This mom had little money for prom, but she still made her kids feel like a million bucks.

In Karin Klein's Southern California community, it's not unusual for families to drop close to $1,000 on a prom dress.

Klein's family has never been one to splurge in that way. As a parent, Klein was always uncomfortable with spending money on something that might only be used once. And her kids' awareness of fashion-related environmental and human rights concerns kept the family on an tight budget.

"There were always a lot of talks [with the kids] about where we place our values," Klein says.

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The story of a couple who put their wedding on a payment plan.

They call it the 'wedding industrial complex' for a reason.

People told us our wedding would be a day we’d always remember.

Though cliché, they were right — we will always remember that day. But the question that nagged and motivated us for eight months beforehand was whether we’d remember it for the right reasons.

Photos by Jacob Murphy/Love and Wolves used with permission.

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You won’t find a happier guy than Zeke. He didn't let life's setbacks get him down.

It's easy to feel like life is a treadmill.

We're constantly working to make a living, running forward full speed. Sometimes, regardless of how hard we work, there just isn't enough money to go around. It's hard, and it's frustrating, and it can be completely consuming. When you work hard, you want to enjoy life, but access to so much is tied to being able to afford it. 

Here's one guy who's found that his bank account didn't have to determine his happiness. His memories and experiences mattered more. 

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