Money Under 30 will host the 208th Carnival of Personal Finance here next Monday, June 8, 2009. If you would like to participate, don’t forget to read the submission guidelines and submit your post before Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. [...]

Getting married? The engagement ring and wedding rings you select for your fiancée and yourself will be symbols of your love and commitment for the rest of your life. Of course, the diamond industry knows this and does a brilliant job coercing us to spend a small fortune on engagement rings. Although quality engagement rings and wedding bands (like all fine jewelery) comes at a cost, there is no reason you should pay what the mainstream jewelry industry asks you to pay for these rings. It is very possible to save money on an engagement ring. [...]

There’s a new national bank that now offers online high yield savings account options. Last month, GMAC Bank re-branded itself as Ally Bank. And, when Ally Bank re-launched, the bank unveiled several new online savings account options that provide great high rates, including a online savings account that requires no minimum opening deposit or minimum balance and a no penalty nine month CD . [...]

The average American wedding costs almost $29,000, according to The Wedding Report, a market research publication. $29,000! That money could buy a nice new car or be a 20% down payment on a $145,000 home. It’s also more than many Americans earn in a year. How do wedding costs get so out-of-hand? And what can you do to keep costs down when it’s your turn to tie the knot? I’m getting hitched in less than three months, so I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit. Here’s what I’ve found. [...]

One of the most common questions I get from readers (and curious acquaintances) is how much money should I have saved by 30? (Or by 25, 22, etc.) Of course, it’s always seemed to me to be a silly question, because everybody has totally unique financial, lifestyle, and career situations. Still, everybody loves benchmarks, so let’s try to find some. [...]