another question about expenses.
 

Hello everyone!

I know that there are a lot of current threads about sorority expenses and dues. I have been reading the threads to get an idea about how much it would me next year. Our school's Panhellenic site has listed the range of sorority dues that we can expect to pay while part of the undergraduate chapter and later as part of the alumane chapter. The information says that "Most sororities include everything (all inclusive) from formals and semi-formals, meetings, lifetime subscription to Fraternity magazines, lifetime membership, and more!'. These seem like the basic expenses and I should be able to cover the range of costs that they have posted. However, there are auxiliary costs that I don't see included on the site. For example, things like big sis/little sis program gifts, composite costs, etc. I know that we get more information about this during recruitment week and the information night but how much should I be expecting to budget for next year. I know that its hard to give an estimate of the costs if you don't know where I go to school but is there a ball park figure that I should be expecting?

I would appreciate the help and have a wonderful day:)

It really depends on your school. My dues included all that you listed above. In addition, I spent a couple hundred (probably more like $400 when you count the monogrammed matching PJs) on Big/Little, plus more money on taking our new members on "soda dates"...all the little things that you do as a Sophomore that can add up (these are pretty much required). You'll also spend socially, just doing things with your sisters, like movies or dinners.

As for things that aren't really required...In addition to what is above, tshirts for every single event run about $15-20, plus I bought a new outfit for every party/mixer (approx 1-2 a month). Plus donating to our philanthropy and those of other Greek organizations. And when you invite a guy to your date party, you typically make him a gift ($50-100), buy some liquor and take him out to dinner. The list can go on and on, depending on how "involved" you want to get. Oh - and season football tickets + expenses for road trips to games with your sisters, etc etc etc.

I pledged almost 10 years ago, not sure if tshirts still cost the same or not! I'm sure some spend much less and some spend quite a bit more than others. I know my big spent probably double what I did on big/little gifts.

What cbm said is pretty true. You don't always have to get the t-shirts, a new dress isn't always needed for a social, and you don't always have to buy the photos from formal or from composite. Depending on how many people order an item, I've paid anywhere from $5 to $20 for a t-shirt, but things like hoodies and sweatpants will probably cost you more (closer to $30 or $40).

If it's anyhelp, I have budgeted a minimum of $100 a month for extras in my sorority. I know some girls spend more, and some less. Also some items are required for members to order (stuff like bid day shirts). It's all really dependent on what you personally want to spend on the extras.

How much extra things cost just depend on your school.

Some of the things that cost extra money for me:

*Event tee shirts (for date parties, formal, etc.) -- $20 each or so
*event hoodies or sweats -- $30
*Taking my Little Sis -- spending limit of $250
*Pearl Pal gifts -- $15 or so per week
*Event favors -- various
*Formal and Semi-formal dresses--various
*Event pics
*Composite pics

There are alot of ways for you to save money with extras though:

*You don't have to buy the event shirt for every date party, mixer, etc. that you go to.

*Taking a pic for the composite is free. You don't have to order the pics. Not ordering pics for mom and dad saves money.

*You don't need to order a million party pics from date party.

*You don't need to order a million Bid Day pics. I just ordered the "whole chaprer" ones.

*If you take on a Little Sis or Pal of some sort, you can make alot of their gifts instead of buying them.

You tend to buy a LOT of stuff your freshman and soph years... party favors, party pics, t-shirts for each and every occasion, lots of letter and crest items, etc., but you soon find that you are buried in stuff and slow down a bit junior and especially senior year. Budget more your first years in the group, and when you take on a little sis.

In our chapter, we did a lot of swapping of semiformal/formal dresses around, especially when we were going to fraternity parties, so didn't necessarily have to buy a new dress in order to wear a "new to us and our date" one.

This is a great idea. Our chapter actually "passes down" white formal dresses through families because they're such a pain to find. Generally speaking, if you're in desperate need of a dress, someone in your chapter will have one you can borrow.

Hello ladies,

Thankyou for your responses.

Cbm: Thankyou so much for giving me a ball park to kind of work with. I am not working this summer but I hope to have a work study for next year and so wanted to kind of have an idea about how many hours I would need to work next year.

Perfectinpurple: Would a 100 a month be something you may need in your 2nd or 3rd year as a sister or in your first year as well?From what I understand, you ladies have been mentioning the costs being higher in first year and lowering down with the years. Thankyou for your input.

KSUViolet06: Oh, thankyou for your list. I like lists(dorky, i know) and its much clearer to see things this way. I just want to know what are pearl pals? Also for big sis/lil sis, do you do a lot of different stuff throughout the year or is it limited to certain times a year. I understand that you would do stuff on holidays for your sisters and birthdays, etc.

Katmandu: I also like your idea of sharing dresses. Its good to know. Hopefully, there would be some ladies who would a same/similar size to me for that to work. Heh, and thankyou!

COBaby: It seems like a white dress is a need for initiation. Is it only the pledges, who are being initiated, who need one or do all the sisters wear white for that day?

Just a few more questions:

1) Why would you need to buy pictures for events?Don't people use digital cameras nowadays?Or are these photographers hired for special events?

2) For mixers, are denim and t-shirts okay or something dressier? I ask this because hopefully would have to supplement my wadrobe a little if I get a bid.

Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate it?

1) Yes, people do bring their cameras, but sometimes a professional is hired to get more candid shots or large group shots (or just to be there in general). It's up to you if you want to buy these pictures or not.

2) A lot of the time, mixers are themed and require either new (or new to you) clothes, or being very creative with the clothes you have. I would guess whether jeans and a t-shirt are okay at mixers varies a lot by campus. Though I would say that it's likely that mixers that aren't themed are likely to be more dressy than jeans and a t-shirt.

AlphaXi_Husky: Oo I understand about the pictures part. I am not that creative with clothes so maybe a theme would a good thing. Thankyou for your response:)

KSUViolet: Ah, thankyou for your reply. I was wondering what a pearl pal was. What kinds of gifts are typical for big/little gifts?Is it something something generic and generalised or something more personal?

Thankyou for your responses ladies. I really appreciate it.

In my sorority, we do something similar to pearl pals (we call them heart buddies), and an appropriate gift for a pearl pal/heart buddy would be something small and sorority themed. Pens, stationary, a picture frame, etc.

For Big/little gifts it's generally more expensive and usually more personal. From my big I got a few lettered shirts, a hoodie, a blanket, a paddle, various other small things (some pictures of us, some candy) and a very personal letter written from her. It's usually much more expensive to be a Big sister than it is to be a heart buddy.

My chapter is a little reversed, when we get a new member class, they are assigned a "Rose Sis" (Like a "Pearl Pal") before big/lil. The Rose Sis's and Bigs often spend more money on the new member than the new member spending money on the big. The new members buy smaller things for their Rose Sis or Bigs, but they are usually homemade like posters, mugs, etc. The Bigs also usually buy the new members their first letter shirt.

As for formals/fraternity invite events - we usually borrowed each others dresses, shoes, accessorires or dresses from other friends.

For mixers - we had a lot of "theme" mixers, so getting creative with what you have, walmart and good will purchases often provided our outfits.

Every campus is different and each area of the country is different too. For example, for football games, everyone who is greek dresses up at my school, while at other schools jeans and t-shirts are the norm for everyone. Learning your campus culture and greek culture will come with time.

Also even big/lils dont have to be as much money depending on your campus. In my chapter we dont have a big/lil week so the spending doesnt have to be much at all, more like dinners and little gifts. All the sororities at your school may have different spending habits too. I know one sorority in particular at my school has big limits and the littles have gotten items like juicy couture hoodies and stuff on the first day of big/lil week. So it really depends on your school and then your chapter, for budgeting purposes.

In my opinion $100 is a pretty good average for my chapter (for any year you might be). I know some of the seniors are planning to spend less, but after 3 years I think they probably have all the t shirts they could ever want!

As for Big Sis expenses, some chapters actually have a set package so that all of the littles get the same gifts. I like that method a lot!