Hostel Prices

I've been researching prices of hostels in Europe. I'm astounded at the prices. $35 a night? I thought hostels were supposed to be CHEAP. Are there any other ways to stay in Europe that are less pricey?
I'm on a very tight budget and I've never traveled anywhere by myself before. I need all the help I can get. Any suggestions or advice for a first time traveler will garner my eternal gratitude.

Europe simply is expensive. You should be able to do a bit better than $35 for large dorms in less high-quality hostels (I see quite a few around $25 when doing a quick search in some major European cities in the accommodation booking system here at travellerspoint), but yeah, there's a noticeable difference with SE Asia or South America. (Still, $35 is really cheap compared to what you'd pay for most hotels.)
Two possible ways to cut down on costs are camping (though that's a lot of hassle), or taking lots of night trains, where you combine 'sleep' (if you can) with transport. Going outside the most popular cities might also help.

Hello,
$35 dollars a noght seems a bit high for a hostel, yet, they are not as cheap as most Americans think. I would suggest heading to Eastern Europe! Although it is not as cheap as it was say 10 years ago it is still cheaper than Western Europe. Not only are the hostels cheaper in E. Europe many also offer free internet and some offer free laundry services!For hostels the cheap I ever saw was in the Greek Isles where I found rooms for less than 10 euros.

Wow, when I spent a month in Italy and Greece, I thought $35 was super cheap compared to typical hotels in the US. Yes, you might find some camping spots that are cheaper but aren't they usually in out of the way places and you need to pay to get downtown where all the good stuff is? Or a cheaper hostel is in a bad part of town or dumpy. You need to balance cost with convenience, safety, etc. Since you have never travelled before I would suggest a lot more research to get a realistic view on the budget you really need or go with a group where you may save money by sharing.

$35 USD is about £23 about €28, just had alook at a major booking site i am seeing dorms for €16 is some major cities, what site are you using to search for hostels?

Europe is a big continent. In Berlin which is a relatively cheap city you'll easily find hostels for €13-15. In East-Europe I guess you can find cheaper. In expensive places like Oslo or Copenhagen you'll easily pay double.