DEAR MISS ELLIE: I am a senior in Christiana, Tenn., and I have huge expectations about prom night. I want the limo, flowers, dinner, the perfect dress, perfect up-do, the perfect date, and the night to be perfect. My parents have ruined my prom by giving me a budget of $300 for the entire event and if I want anything else I have to pay for it. I feel they are being cruel and don’t understand the pressure on a teenager. I think they are being selfish. What am I going to do and tell my friends? 

-- POOR IN CHRISTIANA

DEAR POOR IN CHRISTIANA: I really have nothing to say to such a selfish brat, but I will try.

Shame on you for being so selfish. The $300 would feed a family of five people for more than a month, and you are worried about limos and what your friends think. If you were my kid, you would not have a budget at all, you would not be going after this letter.

However, I am going to make a few suggestions to help your parents, see below?

1. Go to T.J. Maxx, Ross, or Marshalls for a dress. They have many options for under $50. Or better yet, get a group of friends together and swap out dresses from other events and recycle.
2. Swap, trade, or borrow shoes from a friend or relative, no one will be looking at your feet, and vintage is all the rage.
3. Limo, let the guy pick you up, he will probably spend all day working on cleaning up his ride just to see you happy, then appreciate it, and say thank you.
4. Have you mother, auntie, or someone else in your family do your hair and make-up, they would love to be part of your special day.
5. The guy will bring you a corsage, don’t pick this out yourself, this is a gift from him. Take what he gives to you and smile.
6. Go someplace you like to eat for dinner, you are young and probably have not been to many five-star restaurants, so go somewhere you both enjoy. Cost is not a factor, eat something you like and fill up so you can dance all night.
7. Now, give the budget money back to your parents and show them how responsible you are and that you have matured past being a self-absorbed teenage tyrant, and suggest they donate the money to a local food bank to help those less fortunate.

Ellie

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