daylight savings

Early Sunday morning, at 2 a.m. on Nov. 4 to be exact, the time changes. It is the end of daylight saving time, so we "fall back" an hour; before you hit the hay on Saturday night, move that hour hand backward. And although sleep experts believe "falling back" and gaining an hour in Fall is easier than losing an hour in Spring, it will still take your body a few days to acclimate to the time change. Here are a few tips to keep the change from adversely affecting your sleep habits:

• As much as it may seem like a good idea, avoid drinking extra caffeine for a few days after the time shift.
• Similar to avoiding that extra cup of joe, you should avoid taking a nap. Napping can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at the proper bedtime.
• Catch early-morning rays. Sunlight helps wake you up naturally. Take advantage of the extra morning sunlight with an early-morning run, or just bask in the sunlight through a window.
• Help your body adjust naturally to your new sleep cycle by shutting off electronics at night. The artificial light from your TV, laptop, and tablet can hamper your body's ability to adjust to its own circadian rhythm.
• Don't get behind the wheel if you're feeling sleepy. Driving and dozing is a dangerous thing.

We'll all be losing an hour today because of Daylight Savings when we move our clocks forward an hour. It's always a bonus when we get an extra hour of light, but a downer that we lose one hour of sleep. How do you feel about daylight savings, and are you going to bed earlier tonight?

Daylight savings in the US isn't for another week, but an iPhone bug has already affected users in Australia and Europe . . . and may start affecting users here next week. Apparently, even though the phone's main clock does automatically reset to account for the daylight savings time change, the device's alarm does not adjust correctly. So instead of ringing at the proper time, users' phone alarms are sounding an hour late, potentially causing confusion (or panic, if you're late for work!).

Find out more about this problem and how you can test your iPhone's alarm after the break.

This update was shared by member Lauren, who is participating in our Savvy Savings Challenge and has vowed to give up her spendy latte habit but slipped up with the time change.

I have been so good for the last couple of weeks and have not bought an extra hot latte in so long. But this morning, I couldn't help it. With the time change, my body needed an extra shot of caffeine to get through the day. I promise the rest of the week, nothing but homemade coffee. I can still save $17 dollars this week for a grand total of $57 since I started this cheap coffee challenge! Not too shabby.

Cheer on the savers in comments and jump on our budget- and mood-boosting effort and cut your most harmful and indulgent habits for the challenge period! Join the Savvy Savings Challenge and share what you plan, then update the group with your pitfalls and success stories. The community and I will be your personal finance trainers!