1. SATISFYING

rewarding ▪ pleasing ▪ gratifying ▪ fulfilling

These words all describe an experience, activity or fact that gives you pleasure because it provides something you need or want.

satisfying that gives you pleasure because it provides something you need or want:

It’s satisfying to play a game really well.

rewarding (of an experience or activity) that makes you happy because you think it is useful or important; worth doing:

Nursing can be a very rewarding career.

pleasing (rather formal) that gives you pleasure, especially to look at, hear or think about:

It was a simple but pleasing design.

gratifying (formal) that gives you pleasure, especially because it makes you feel that you have done well:

It is gratifying to see such good results.

fulfilling (of an experience or activity) that makes you happy, because it makes you feel your skills and talents are being used:

I’m finding the work much more fulfilling now.

satisfying, rewarding or fulfilling? Almost any experience, important or very brief, can be satisfying. Rewarding and fulfilling are used more for longer, more serious activities, such as jobs or careers. Satisfying and fulfilling are more about your personal satisfaction or happiness; rewarding is more about your sense of doing something important and being useful to others. 

• Patterns

a satisfying/​rewarding/​gratifying/​fulfilling experience/​feeling

(a) satisfying/​rewarding/​fulfilling job/​career/​work

to find something satisfying/​rewarding/​pleasing/​gratifying

2. SAVE

budget ▪ economize ▪ tighten your belt

These words all mean to spend less money.

save to keep money instead of spending it, often in order to buy a particular thing:

I’m saving for a new car.

budget to be careful about the amount of money you spend; to plan to spend an amount of money for a particular purpose:

If we budget carefully we’ll be able to afford the trip.

economize to use less money, time, etc. than you normally usetighten your belt (rather informal) to spend less money because there is less available:

With the price increases, we are all having to tighten our belts.

Patterns

to save up/​budget for something

to have to save/​budget/​economize/​tighten our belts

to try to/​manage to save/​budget/​economize