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Testimony from Akaya: My husband and I got married in September of 2014. He proposed in June, so we had just three months to plan and pay for our wedding. My husband bought me a gorgeous engagement ring, we had a wedding with around 300 guests, and then we flew out the next morning to embark upon an exotic honeymoon adventure. And… we managed to do it all without borrowing money! How did we do it? 1. We set aside our tax refund. My husband allocated the majority of his unusually large income tax refund in order to pay for my engagement ring and wedding band. 2. We embraced DIY For our wedding, I browsed etsy.com to look for ideas that I liked. Then I showed those ideas to some of my creative friends, and they re-created them for me. One dear friend handmade all of the bouquets for my bridesmaids and me! I also decided to personally hand-make all of the party favors for our guests. 3. We shopped sales. I purchased my wedding gown for $100 at a wedding dress clearance sale. Some stores have these bi-annually, so I took advantage of it (just days after my husband proposed!) 4. We accepted help. Even though we didn't expect our parents to pay for our wedding, they certainly chipped in and helped us in a big way. We received just over $2,000 from our parents. We had other friends jump in and help in huge ways, too. One friend made our wedding cakes, one made and served punch, and yet another planned out the details of our wedding for us. We even had one family member pay for our hotel stay for our honeymoon. We initially planned to take a short domestic trip, in order to stay out of debt, but ended up going on an exotic honeymoon adventure to the Riviera Maya, and only had to pay for our flights and food! 5. Skipped what wasn't necessary We identified some wedding planning traditions that weren't necessary for us. One of those was formal invitations. We had what I called an "open invitation wedding". If you knew us and wanted to be there, you were welcome! We invited friends on Facebook, and printed 4" x 6" photo invitations through Shutterfly to hand out to friends at church. 6. We remembered what was most important. The most important things we wanted to remember were that we were joining in holy matrimony, and that our friends and family wanted to celebrate with us. So we took time to intentionally be thankful to the Lord and to our friends and family for this occasion. Akaya is happily married to her husband, Lee, and the couple resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with their dog Joy. Akaya enjoys public speaking, writing, and hiking, and she is currently pursuing a master's degree in communication. Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.
 
As you well know, our family has become big fans of You Need a Budget over the past year. YNAB aims to be a different kind of budgeting software — one that will help you break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, get out of debt and save money, and ultimately help you live the kind of life you want. When I shared earlier last year about how much we love this software, I was so happy to hear how many of you also loved YNAB. We recently partnered with YNAB to offer $100 Amazon gift cards to the top success stories we received from readers about how YNAB has changed your life. We received so many wonderful success stories and it was hard to choose just a few to share here! Thank you to everyone who submitted entries! Here's the final winning post… How a budget has helped us survive a challenging and unusual financial situation Guest post written by Katie When my husband and I were married in 2012, a relative gifted us with a copy of YNAB's budgeting software as a wedding present. At the time, we were both working low-paying jobs and living in a high cost of living area, so managing our finances was a priority. We jumped right into YNAB and immediately fell in love! Though our income was low and our financial goals modest, following YNAB's rules helped us devise a budget and stick to it in the early days of our marriage. Six months after our wedding, my husband quit his job to pursue a master's degree full-time in a more lucrative field. This would involve us living on my salary alone. Since YNAB had already taught us to plan for the future while living below our means, this transition wasn't as jarring as it might have been. YNAB allowed us to "roll with the punches" – adjusting our budget to fit our new circumstances. A little over a year into my husband's studies, we faced another major (but welcome!) change: the birth of our first child. Since me staying home to raise our child is a non-negotiable for us (and most of my income would have gone to pay for daycare anyway), we decided I would quit my job and we would live for the remaining two years of the program on some savings and the student loans my husband receives through his school. This meant incurring more debt, since the loans would now cover living expenses as well as tuition. Though this was less than ideal, ultimately we were confident it was the best path for our family in the long term. We weren't thrilled with the idea of going into more debt, but felt comfortable with it as a temporary situation, as my husband would soon be employed in a profitable job in a thriving field, allowing us to repay the debt quickly after graduation. Initially, I was skeptical of how much YNAB could help us navigate our new financial situation. Wasn't budgeting for people who were actually, um, making money? Or saving for a house or a car or a vacation – all things that were not in the cards for us at that point? I soon realized, though, that we needed YNAB more than ever. Since our loan disbursements are paid out at the beginning of each semester, we receive a check for a lump sum three times per year. That money must last until the next check arrives. After playing around with YNAB, I couldn't find a way to make the software truly work well with our situation. Curious, I signed up for one of YNAB's (free!) online classes, called "Dealing with Different Pay Cycles". A light bulb switched on for me. The instructor demonstrated exactly how to handle an irregular or "lump sum" income, patiently guiding me through how to set up YNAB to defer part of our student loan money to each month we need it to cover, so we are never scrounging to make ends meet at the end of a semester. Now, when a student loan check arrives, we use YNAB to divide it up among the months it must cover, budget for our expenses within each of those months, and then sit back and (mostly!) don't worry about whether we'll have enough to last us the rest of the semester. YNAB has been especially helpful because once we deposit that student loan check, it is extremely tempting to see that high dollar amount in the bank and assume we can spend spend spend. Of course, then we would reach the end of the semester and be barely scraping by until the next installment arrived! Here's where YNAB comes in: it allows us to take that loan money, budget it out across the timeframe we need it to cover, follow our budget, and not obsess over a bank account balance. For us, YNAB has been a tremendous blessing in this challenging season of our lives. I could go on and on listing the features I love about YNAB, but three in particular stand out to me: 1. It's simple. The interface is clean and pretty; the features are intuitive and user-friendly. Plus, any questions I have had have been immediately answered by YNAB's top-notch customer service or the super helpful community of users on the online forum. 2. It looks forward, not backward. YNAB isn't a vicious circle of recording expenses/grumbling about how much we overspent/vowing to underspend next month/repeat. YNAB forces us to look ahead, plan for the future, and address overspending as it happens, when it happens. 3. It doesn't sync with our bank accounts. That's a good thing! YNAB requires us to manually enter our transactions and assign each one to a category. While this means more grunt work upfront, it forces us to take stock of how much we're spending and where. Sitting down every week to enter in data has allowed us to see where we're succeeding (we came in under budget on groceries this month!) and where we're struggling (I spent HOW MUCH at Target last weekend?). While the path we have chosen may not be for everyone, YNAB has allowed us to take control of a challenging financial situation. It has made it feasible for my husband to pursue a career he enjoys and that will provide well for our family in the future, while I stay home with our now two children. Sticking to a budget has been financially freeing rather than restrictive. Now, just a few months shy of my husband's graduation, we look forward to using YNAB as we work to pay off debt and build our savings. Our YNAB subscription wasn't the most conventional or romantic wedding gift we received, but it is certainly the most useful, the one we use the most often, and the one that has paid the most dividends!
Katie is a Canadian transplant to the U.S. She lives in northeastern Ohio, where she chases her two children, reads, binge-watches Netflix, and reheats the same cup of coffee over and over. 
This post is underwritten by YNAB. Read our disclosure policy here.  
DaySpring currently has six of their popular friendship gifts marked down to $5 each shipped! Choose from the following: I really love the journals and magnets! These are so great to buy in bulk and put away as gifts for later. 
If you log-in to your DaySpring account (as opposed to checking out as a guest), you should be able to get free shipping on a sale purchase under $15. I just tried, and it worked for me! Otherwise, you can get free shipping on orders over $50. Valid through April 10, 2016.   Today's questions is from Colleen:
Lately I have been struggling to find good deals on car tires and patio furniture replacement cushions. Any ideas on how to save money on either? Thanks!
Do you have a question you'd like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.  
Woo Hoo! If you missed it last time, this popular deal is back! Amazon just dropped the price on the Dear Mr. Knightley eBook down to $1.99! This was one of my top 10 reads from 2015! Ever read a book that you just don't want to end and when you finish it, you want to meet the characters in real-life? That was this book for me. It's also a beautiful story of healing and redemption, and of how to love and reach out to hurting people. Thanks, Snail Pace Transformations!  
Have you signed up for Ibotta yet? It’s one of my favorite money-making apps, and it's a great way to save money on groceries and more—without clipping coupons! You can download the Ibotta app to get started. Ibotta added new cash back offers today — for Seventh Generation, Hefty, Scrubbing Bubbles, Glade, and more! Check them out here. What is Ibotta? Ibotta helps you save money on the brands you love by offering cash back on your purchases. Here’s how it works: ::Sign up for iBotta and download the free app. ::Choose any of the products that you plan to buy at the store and click on the earning opportunities and watch the videos, take the quick surveys, or read the information to add the cash to your account. ::Purchase the product at an approved retailer (make sure you're buying it when it's on a great sale and using a coupon, too!) ::Take a picture of your receipt when you get home and your cash will be added to your account. ::You can transfer your cash to your Paypal account whenever you want to cash out.
 
Order a 1 year subscription to Weight Watchers magazine for only $4.95 (you can order up to 4 years at this price!) with code MONEYSAVING at checkout. This is the perfect magazine to help you with any weight loss goals that you have! This magazine can also be a great source of unique coupons from time to time. 
About Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers Magazine is the perfect companion for women or men who are dedicated to their health and fitness goals. Issues of Weight Watchers provide great quick-recipe ideas, seven-day menu plans, exercise tips, and other great health and lifestyle advice that can help the reader stay on track. Weight Watchers Magazine brings many inspirational stories from Weight Watchers members that will be sure to keep motivation high. Whether already enrolled in a weight loss program or simply trying to maintain current fitness, Weight Watchers is a valuable tool for success. This offer expires on tomorrow night (April 7th, 2016) at midnight EST. (Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)  
You can get a super hot deal on small kitchen appliances at Kohl’s right now. Here’s how: Add 4 Kitchen Appliances priced at $14.99 to your cart
Use coupon code IRISHLUCK at checkout to get 15% off
Pay $50.96 out of pocket
Shipping is free on orders over $50
Submit for 4 $10 mail-in-rebates
Get $10 in Kohl’s Cash for spending $50
It’s like paying $0.24 each after sale, coupon code, rebates, and Kohl’s cash
Thanks, SwagGrabber!  
You can get free Finesse hair care at Walgreens right now: Buy 1 Finesse Hair Care at $2.99, Get 2,000 Balance Rewards Points
Use $1/1 Checkout 51 rebate
Free after points and rebate
Thanks, For The Mommas!  
Here are some of the best deals at Target this week, with thanks to Passionate Penny Pincher for her help in compiling them:
Seventh Generation Trial Size Laundry Detergent (5 ld) – $2.99
Use $2/1 printable
Use 50% off Cartwheel
Submit for $2/1 MobiSave Rebate
Free plus $2 moneymaker coupons and rebate Airbourne Tablets Travel Size – $0.99
Use $1/1 printable
Free after coupon Buy 10 Items, Get $5 Gift Card *Deal Idea*
Buy 6 Old El Paso Green Chiles – $1.04
Buy 4 Old El Paso Refried Beans – $1.29
Use $1/3 printable
Use $0.50/1 printable
Pay $7.40 out of pocket, Get $5 Gift Card
$0.24 each after coupon and gift card
Ortega Seasoning – $0.77
Use $1/2 coupon from the 1/24 SmartSource insert
$0.27 after coupon Dannon Crunch Yogurt – $1.14
Use $1/3 coupon from the 2/28 SmartSource insert
Use 50% Cartwheel
$0.24 each after coupon Barilla Pronto Pasta – $1.27
Use $0.55/1 printable
Use 30% Cartwheel
$0.34 each after coupons Seventh Generation Dish Liquid – $2.99
Use $1/1 printable
Use 5% Cartwheel
Submit for $1/1 Ibotta rebate
Submit for $0.40/1 MobiSave rebate
$0.44 after coupons and rebates Old El Paso Seasoning – $0.82
Use $1/3 printable
$0.49 after coupon Buy 2 Charmin Bath Tissue, 8 Mega Plus or 16 Double-Plus Rolls – $9.99, Get $5 Gift Card
Use $0.50/1 printable
Pay $18.98 out of pocket, Get $5 Gift Card
$6.99 each after coupon and gift card See the full list of deals at Target this week here.
 Did you find a great deal at Target? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Target deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Target deals post will be deleted.
 
Here are some of this week’s best grocery & household deals from Amazon.com, courtesy of Terry and Mandi from Jungle Deals & Steals. Many of these prices are higher than what you'd pay by combining coupons with sales, but they may be good deals for you if you live where there aren't many stores or deals are scarce: Baby Food & Formula Diapers/Wipes Health & Beauty Household Pantry Staples - Farmers Market Organic: Stock up on Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin (15-ounce cans) for as low as $1.35 each ($16.22 for the pack of 12) when you purchase through Subscribe & Save
- Viva Labs Organic: Get a great deal right now on Viva Labs Organic Chia Seeds – as low as $8.75 for the 2-pound bag when you purchase through Subscribe & Save.
Terry & Mandi are a busy mother-daughter team that. look for ways to save money without sacrificing a lot of time, and they share their love for all things Amazon.com at Jungle Deals & Steals.  
As you know, I recently traveled to Italy and Israel on a 10-day trip. And I only brought a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. I wasn’t sure that I could manage to just take a carry-on. But I hate checking luggage. Maybe it’s part of my control issues? Or maybe it’s that I lost my contacts and medicine and glasses on the trip to South Africa? {Yes, I’m a bit paranoid about losing luggage after that experience!} I also love a good challenge. So I decided to plan ahead, research out what I should bring, and then make it my personal goal to pack everything in a carry-on and a backpack. 
How I Did It I knew that we were going to need some dressier options, but that we were also going to be doing a lot of walking. I also wasn’t for sure what was going to be appropriate attire — whether people would be dressed up or more casual. I also knew that the temperature was going to be fluctuating quite a bit, we’d be outside a lot, and we would be gone from our hotels for long stretches of time. I also knew that we’d need outfits for during the day and then dressier outfits for the dinners at night. With this in mind, I brought a lot of mix and match outfits — almost all that had multiple layering options. All totaled, I had around 16 outfit options. And I was so glad I had that many options, since I ended up wearing almost every single one… and I even repeated a few outfit in the evenings! 
What I Packed 2 pairs of jeans (1 dressier, 1 more casual — I’m a huge fan of jeans from Stitch Fix.)
1 pair of slacks
1 denim tunic-type dress
5 pairs of leggings (to wear with longer shirts and under knit dresses)
3 knit dresses (I got mine from Stitch Fix, but they are sort of like these.)
1 cardigan
5 long-sleeved knit shirts (I got a few of these in different colors. They are so comfortable and cute!)
4 short-sleeved knit shirts
2 tank tops
2 camis
1 long black skirt
1 black dress
2 shorter skirts
1 sweatshirt
1 pair of shorts
1 tankini top/shorts — for the Dead Sea
1 leather jacket
PJs
4 scarves
5 pairs of shoes (Toms, dressier flats, Sketchers — I love these!, flip-flops, and KEEN sandals)
socks/underthings
curling iron/brush
jewelry
small purse-like backpack (so I didn’t have to lug around my big backpack most of the time!) In my backpack (here’s the backpack I have), I brought 4 books, my computer, my chargers/adaptors, make-up, contacts, hair/face stuff, an umbrella, sunglasses, sunscreen, medicines, essential oils, and my journal/Bible/notebook. What I Didn’t End Up Needing I ended up wearing everything I brought except the one black dress I brought, two knit skirts, and the Keen sandals. Here’s why: - The night we were supposed to dress up, I opted for a black skirt and nicer shirt instead of the black dress I had brought. We went to the Wailing Wall that night, it was cold, and we had to do quite a bit of walking, so I thought it was a better option since the skirt was longer and more comfortable.
- It was colder than I thought it was going to be, so two knit skirts I brought just didn’t work for the weather. I could have worn leggings underneath them, but they weren’t really the kind of skirts that worked with leggings.
- Because it was colder than I expected, I opted for my Sketchers instead of Keens on all of the days where we did a lot of walking. I was so happy I had “splurged” and brought 5 pairs of shoes because it was so nice to have multiple comfy options when we were on our feet and walking so much of the time!
What I Wished I Had Packed The biggest thing I wish I would have brought was at least a few snacks. Granola bars, trail mix, or something like that. There were a few times when I was really hungry when I wished I had packed a few snacks. Also, we did a LOT of walking, so most nights, my clothes were sweaty and I ended up hand-washing most of them and then hanging them in the bathroom to dry (that way, I wasn’t putting sweaty clothes back into my suitcase and could also re-wear the items later in the trip, if need be). I found that hand-washing worked okay for most things, but I wished I had brought actual detergent instead of trying to just use bar soap or body wash that the hotel had on hand. It wasn’t as effective and it didn’t get all of the sweat smell out of everything. But other than snacks and laundry detergent, there weren’t any other items that I really wished that I had brought. Which I was shocked by — especially since I felt like I had packed quite light and was sure I had forgotten something! 
All in all, the decision to only bring a carry-on and backpack was a huge success and I’m so glad I decided to challenge myself to make it happen! I know that many people have traveled for much longer time periods with less stuff, but I am happy that I brought what I did and ended up using almost every single item that I brought. I’ll definitely be packing in a similar manner on future international trips! What are your best tips for traveling light? I’d love to hear! Related posts: 10 Things You Should Bring on Long Flights With Young Kids & Our Super Simple Method for Packing Our Kid’s Clothes for Trips
 
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