School Yearbooks--how much is too much?
By blueskies
@blueskies (1186)
United States
January 29, 2007 11:42am CST
When I attended high school back in the 80's, I remember our yearbooks costing an average of $20 a piece. We solicited businesses in the community to sponsor the yearbooks in exchange for an ad placement. This helped to keep the cost to students down.
At the beginning of this school year, my daughter brought home a yearbook order form. This is her first year in high school. The cost for a yearbook was $48! This book is also sponsored by the businesses in the community, but their introductory "deal" price was $48. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have that much to spend on a yearbook in September, as I had just spent all our extra money on school clothes and supplies for my two children. Since I missed the special, I now have to pay $58 for the yearbook for my daughter.
Does anyone else think this is ridiculously expensive, or is it just me?
24 people like this
83 responses
@mkirby624 (1598)
• United States
31 Jan 07
It IS expensive, but it's just because costs are rising and the quality and size of the yearbooks are also going up. Now yearbooks have more color photos, more pages about school activities, and more school activities to have pages about! It sucks because they are really expensive, but that's just the effect of inflation.
3 people like this
@FraYFaN09 (1558)
• United States
31 Jan 07
I find the price of yearbooks ridiculous as well. I curerently am in highschool and the price of my yearbook this year is $55. Plus we don't even get them until next year when we register! I find it really stupid!
2 people like this
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
30 Jan 07
In regards to the yearbook of your daughter I understand that you had to pay out all these other expenses for school, but now you have no other choice but to pay the $58.00 as your daughter will need her school yearbook does your government give you an money for every child that is going to school to help you with this as our does, it is not much but at least it is something, as they give around $50.00 for each child.
@lisa101 (1362)
• United States
30 Jan 07
I think we are being over charged for the yearbooks also. I feel that a lot of kids are missing out on their school memories because the parents can not afford this. The school where my children attend however breaks the price down into two payments which seems to be easier for us around here. I remember when i was a school girl and how much my yearbooks meant to me. I would not want my children to miss out on this so i just grin and bear it.
2 people like this
@spoonitnow (43)
• United States
31 Jan 07
It's called inflation and a lot more pages due to a lot more people.
2 people like this
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
31 Jan 07
I graduated in 91. I got yearbooks all 4 years and they were around $30 each. SS15 is a freshman and theirs are $65! I saw one from a couple of years ago, and it's basically like mine was - large school, lots of pages / pics, etc. I'm just glad he's not interested this year. I'll make sure he at least gets one his senior year though.
2 people like this
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
29 Jan 07
I know how you feel. Yearbooks have gotten smaller and smaller as the cost of them keeps going up. At the teeny school I worked at last year, the cost was so steep that not enough people could afford to buy a yearbook to meet the cost of printing them. I don't know what they finally ended up doing. They tried everything to get people to buy, but it was a poorer district, and people just couldn't do it.
2 people like this
@hitzphillygirl (1235)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Ours were $75, but mine was $120 because I bought a page in the book. Overpriced, but well worth it for all those high school memories.
2 people like this
@loujac3 (1188)
• United States
29 Jan 07
After reading several of the posts I can see that we all feel that the prices are high. I never bought a year book due to the price and I could never afford them. Many just end up in the trash later on. I do think that buying one in your senior year is good because you remember the most about school from that year.
I think that kids need to help pay for it to appreciate the value. Anything gotten for free is never as good as something you earned. I always had my girls earn part of whatever was highly desired. I feel that it was a good lesson in life and they are wiser for it.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
30 Jan 07
I can not agree with you more!!! What is the point of having businesses in there to lower the price, if it truly does not lower it?
Is your daughter's yearbook edged with real gold on the pages?
Sorry, but that is just insane. My daughter is on year book staff and so I had to get a year book for her...we are also on a tight budget...so, thanks mom.
But her year book was $47 dollars and they do not have sponsors!
Plus, if they do not buy it until the end of the year, it is still $47 dollars.
It is just insane the prices of things for school these days.
We have to pay a small fortune for school supplies and all my dad had to buy was pencils and paper. Now, I can spend a good $400 on 7 kids and they still request more supplies later on in the year...needless to say, the "wish lists".
I agree...yearbooks are over priced!
2 people like this
@ineedaname (957)
• United States
30 Jan 07
Holy cow! Why does it cost so much? I would be freaking out. I am freaking out for you! My son just started middle school, I don't know how much year books are yet. My daughter is in elementry and the year books are $17.
@classy56 (2880)
• United States
29 Jan 07
i think it is crazy to pay that price an i still cant figure out why they sell them at beginning of the school year..why not the last month of school..to give parents time to save up for them..i helped pay for my grand daughters an hers were $45.00 for 7 grader i can imagine what it cost for high school
2 people like this
@aquarian9 (548)
• Canada
29 Jan 07
Just think, the photographers and writers and jr. editors don't even get paid. They spend long hours on prjects and only get the credit for the class. Of course it looks good on a transcript. I agree it is a costly product.
2 people like this
@Lady_Godiva (51)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Yes I do! It is crazy how much they expect us to pay for yearbooks. I recently graduated high school and my yearbooks with the special pre-order thing was $45. When the yearboooks came in they were priced $60. Its crazy to think that a book with pictures in it could be so much. I am scared to yo see the price when my kids have to buy yearsbooks.
@mom2chriskel (1060)
• United States
29 Jan 07
I can't remember how much I paid but I think it was around 40.00 some of the books are very well done. Everything gets expensive just like the above poster said. My first semester of college my books cost over $500.00. That didn't include anything else but my books and I thought that was outrageous!
2 people like this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Oh my goodness-- That is ridicolous! When I was in school in the late 80's they were around $20-$25. $48 and now $58 what a major rip off. I even think we got our year books personalized and it wasn't over $30. Still I know prices are going up but thats way too much- I wonder how many parents won't pay that- What if you had a couple of kids in high school.. $100 for 2 books. I'd say no! But then your daughter won't have those memories.
@ChicaPerica (38)
• United States
30 Jan 07
Tell me about it! I paid $65 for mines BEFORE the deadline. I had to hear it from my mom all year long about it.. Not to mention, prom night expenses, end of the year trip, rings, gosh.. I'm making my kids work by the time they reach their junior year, forget that!
1 person likes this
@blueskies (1186)
• United States
30 Jan 07
Ugh! Thanks for reminding me about the prom. My daughter's boyfriend is a senior and he's already asked her to go. *mentally calculating dress+shoes+hair+share of limo and dinner*
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
29 Jan 07
Every thing is so expensive, unfortunately it won't get any better, it will only get worse. Look how many college students struggle just to pay for their books.
2 people like this
@heathercurtis (19)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Wow, $58 is pretty outrageous! It's only been a little over 10 years since I was in high school but I remember the cost of our yearbooks only being about $20-25 as well.
