明智消費，明智儲蓄:停止壓力消費的5個小技巧

明智消費，明智儲蓄:停止壓力消費的5個小技巧

We've all done it: that candy bar at the grocery store checkout, that midnight Amazon purchase, that pair of aspirational wrist guards because this summer you're definitely going to use those Rollerblades.

我們都有過這樣的經(jīng)歷：雜貨店結賬時的糖果棒，午夜在亞馬遜買的東西，還有一雙夢寐以求的護腕，因為這個夏天你肯定會穿溜冰鞋。

Americans have a spending problem. Research in 2019 showed that the average American spends almost $18,000 a year on nonessentials. And nearly 1 in 5 says they're spending more now than they were before the pandemic.

美國人有消費問題。2019年的研究顯示，美國人平均每年在非必需品上花費近1.8萬美元。近五分之一的人表示，他們現(xiàn)在的支出比流行病前還要多。

"We impulse-shop because it feels good in the moment, right? It's like the Band-Aid," Tiffany Aliche says. "It's the cool glass of water on a really hot summer's day." She is a personal finance expert and educator.

“我們沖動購物是因為那一刻感覺很好，對吧?”它就像創(chuàng)可貼一樣，”蒂芙尼·阿利切說。“這是炎炎夏日里的一杯清涼的水。”她是一位個人理財專家和教育家。

It's OK to do a little comfort shopping, especially in these tough times — "but what I've learned is to impulse-shop within parameters," Aliche says. Don't let short-term wants get in the way of your long-term savings goals.

做一些舒適的購物是可以的，尤其是在這些困難時期——“但我學到的是在一定范圍內(nèi)沖動購物，”阿利切說。不要讓短期欲望阻礙你實現(xiàn)長期儲蓄目標。

Here are a few ways to start curbing that stress-spending and start saving a little smarter — today.

這里有一些方法可以開始控制壓力開支，從今天開始明智地存錢。

Make a budget. Don't just ballpark it in your head — write it down.

做一個預算。不要只在腦子里想，把它寫下來。

"Get a clear visual picture of what your money is doing now. The rule is, if it's not written down, then it's not a budget," Aliche says.

“弄清楚你的錢現(xiàn)在在干什么。規(guī)則是，如果它沒有寫下來，那么它就不是預算，”阿利切說。

Once you've factored in necessities like food, shelter, water — and savings — then factor in fun. "You're supposed to enjoy money, to use it as a tool to make your life better," says Aliche.

一旦你考慮到食物、住所、水和儲蓄等必需品，那么就要考慮到娛樂。 “你應該享受金錢，把它作為一種工具，讓你的生活變得更好，” 阿利切說。

Need it, love it, like it, want it.

需要它，愛它，喜歡它，想要它。

Before you reach for those fun-budget funds, Aliche has a bit of advice. She says to ask yourself, " 'What are the things that really make me happy? What are the things that really bring me joy?' "

在你動用娛樂基金預算之前，阿利切有一個建議。她說，問問你自己，“什么事情真正讓我快樂?”真正能給我?guī)砜鞓返氖虑槭鞘裁?’”

To keep those priorities straight, Aliche says she has a sticker on top of her computer that says, "need it, love it, like it, want it." And before hitting that purchase button, she wants to make sure that what she's buying is a love — that it will bring lasting joy.

為了分清輕重緩急，阿利切說她在電腦上貼了一張貼紙，上面寫著:“需要它，喜歡它，想要它。”在按下購買按鈕之前，她想確定她買的是一份愛——能帶來持久的快樂。

"Likes are short-term joy. That means less than a year, I'll have forgotten about this thing," she says. "Wants are just instant gratification where not even a day later, I'm not going to be interested in this thing."

“喜歡是短暫的快樂。“這意味著不到一年，我就會忘記這件事，”她說想要的只是瞬間的滿足，即使一天之后，我也不會對這件事感興趣。”

Figure out your "noodle budget."

弄清楚你的“面條預算”。

What is the bare-minimum amount of money that you need to keep going? What are the things that you can drop if times are tough? Aliche calls this her "noodle budget" (noodle as in ramen noodles, which she eats when things get tight). "For some people, it's peanut butter and jelly; for some people, it's rice and beans," she explains.

你需要多少錢才能維持下去?如果日子不好過，你可以放棄什么?阿利切稱這是她的“面條預算”(面條和拉面一樣，她會在手頭緊的時候吃)。對一些人來說，是花生醬和果凍;對一些人來說，是米飯和豆類，”她解釋道。

When you're strapped for cash, you should be able to cancel your cable or Netflix subscription and switch to ramen noodles before tapping into your savings or (gasp) retirement savings. "Focus on your budget now and what you can do now, so you don't take from your future," she says.

當你手頭拮據(jù)時，你應該在動用你的儲蓄或退休儲蓄之前，取消有線電視或Netflix的訂閱，轉而吃拉面。“專注于你現(xiàn)在的預算和你現(xiàn)在能做什么，這樣你就不會從你的未來中索取，”她說。

Create and maintain a savings plan.

建立并維護一個儲蓄計劃。

You should have between three and six months' worth of emergency savings. Set it up in an account that has a good interest rate. Aliche says it's also worth putting this cash in a bank that isn't associated with your checking account.

你應該有三到六個月的應急儲蓄。把它放在一個利率較高的賬戶里。阿利切說，把這些錢存入與你的支票賬戶不相關的銀行也是值得的。

She recommends automatically withdrawing your savings and your bills into separate accounts each month.

她建議每個月自動把你的存款和賬單存入不同的賬戶。

Don't cheat your future self.

不要欺騙你未來的自己。

Being responsible with money can be a drag. Instead of impulse-buying a plane ticket to Paris on a credit card, it means saving that money slowly over time.

對金錢負責可能是一個累贅。比起沖動地用信用卡買一張去巴黎的飛機票，這意味著慢慢地把錢存起來。

Finally, remember to give yourself a break.

最后，記得給自己一個喘息的機會。

It is, perhaps, an understatement to say that we live in tough times. Aliche says it's important to give yourself a break if you make a financial mistake.

我們生活在一個艱難的時代，這也許是一種保守的說法。阿利切說，如果你犯了財務錯誤，給自己一個喘息的機會是很重要的。

"It's OK not to be perfect. So be easy on yourself — do the best that you can."

“不完美也沒關系。所以對自己放松點——盡你所能做到最好。”