The Daily Money

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Fri May 3 2024

Betty Lin-Fisher | Consumer reporter

@blinfisher

Good morning and Happy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher with Friday's consumer-focused The Daily Money.

My husband and I are about to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary later this month. I know I sound old, but weddings these days aren't the same as they were when we got married!

The trends of destination weddings and now destination bachelorette and bachelor parties has completely changed wedding budgets – and not just for the bride and groom.

Friends are being asked to spend a lot of money to particpate in or attend wedding festivities.

In particular, bridesmaids costs have exploded in the last 10 years, costing some bridesmaids thousands of dollars.

In my latest Uncomfortable Conversations About Money story, I share the dilemma my niece found herself in when she was in a destination wedding with 13 bridesmaids and had to travel to two more states for the bridal shower and a four-day bachelorette party.

USA TODAY subscribers can get an early sneak peek today at the story, which also has advice from a wedding industry expert. The story and video will be available to all readers on Sunday.

Being a bridesmaid can really add up, especially when you add on destination weddings and destination bachelorette parties.

digitalskillet, Getty Images

Will short-term rentals in Hawaii be banned?

If you rely on AirBnB or VRBO for your Hawaiian vacations – or if you own a short-term vacation rental – you may have to change your plans.

A bill to reshape vacation rental regulation and phase out short-term rentals across the state passed the Senate and the House on Wednesday and now awaits Hawaii Gov. Josh Green's signature – who already promised to sign it if it hits his desk, my colleague Kathleen Wong reports.

If signed, the new law will go into effect on July 1.

📰 Consumer stories you shouldn't miss 📰

•	Just say no to those "extras" the car dealership tries to sell you, according to this Consumer Reports story.
•	Some iPhone users are sleeping through alarms. Change this setting.
•	Can you get a refund if your airplane seat-back screen doesn't work?
•	Want the best high-yield savings account? It may not be at a brick-and-mortar bank.
•	Here's some easy ways to digitize your old photos (I found PhotoScan a few months ago and it works great, especially getting rid of the glare from glossy photos.)

📰 A great read 📰

Finally, here's a popular story from earlier this year that you may have missed. Feel free to share it.

Tired of waiting in the self-checkout line with a bunch of things in your hands while someone in front of you is scanning a cart-load of items? Target and other retailers are starting to limit how many items you can bring to the self-checkout lane.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.