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Do you prefer to save money or spend money?

As a student, saving money is a priority for me, so I do exercise restraint, particularly in clothing and entertainment purchases, capitalizing on the perpetual warm climate that allows for simple attire like T-shirts and shorts to be worn.

Once in a while, I’ll treat myself to a nice dinner, and when it comes to buying books, as I enjoy reading, I adhere to a self-imposed rule: acquiring only one or two at a time and ensuring their completion before purchasing more.

Thus, while I allocate my finances to meet my needs, such as rent and food and lean towards a prudent approach to managing my finances, I suppose I could say I also enjoy being able to buy what I want, but alas, I know I must also save, and place that as my priority.

• priority 优先事项
• exercise restraint 克制自己
• capitalizing on 利用
• perpetual 永久的
• treat myslf to 用……来奖励自己
• adhere to 遵守
• a self-imposed rule 自定的规则
• acquire 获得
• ensure 确保
• completion 完成
• allocate ... to 分配给
• meet my needs 满足我的需求
• lean towards 倾向于
• prudent 谨慎的

How do you save money?

I guess one of the most effective methods I employ is to restrain impulsive purchases, so I have what I call a 'cool-down' period. When tempted to make a purchase, I remind myself to wait a week before buying it, particularly if it’s an expensive item. Surprisingly, most of the time, the desire for the item diminishes within a few days.

This approach significantly reduces impulse buying and can contribute to substantial savings over time. Additionally, I make it a point to keep so-called expense funds on my phone, and the remainder in the bank, so a mental red flag will pop up if a purchase requires me to dive into my savings. This way I am forced to really question myself as to whether I really need the item or not.

• restrain 约束
• impulsive purchases 冲动购买
• cool-down period 冷静期
• tempted to 受到诱惑
• diminish 减少；降低
• significantly reduce 大幅减少
• impulse buying 冲动购买
• substantial 可观的
• remainder 剩余
• red flag 警示信号
• dive into my savings 动用储蓄
• question myself as to whether 质问自己是否……

What do you think about payment apps or mobile payments?

Oh, I think they’re great. Payment apps and mobile payments have revolutionized the way we manage our finances. Gone are the days of standing in bank queues or hunting for ATMs in order to transfer or withdraw money. With just a few taps on the phone, we can effortlessly make transactions anytime and anywhere. It's incredibly convenient and time-saving.

However, I've noticed a downside – the ease of digital payments can lead to impulse buying and overspending. Without physically handing over cash, it's easy to lose track of expenses and succumb to frivolous spending. Despite this drawback, I appreciate the convenience and efficiency that payment apps offer us.

• revolutionized the way 革新了……的方式
• gone are the days of 已经不存在了
• queues 排队
• hunt for 搜寻
• effortlessly 毫不费力
• transactions 交易
• incredibly convenient 极其方便
• time-saving 省时的
• a downside 一个不利的方面
• digital payments 数字支付
• overspending 过度消费
• handing over cash 给现金
• succumb to 屈服于
• frivolous spending 乱花钱

Do you think cash will still be popular in the future?

No, absolutely not. I firmly believe that we are living in the end days of cash and that it will soon become obsolete, especially in China where digital payments reign supreme.

Personally, I can't recall the last time I used cash in China while shopping. Whether in bustling cities or small towns, mobile payments have become ubiquitous in people’s daily life. From swiping my phone at big shopping malls to settling bills at mom-and-pop stores, cashless transactions have become the norm.

In other countries though, I think they will take longer to reach the same point as we have in China, for example, even in Singapore and Australia, many people still rely on cash and is still quite prevalent. I know in Western countries, they prefer to use their debit card rather than using digital payment apps, but eventually they too will become digitalized, I’m sure.

• living in the end days of 末日
• obsolete 过时
• reign supreme 盛行
• bustling 繁华的
• mobile payments 移动支付
• ubiquitous 无处不在
• swipe 刷（卡）
• settle bills 结账
• mom-and-pop stores 小店
• cashless transactions 无现金交易
• the norm 普遍
• rely on 依赖
• prevalent 普遍现象；正常
• debit card 信用卡
• digitalized 数字化