When I was about twelve，I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was winter，and on that night the wind was really blowing hard.

As my mom and I headed to the restaurant from our car，a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change (零钱). My mom right away asked where they lived. They pointed to an old car in a parking lot across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car.

My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings (兄弟姐妹). But she didn't come. Later，I found out she had gone home and put all the food in our cupboards (食橱) into a few bags. Then，she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn't there when that happened，but I can only imagine the joy it brought to those people. A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done,I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for change. She was the same age as me，yet we looked so different.

Here I stood，dressed in almost new clothes，headed to eat in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister . I remember thinking that the other girl didn't have any food to eat and she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.

After painting this picture in my mind，I understood why my mom had done what she did. I will never forget what she did that night，and how she taught me one of the best lessons I ever learned.

When I found out I was moving to India, it was beyond a nightmare. It was something I couldn’t even imagine. The impression I had of India were only based upon a few summer visits to my grandparents, filled with heat, pollution and dirt. Even though I was only six years old, I know this would be a complete change from my comfortable life in Maryland.

During my first six months in India, my expectations were met almost exactly. I hated my new apartment; I missed my school and friends back in Maryland, and I was sick of all the dirty marketplaces that filled the streets of New Delhi.

After those six months were over I finally realized that I was going to be in India for a while. I knew that I had to start making the most of my new life. It was then that I became completely involved in my school. My school, the American Embassy School, was filled with international students: Europeans, Australians, Chinese, and Americans just like me. But they all welcomed me with open arms. It was amazing to be among such diverse students, who had such incredible experiences to share.

Now, when I look back at my time in India, all I can think about is how fortunate I am to have had such a wonderful experience. My move to India not only allowed me to see a completely different side of the

It's an annual argument． Do we or do we not go on holiday？ My wife says no because we have no savings to save us． I say you only live once and we work hard and what's the point if you can't go on holiday． The joy of a recession （不景气） means no argument next year---we just won't go．

Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees， we should be grateful． For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday． A YouGov survey of 2， 000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money． A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples．

Kim Stephenson， an occupational psychologist， believes money may be different things to men and women． "People can say the same things about money but have different ideas of what it's for．" he explains． "They'll say it's to save， to spend， for security， for freedom， to show someone you love them．" He says men are more likely to see money as a way of buying status and of showing their parents that they've achieved something．

"The biggest problem is that couples assume each other know what's going on with their finances， but they don't． There seems to be more of a taboo （禁忌） about talking about money than about death． But you both need to know what you're doing， who's paying what into the joint account and how much you keep separately． In a healthy relationship， you don't have to agree about money， but you have to talk about it．"