明智消费，明智储蓄:停止压力消费的5个小技巧

明智消费，明智储蓄:停止压力消费的5个小技巧

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.

我们都有过这样的经历：杂货店结账时的糖果棒，午夜在亚马逊买的东西，还有一双梦寐以求的护腕，因为这个夏天你肯定会穿溜冰鞋。

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.

美国人有消费问题。2019年的研究显示，美国人平均每年在非必需品上花费近1.8万美元。近五分之一的人表示，他们现在的支出比流行病前还要多。

"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.

“我们冲动购物是因为那一刻感觉很好，对吧?”它就像创可贴一样，”蒂芙尼·阿利切说。“这是炎炎夏日里的一杯清凉的水。”她是一位个人理财专家和教育家。

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.

做一些舒适的购物是可以的，尤其是在这些困难时期——“但我学到的是在一定范围内冲动购物，”阿利切说。不要让短期欲望阻碍你实现长期储蓄目标。

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

这里有一些方法可以开始控制压力开支，从今天开始明智地存钱。

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

做一个预算。不要只在脑子里想，把它写下来。

"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.

“弄清楚你的钱现在在干什么。规则是，如果它没有写下来，那么它就不是预算，”阿利切说。

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.

一旦你考虑到食物、住所、水和储蓄等必需品，那么就要考虑到娱乐。 “你应该享受金钱，把它作为一种工具，让你的生活变得更好，” 阿利切说。

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

需要它，爱它，喜欢它，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?' "

在你动用娱乐基金预算之前，阿利切有一个建议。她说，问问你自己，“什么事情真正让我快乐?”真正能给我带来快乐的事情是什么?’”

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.

为了分清轻重缓急，阿利切说她在电脑上贴了一张贴纸，上面写着:“需要它，喜欢它，想要它。”在按下购买按钮之前，她想确定她买的是一份爱——能带来持久的快乐。

"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."

“喜欢是短暂的快乐。“这意味着不到一年，我就会忘记这件事，”她说想要的只是瞬间的满足，即使一天之后，我也不会对这件事感兴趣。”

Figure out your "noodle budget."

弄清楚你的“面条预算”。

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.

你需要多少钱才能维持下去?如果日子不好过，你可以放弃什么?阿利切称这是她的“面条预算”(面条和拉面一样，她会在手头紧的时候吃)。对一些人来说，是花生酱和果冻;对一些人来说，是米饭和豆类，”她解释道。

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.

当你手头拮据时，你应该在动用你的储蓄或退休储蓄之前，取消有线电视或Netflix的订阅，转而吃拉面。“专注于你现在的预算和你现在能做什么，这样你就不会从你的未来中索取，”她说。

Create and maintain a savings plan.

建立并维护一个储蓄计划。

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.

你应该有三到六个月的应急储蓄。把它放在一个利率较高的账户里。阿利切说，把这些钱存入与你的支票账户不相关的银行也是值得的。

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

她建议每个月自动把你的存款和账单存入不同的账户。

Don't cheat your future self.

不要欺骗你未来的自己。

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.

对金钱负责可能是一个累赘。比起冲动地用信用卡买一张去巴黎的飞机票，这意味着慢慢地把钱存起来。

Finally, remember to give yourself a break.

最后，记得给自己一个喘息的机会。

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.

我们生活在一个艰难的时代，这也许是一种保守的说法。阿利切说，如果你犯了财务错误，给自己一个喘息的机会是很重要的。

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

“不完美也没关系。所以对自己放松点——尽你所能做到最好。”