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Okay, nobody loves talking about money, but we have to. Because one of the saddest things I see is a girl who's SO excited to compete, and then halfway through, the costs start piling up and she's stressed, her parents are stressed, and the whole thing stops being fun. So let's pull back the curtain. Here's what you actually need to plan for, so there are zero surprises.

Interview is the part of pageant weekend that makes most girls nervous, and I totally get why. You walk into a room, a panel of people you've never met is looking right at you, and you have no idea what they're going to ask. In reality, judges want you to do well. Seriously. They're rooting for you from the second you walk in. Judges start forming an impression before you say a word. They notice how you walk in, whether you smile, and whether you look at them, they also noti

Your first pageant is exciting and terrifying at the exact same time. You're googling everything, watching old crowning videos at 2 a.m., and wondering if everyone else already knows some secret you don't.