<p>We needed a white dress, a black long dress, pastel dress on a regular basis, and then needed costumes for various other events. We had to ‘dress’ for dinner twice a week, and many of us didn’t have regular dresses in the 70’s, so needed at least one. I know my niece (current college kid) needs a red dress. T-shirts weren’t a big thing for every event back then. Most things were included in our dues, like supplies for floats for homecoming, parties, but sometimes we had to pay extra for dances.</p>
<p>The cost of housing, food, dues, and all the extras of sorority life was less than living in a dorm, so we gladly paid for all of it.</p>
<p>My parents paid my dues and live-in fees. I paid for dances, party favors, spirit wear and such. It worked out quite well </p>
<p>At our place, the cost of living in a Greek house is generally equal to the cost of living in a dorm. (The houses are all on campus, part of quads that also include “regular” dorms.). For those places where Greek housing is off campus and not leased from the university, is the cost appreciably higher? </p>
<p>One of my sons lived in an off campus fraternity house for two years. It was cheaper than on grounds housing. The food was cheaper as well. I’m guessing it varies by school though. </p>
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<p>There is probably no general answer, and it probably varies by school.</p>
<p>@twoinanddone </p>
<p>Sorry, maybe I’m misunderstanding, but a sister would buy dresses, wear them, and then return them to the store? In some areas you can rent dresses for formals, but returning a dress after wearing it, unless there was a problem, is cheating the merchant and a violation of a sorority’s honor code, no?</p>
<p>My daughter pays for all of her sorority dues (over $600/year). She currently lives in the sorority house and we pay for that, just as we would cover the cost of her housing if she were in a dorm. Any extra expenses she incurs through the sorority (shirts, dances, etc.) is on her. </p>
<p>Lucie, you aren’t misunderstanding. She did it, and she was president of the house! Karma bit her, though, as one day she spilled candle wax all over the dress and that one she had to keep. We didn’t have honor violations for things like that, outside of school. We had another girl who used to always get her car registration on the first of the month AFTER it expired. I pointed out that if she did this every year, in TWELVE years, she would have gained the advantage of one year of free registration (about 50 bucks). That’s a long time to wait for a reward.</p>
<p>There was no renting of dresses back in those days, but really we tried to keep the costs down. We had a lot of people, including me, who worked and paid our own dues and much of our own tuition, etc. If someone couldn’t afford a dress or outfit, we’d figure out a way for her to still participate.</p>
<p>Ah, thanks for the explanation, @twoinanddone! I used to have friends who did things like that, mostly because they had champagne tastes on beer budgets. It can be really hard not to succumb to the pressures of keeping up with your peers. It would be nice if there were lending “libraries” for clothing, etc., so the girls could help each other out without having to resort to ethically challenged behavior!</p>
<p>I suggested some of my online friends send their daughter’s prom dresses when I saw a picture and thought it would look nice on one of my younger daughters. Never happened.</p>
<p>One of my daughters is a pretty good thrift shop shopper. They are both good at using coupons for items already on sale.</p>
<p>I paid my S 's dues and special event fees (cabin weekend, formals etc). He paid for t-shirts and some incidentals. If my D ends up joining a sorority this year, I will pay for her dues, event fees and special occasion clothes as well. </p>
<p>My parents paid for most of my sorority expenses since it was significantly cheaper than living in either a dorm or off campus. </p>
<p>My sorority house was cheaper than dorm, because it was nearer the U. I went to the sorority house to eat, and often bought food when in the dorm. I don’t recall having to buy any dresses or special clothes, but that was in the 70’s.</p>