When you think of money, do you feel like living in the moment and being responsible are mutually exclusive (互相排斥)? Does guilt eat at you when you go out for a big dinner? You don’t have to think or feel this way, thanks to a flexible personal finance approach called conscious spending.

“Unlike a budget, which looks backward, a conscious spending plan allows you to look forward,” said Ramit Sethi, author of best-selling I Will Teach You to Be Rich. “Conscious spending is all about spending extravagantly (挥霍地) on the things you love, as long as you cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t. It’s not about restriction. It’s about being intentional with your money, and then spending on the things you love guilt-free.”

“The term ‘conscious spending’ implies that people experience unconscious spending,” said Bradley Klontz, a financial psychologist at Creighton University. “It’s almost like unconscious eating,” he said. “We’re just without a plan. We’re not really paying much attention, especially when using credit cards.”

What’s most important in avoiding unconscious spending is asking yourself specific questions about your financial goals and life desires: What do I love spending money on and why? How much do I need for fixed expenses, such as bills and rent? How much do I want to set aside for impulse (冲动) buys or charges, such as drinks with a friend?

Your answers to these questions make up your life and financial goals that are unique to you. A personal example: I recently decided that on workdays, I’d drink the office complimentary instant coffee instead of spending several dollars on lattes a few times per week. Weekends would be when I allow myself to indulge(沉迷)at coffee shops with friends. I made this decision because on weekdays, needing more energy was my only reason for wanting coffee—whereas enjoying better coffee and quality time at my favourite coffee shops on the weekends was more important to me. In this way, I get what I want out of my coffee-drinking by consciously focusing on what’s most valuable to me, rather than restricting all coffee purchases.

How to Get More Time in a Day

Do you feel like there are never enough hours in a day? Are you always behind on your tasks? If so, here are some tips to help you take control of your time.

【小题1】 Writing down the things you need to get done removes the stress of trying to keep track of them mentally. What’s more, it will be easier to make a plan to address your tasks.

When making your to-do list, be aware of unrealistic expectations. If your list is too long, you’ll feel discouraged when you can’t get through it. 【小题2】 Decide what absolutely needs to be done that day and what can be put off to the next. Chances are that putting some duties off to the near future won’t bring any serious consequences.

Once you have your list, attack it one item at a time. Many people believe that performing multiple tasks simultaneously (同时地) saves time, but in truth multitasking takes 30 percent longer than doing things one by one.【小题3】

The next step is to find ways to use time more wisely. Plenty of time each day is spent texting or emailing, so imagine how much time we’d save if we just called people instead.【小题4】     It’s faster than typing, and it’s often easier to grasp someone’s meaning when we can hear their voice.

At the end of the day, it’s important to give your mind and body a chance to rest. Take breaks to stop, breathe, and clear your thoughts, and don’t let mounting duties prevent you from getting enough sleep.【小题5】

Some Easy Designer-Approved Tips to Transition Your Home for Fall

【小题1】 when it comes to seasonal transitions. In order to reduce spending, we turned to the experts to ask some small, cost-effective ways.

【小题2】

Xander Shreenan, interior designer noted that “small updates can often have the biggest impact in a space, as you can experiment with colors, textures, and patterns” on a smaller scale. One of the best ways of doing this is with preserved and dried fallen leaves.

Bring the outside in

Once it is officially too cold to hang out outside, moving indoors for the rest of the season doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some greenery. 【小题3】 when you can’t spend as much time outside. They’re the perfect mate to keep inside during the winter days, because along with boosting your mental health, they really add an extra element to the space.

See the transition as a form of self-care

If you’re really looking to cut costs, Lucy also noted that making a project out of your decoration plan can be an excellent form of self-care. “When it comes to autumn decoration, I tend to work on projects such as upholstering (家居装饰) and making soft furnishings for the home in my spare time. There’s something about working with materials that is quite comforting in the cooler months.”【小题4】 .

Consider your other senses

Transitioning your home into autumn mode doesn’t just need to be visual. 【小题5】. “The impact that a scent has on somebody when they walk into your home is the starting point to any fall transition,” Xander told us. “I think a crisp fall scent is the perfect way to tell somebody you took the effort to make your space match with the season.”