$28,000. That’s 20 percent down on a $140,000 house. A brand new car. Tuition and fees at a private, four-year college. It’s also the cost of the average American wedding. Gulp. While many hopeful couples start out with plans to buck the trend and keep the wedding small, by the time they walk down the aisle, most will have paid a cool $28K. Tracy DiNunzio, founder of Recycled Bride, hopes to change that, saving couples money and making the big day more eco-friendly: Recycled Bride is a free marketplace for eco-savvy brides and their friends. Members recycle everything from designer wedding gowns to table decorations, bridesmaids dresses, shoes, and even wedding gifts. If you have ever been part of a wedding, or plan to be, buying and selling on Recycled Bride helps minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your budget. Recycled Bride connects buyers and sellers in 12 different categories of wedding-related items, and best of all, it’s free. Think Craigslist–the wedding edition. Consider how many wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, accessories, and decorations are used once and tossed away. Marrieds-to-be can shop for these items online, doing their bank accounts and the environment a favor. Best of all, after the nuptials they can resell their items to other engaged couples, further reducing the cost of the wedding. So what do you think, readers? Would you consider shopping an eco-resale marketplace for your wedding?

Ever experienced bill shock? Cell phone service providers charge some hefty prices when you exceed your cell phone minutes. Most companies charge up to $.45 per minute in overage charges, which quickly add up. What’s worse, you might not even be aware that you’ve exceeded your limit, especially if more than one person is on your plan. So why is it that a carrier can’t send a simple text message to warn you that you are dangerously close to a sky-high cell phone bill? It seems there isn’t a good reason why they can’t.

You already use your smartphone for personal finance software: to check your bank balances, your e-mail, and to update your Facebook status, but what about using it to cash a check? Turns out, if you’re a customer of USAA or JPMorgan Chase, you have one less reason to have to stop by the bank.

Do you know when to tip and how much? Sometimes it’s a no-brainer when to leave a tip–like, say, when there’s a jar with the word “tips” written on it. Pretty obvious, right? But what about all of those other times? How much should you leave for housekeeping when staying at a hotel? Are you supposed to leave something for a manicurist? Sometimes it’s hard to figure out who to tip and how much to leave. Why leave a tip? Besides being a gesture of appreciation for a job well-done or for excellent customer service, tipping also creates a relationship.