You've just gotten a new job! That means you'll be earning a bit more — so you go out to celebrate and buy yourself that nice car you've been looking at.

Or perhaps you've finally finished paying off your mortgage, so you let yourself eat at restaurants more often, and start getting a nicer coffee on the way to work every day.

Then you look at your bank account and wonder where all the money went!

Something called "lifestyle creep" might be to blame.

Lifestyle creep, also called "lifestyle inflation," is when you find yourself with some more money — for example, after getting a new job or paying off a mortgage — but then spend more as a result.

You find a new lifestyle creeping up on you like a monster from behind the sofa!

It's easy to do: you feel you've earned the right to enjoy yourself and treat yourself to some small luxuries.

But experts warn that this can quickly get in the way of your financial goals — if you're saving for retirement, for example.

And if you get used to the changes you've made to your lifestyle, you could even end up in a worse position than you were in before.

Of course, we all need to treat ourselves from time to time. But if you find you're not saving any more even as your income has increased, that may be a sign that you need to make a change, according to finance expert Robin Aiken.

The trick is to stick to a budget, even as you begin to earn more.

You can still enjoy nice things, says financial planner Paco de Leon, but try to avoid too much impulse buying — that's buying something without giving it much thought.

With some smart saving, you can make that extra income go a long way — and keep the monster behind the sofa!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Spend and Save: How to Beat 'Lifestyle Creep'

A new survey in Japan has shown that many people may be giving up on "happily ever after" when they get older than 35.

A survey by the Nippon Foundation asked 6,000 people, aged 15 to 45, about the country's falling birth rate. Among the 3,935 single participants, 46% said they want to get married, while 33% said they don't.

However, when asked if they really think they will get married, only 27% said yes, while 39% said no.

Younger people were more hopeful about marriage, with about 40% of those aged 15 to 25 thinking they will marry. But over 50% of single people aged 36 to 45 believe they won't get married, suggesting people may give up on marriage as they age.

Of the 1,313 people who said they don't want to get married, 40% said they prefer being single. Other reasons for staying single included not being able to see any benefit to marrying, and wanting to put their own life first. More than 20% didn't have a clear reason or just didn't know why.

For the 267 people who want to marry but think they won't, the top reason for thinking it won't happen is not having chances to meet potential partners, which was mentioned by 49% of these people. Others said they weren't good at getting along with people of the opposite sex, or felt financially insecure.

Where people lived also affected views on marriage. About 30% of people in central Tokyo and big cities thought they would marry, but only just over 20% of those in smaller towns and villages felt the same.

Marriages in Japan have been decreasing for years. In 2023, there were 3.9 marriages per 1,000 people in Japan — down from a high of 12 marriages per 1,000 people in 1947.

Japan's Over-35s Giving Up on Marriage

Many of us know that learning a second language isn't easy — it takes a lot of time and practice. It can be very rewarding, but also very frustrating, so many people might not even think about trying to learn a third language.

But it may not be as difficult as you think.

In fact, many polyglots — that is, people who speak many languages — say that learning a third language is actually easier than learning the second.

But why?

One reason could be that, when learning a third language, you have a better understanding of different language structures.

When we learn our first language, as children, we don't really learn how the language works — we just naturally start using it.

But when you learn a second language, you start getting used to language structures, including ones that might be different from your first language. In some languages, for example, nouns are often either masculine or feminine — while in English, there's no such difference.

Learning these things in our second language often makes it easier for our brains to recognize different structures like this in other languages.

When you learn a second language, you also develop different skills, like memorization techniques. These skills can then be used when learning your third language, making the process faster and more efficient.

Finally, learning your second language might have felt scary at first, but you did it! This may give you more confidence when learning your third language, because you have more of an idea of what to expect.

If you'd like to learn a third language, it might be helpful to choose one that's part of the same language family as one of your other languages, because the similarities could make the process a lot easier.

Why Learning a Third Language Is Easier than a Second

Travelers often fly to New York or Paris just for the shopping experience, but according to a new report, it's Milan that should be called the capital of global shopping.

A real estate company has found that Via Monte Napoleone in Milan is the world's most expensive retail destination.

US firm Cushman & Wakefield ranked shopping areas based on the rent prices per square meter, and Milan has knocked New York's Fifth Avenue off the top of the list.

The average rent on the Milan street has risen to more than $20,800 per square meter compared with about $20,300 per square meter on an 11-block area of upper Fifth Avenue.

Via Monte Napoleone's small size — it's just 350 meters long — and walking distance to services and top cultural sites are among the street's key advantages, according to Guglielmo Miani, president of the Monte Napoleone District association.

"Not everything can fit, which is a benefit" since the limited space makes the street even more exclusive, said Miani.

The biggest brands on the street make more than $100 million in annual sales, Miani said, which goes a long way to paying the rent. Tiffany is preparing to open a store on Via Monte Napoleone, and luxury fashion store Fendi is expanding.

The Monte Napoleone District says 11 million people visited the area during the first 11 months of the year, but there's no way to say how many were big spenders and how many were just window shopping.

But according to shopping firm Global Blue, the average shopper on Via Monte Napoleone spent $2,600 per purchase between August and November — the highest average receipt in the world.

Officials from Fifth Avenue praised Milan for its efforts in making the street — and the city — a desirable place to shop.

But they added that the Italian city should enjoy its position at the top of the list while it can!

Milan Shopping Street Named World's Most Exclusive

Do you believe people are born with a certain amount of ability and intelligence? Or do you think these things can be changed through effort and education?

Your answers to these questions may decide how well you chase your own goals in life!

Researchers in Norway looked at over 1,500 people aged 13 to 77.

Participants filled out a survey asking them questions about how much they think people's abilities and intelligence can grow with effort and education.

They also filled out two more surveys: one asking how passionate they are about the things they are interested in, and one asking how persistent — and consistent — they are in chasing their goals.

For example, they were asked how much they agree with statements such as, "I use a lot of time on the projects I like," for passion, and "I finish whatever I begin," for persistence.

The researchers then looked at the people who got the 5% highest and lowest scores for belief in people's ability to grow.

It was found that those with the greatest belief in growth also had significantly higher scores in passion and persistence.

Interestingly, although 60% of all the study participants were women, in the group with the lowest belief in growth almost 60% were men.

"The belief in growth is important for large parts of our society," said Hermundur Sigmundsson, one of the study's authors. "This is true for school, sports, work and family life."

The authors also pointed to other studies that have found that it's possible to help people believe in personal growth — particularly as children — and that this can result in greater persistence.

Looking at their own results, the researchers said it can be argued that belief in your ability to grow may be important for both passion and persistence.

However, they also noted that it could also be that passion, perseverance and belief in growth all support each other.

Want to Succeed? Believe You Can Grow!

Different students learn better in different ways, and it's important to find a way to study that works best for you. Here are some things that you can try to help you study better.

Make a plan
Decide when, where and for how long you are going to study. If you decide what you need to get done every time you study, then it will be easier to achieve your goals. Also, if you do smaller amounts of work regularly, you won't have the stress of needing to cram everything just before an important exam.

Test yourself on what you've learned
After you read something, you should test yourself on it. And instead of just doing it once, do it often. Try to test yourself days and weeks after you first learn something to make sure you really remember it. You can also work with a friend to test each other.

Take a break
Research has shown that taking breaks can help you work or study better. A study by the company DeskTime found that the most productive people work for about 52 minutes at a time, then take a 17-minute break in between. So when making your study plan, don't forget to include breaks in it.

Stay healthy
Getting exercise and sleeping well can actually help you study. Research has found that regular exercise can improve both memory and thinking skills, while sleeping helps the brain save new information.