Win that Beauty Pageant College Scholarship

Beauty pageants are excellent opportunities for teenagers to secure college scholarships as well as smaller sums of cash to help pay daily expenses. The problem is that you have to spend money in order to win the money. From finding the perfect pageant dress to the costs associated with choreography, talent training, hair and makeup, one pageant can cost thousands of dollars. If you are concerned about the cost, use these five tips to keep your budget in the black.

If you cringe at the cost of new pageant dresses, shop clearance racks at online pageant stores. Don’t get caught up thinking you need a customized dress that no other girl can possibly get her hands on. Beautiful dresses hit the clearance racks all the time, and you can always customize these dresses if necessary.

Pay attention to entry dates and prices for your chosen pageant. Some pageants may charge higher entrance fees after a certain date. You can save a bit of money if you get into the pageant early.

Don’t buy new shoes and accessories for every pageant. If you decide to purchase a new dress, try to stick with a color that will work with shoes you already own. If you can reuse other accessories as well, you can save even more money.
Find a friend or relative willing to do your hair and makeup if you are not confident doing it yourself. Many girls spend hundreds of dollars on their hair and makeup before the pageant and on the big day. If you cut those expenses, you can spend more on your dress or pick up a few private lessons to perfect your talent performance.

Coordinate with friends to share as many items as possible. Teens tend to make friends in the pageant circuit, and many are willing to trade dresses, shoes and other items so that each girl has something fresh for their upcoming pageant. This works particularly well if you know teenagers who participate in different pageants than you.

Ambitious teens may cut expenses by learning to make their own accessories or glam out their own gowns and shoes. This is something you may want to try, but make sure you have backup items just in case it doesn’t come out as expected.

Cheerio…
LadyJava