“Does it really cost that much?” said the sophomore who was planning his homecoming dinner and day activity. No one told him these dances would cost him more than he could carry. With the dance less than two weeks away, he had to find a way to get a hold of up to  $100.

Or maybe closer to $175 because that’s what, on average, gentlemen spend to take their ladies to the first dance of the year. It may seem steep, but when the events of the day are factored in, such as the day activity, dance photos, dinner, and the optional after activity for two people, a budget of around $175 is not uncommon.

Cheaper alternatives guys are taking to lower the cost is to cut back on the day activity and find a less formal dinner. Hikes, a picnic and frisbee in the park, making dinner from scratch with your date are among common ideas that economical boys have in mind. Olive Garden and iHop have shown to be popular places to eat before the dance. These are nice enough to sit down at but cheap enough to still be in the affordable range.

When asked how much their homecoming date would cost, girls’ answers averaged to $117 with answers ranging from a frugal $70 to a fabulous $200. Girls usually took into account only the day activity and dinner, giving no regard to photos or tickets. Photos are usually $35 and tickets are $20, easily escalating the cost of the dance. Corsages usually run around $20. These three components are just accessories of the dance. Dinner can effortlessly top $50 and the day activity could just as easily match that.

Most seemed baffled when presented with the real cost of homecoming.

“I’m sure it’s not that much” said Brequel Burbank, junior.

Often, it falls on the gentleman to cover any and all expenses and to not let the lady worry about the costs, instead having her enjoy the night. Most girls don’t think about expenses; they don’t need to. It occurred to them that homecoming was, despite being the first dance, elaborately planned and carefully organized to lower the cost while also maintaining the level of excitement and flirtatiousness that every high school boy and girl look forward to.