Significant other going into the military..

[VandalSquirrel]

If it comes down to a ring and no set date (because you don't have the money for deposits and a wedding due to a ring purchase) a ring isn't required. Lots of people never get engagement rings, or you could select something less expensive, such as a birth stone, so you can have both. The engagement ring isn't the be all end all, and it doesn't matter if all you have is a ring and no wedding or marriage because you're broke. I didn't wear my ring most of my engagement and it didn't make me any less engaged as we had set dates and planned a wedding before moving in together.