How do money problems influence our social life? Do we simply stop going out and enjoying ourselves? And, if we do stop going out, are there any other ways to party?

Last Christmas, Yorkshire Bank, UK did a survey to see how people were planning to celebrate the festive season when they had not much money to spend. They found that eight out of ten Britons preferred an invitation to a house party to a night out in a bar or club.

So, the question is, how can we throw a party without spending all our money? Easy just read our “hot tips”:

Hot Tip #1 — Careful planning

“It’s all in the planning,” claim party experts. If you plan the number of guests and the menu with prices in mind, it won’t be expensive. Remember, less is more — the fewer guests you invite the lower your costs will be. Equally, if you hold the party in your own home, if you buy a few candles and simple decorations, you’ll be able to create a bar scene in your own front room.

Hot Tip #2 — Shop intelligently

One of the biggest costs is the food and drink. If you shop efficiently, you will spend less money on them. In big supermarkets, you often have “three for the price of two” food offers. You can also pick up alcohol (酒), people won’t require a three course meal — a simple spread of crisps, olives and dips (调味酱).

Hot Tip #3一Caring is sharing

Don’t be scared to ask your guests to bring something. If you invite close friends, they’ll be happy to contribute. For example, you could ask someone to bring some snacks and someone else to bring cups. After all, the idea is to get your nearest and dearest together in honour of friendship and good times.

So what are you waiting for? Find an excuse to celebrate and start sending out those invitations. But remember, save yourself some money, get creative and don’t do everything yourself.

Everyone has worries. How do you deal with your worries? There is always something you can do to help yourself feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it won’t solve your problems.

Grades at school are often a top worry for children. If you worry most about grades, ask yourself these questions:

● Why are grades important? What do grades mean to me?

● How do I get ready for class? Do I go over my notes even when there isn't a test?

● Do I have a good place to do my homework?

● Have I tried different ways of studying?

If your worry is about a fight you had with your friend, you might write down all the things you could do, write a note to him or her, invite him or her to watch a basketball game, say sorry to him or her and so on. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose one thing that could get your friend back.

You can ask for help when you’re worried. You can find someone to talk to, such as your parents, friends, and teachers.

As we all know, learning a foreign language well is very important for us. Here is some advice to help you learn a foreign language.

◆ Spend the time

   The more time you spend, the faster you’ll learn the language. This doesn’t mean sitting in class looking out of the window, nor listening to other students who don’t speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works. This means spending time on things that are connected to the language you’re learning.

◆ Listen and read every day

   Listen and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading, you’ll get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than many hours of class time.

◆ Pay attention to words and phrases

   Remember words as many as you can, because you’ll need lots of them. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online and use online dictionaries. Step by step you’ll be able to use them.

◆ Be responsible for your own learning

   Don’t wait for someone else to show you the language or to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up.

◆ Relax and enjoy yourself

   Don’t worry about what you can’t remember, or can’t yet understand, or can’t yet say. The language will become clearer in your brain step by step. So enjoy it.