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"Paul and I were fresh out of college when I caught the engagement bug, but his entry-level job and mountain of college debt weren&amp;amp;#8217;t exactly adding up to a diamond ring. If your boyfriend is similarly broke, here&amp;amp;#8217;s what you can do to get engaged now. Put your own money toward a ring. By the time Paul and I were a year out of college, he said the only reason he wasn&amp;amp;#8217;t proposing was that he couldn&amp;amp;#8217;t afford a ring. So I offered to contribute. What did I care whose bank account funded the ring? It was all going to be the same money soon anyway! Paul was too proud for that. Luckily, I was able to take on paying our entire monthly rent for the apartment we shared without Paul protesting. He saved much more quickly after that. See if he can use a family heirloom. My mom inherited my Aunt May&amp;#x27;s engagement ring when she passed away. (It wasn&amp;#x27;t even the one her husband gave her. She bought it at a flea market!) It is seriously the most stunning ring I&amp;amp;#8217;ve ever had the privilege of seeing in person--a big, round diamond with a four-prong setting that gives the stone a more square shape with micropave diamonds on either side. My mom didn&amp;amp;#8217;t really want to part with it, but I think if Paul asked her (and maybe begged a little), she would have given it to him to give to me. Tell him you don&amp;amp;#8217;t need a ring right now. When Paul and I were in 10th grade, double-heart rings were all the rage. All the girls in long-term relationships had them (well at least the ones with boyfriends who had wealthy parents). I wanted Paul to give me one so badly, but $100 was a mighty big expense for a 15-year-old. So he fashioned one out of paper clips for me to wear until he could afford the real thing. I wish I was more appreciative of his gesture then because looking back on that, it was the sweetest thing in the world. I&amp;amp;#8217;m not suggesting that you ask your man for an office-supply substitute ring, but a small token of affection with a heartfelt proposal may be all you want right now. The ring can come later. Skip the engagement ring tradition altogether. Maybe you don&amp;amp;#8217;t need a ring now--or ever! If your guy doesn&amp;amp;#8217;t know that, tell him. That proposal could come a lot sooner if he knows you don&amp;amp;#8217;t need a piece of jewelry to accept his offer to marry you. Get a new boyfriend. JK, JK. Would you be willing to contribute to your own ring purchase? What about accepting a faux diamond or other small gift for now and getting a real diamond when your guy can afford one? Anyone out there willing to forgo an engagement ring now and forever? More Ways to Get a Proposal Faster Go on a Trip! Live Together! Take Him to a Wedding! More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: Jupiterimages"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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