kind of wish I hadn't - it was boring- I was never a school dance kind of person, and the faux gambling tables were not my thing, though I had tons of fun at our group's after party (not an official thing, we got two adjoining hotel rooms for 12 people and just hung out and played board games and stuff; but that was the first time my parents let me do something chaperone free like that.)
I also road in my date's truck to prom. Paying for a limo seemed stupid. Then again, I thought the same thing for my wedding and road in a family friend's car. (Granted, the friend in question had a $100k car; but I would have been fine in my Civic too. Having him "chauffeur" was his idea.)
Promposals were not a thing when I was in school, thank God. (Especially since I had to ask a guy to go with me...) so no money there. I paid for his ticket, he did buy me a corsage, I think we all paid for our own dinner at a slightly nicer than Olive Garden level restaurant. Gas was flipping cheap then, so that was a non-issue. I paid for 1/12 of the hotel room, I didn't drink so I didn't pay anything for alcohol. My dress was from JC Penny. Two girls supposedly flew (with a few friends?) to Italy to buy their dresses; certainly they were talking about designer I'd never heard of. (um, but their father was about to be the President of the US, so they were kind of on a different level of spending.)
It can be done expensive, or cheap.