Over the past year my husband and I have been working to get our finances more coordinated. We had an initial free consultation with a financial planner, which gave us confidence that our spending and saving is generally on track. And the other night, with our big vacation over and summer ending, we sat down together to take a fine-toothed comb to our recent everyday expenses, using Mint (which I joined over a year ago) and Citibank's online statements.

It was a surprise! I'm a pretty good saver, both for retirement and rainy-day savings, but I actually spend a lot more than I realized. Specifically, since I started my first regular job in January, I've increased my spending quite a bit on health and personal care--things like yoga classes to deal with stress. I also spend a bundle on groceries--far more than on restaurants (hello, Whole Paycheck). My husband's biggest item after rent was travel.

We're going to keep checking in over the next few months so we can develop a better budget, and in the meantime, I'll be keeping an eye on expenses. For example, I'll be taking more trips to the municipal gym, which costs just $37.50 for six months' membership, and fewer yoga classes at $14-18 a pop.

But the best news we both got from doing this exercise was that our spending is pretty much in line with our stated values. We value experiences (a pedicure with Mom, a ski trip with friends) over stuff. And maybe now is the right time in our lives to enjoy them, within limits.

According to Slate, new research shows that spending money on the good things in life when you're young and healthy makes you happier than when you're old and/or sick.

"If money isn't going to bring you as much happiness in your old age, that's further reason not to oversave. If you've always wanted to samba till dawn in Rio or see Angkor Wat at sunrise, do it now, when you're healthy and you know you'll still enjoy it."

If you want to bring your everyday spending more in line with your priorities, an organization called the Center for a New American Dream makes "wallet buddy" cards available on their website. You're supposed to wrap them around your ATM card and credit cards, so before you make a purchase, you're reminded to ask these questions:

Do I need this & do I need it now?
Was it made sustainably?
Were the workers who made it treated well?
Does it have too much packaging?
Is it worth the money?