For many of the girls attending Prom this year, their minds are clouded with thoughts of shoes, dresses, dinner, dates and dancing. However, the one word that never leaves many of their lips is, "budget."

Between paying for a dress, hair and nail appointments, dinner and the ticket to Prom, many girls are spending in excess of $1,000 on the occasion. Some proponents of an all-out spending spree for Prom feel that putting a price tag on the night is simply ludicrous.

But many of the attendees feel that spending lavish amounts of money on Prom is just wasteful.

"I would never spend more than $200 on a dress. I cannot believe all those girls that spend over $500 on a dress, that’s just ridiculous!" junior Ciara Ruizcalderon emphatically said.

However, after thinking realistically about the basic costs covering the necessities to make Prom an unforgettable night, the concept of strictly limiting funds may be unrealistic.

Considering the cost of getting a manicure, having your hair done and eating at a nice restaurant, the notion of completing it all with a mere $100 budget seems next to impossible. Many couples exceed that amount on dinner alone. In addition, after a nail and hair appointment if you get out for less than $100, consider yourself lucky!

However, the monumental hurdle to a cost-conscious Prom is the dress. It is no longer uncommon, even in our weakened economy, to find girls who are more than willing to pay over $500 just on the dress alone, and after adding in the cost of shoes and jewelry, $1,000 may seem like a steal.

"I don’t have a set budget right now," junior Morgan Lavender said. "My parents help me out a lot and I have to find a very pretty dress that no one has."

To cope with this situation, many girls are forced to take finance and style and somehow find a balance between them; however, for some knowing that their dress is unique is worth the expense.

Others simply feel that spending lavish amounts on a dress is futile.

Many hide behind the commonly used argument, "you’re only going to wear it once," and therefore write off the expense as a waste.

"I am not going to spend more than $100 on a dress. I usually don’t spend a lot of money on things so I’m not going to treat Prom any different," sophomore Mackenzie Scott said.

A common loophole to a financially limited Prom that many girls are taking advantage of is bargain shopping.

"Me and my friends are going bargain buying for our Prom dresses; the good news is you get a better deal and save some money, the bad [news] is that if you go last minute you’re usually out of luck," junior Samantha Abt-Sager said.

Regardless of whether Prom is a financial free-for-all or a bargain basement event, most only care about having fun with the people they want to remember the experience with.

"If I went to Prom I would only care about going to have a good time. Prom is just about the fun and looking great is just an added bonus," junior Megi Hakobjanyan concluded.