经典文章赏析：节约不等于买便宜货

摘录:节约，是不是一个诱人的词呢?多数人会想着勤俭节约是不是意味着要过着凄苦无望的日子，并且要与正常的社会脱轨。节约就意味着你会有很多钱买自己真正想要的。

What Frugality REALLY Means: It's Not About Being Cheap

Frugality. It's not exactly an alluring word, is it? Most of us worry that being frugal means living a bleak, depressing life, missing out on “normal” society.

勤俭节约=买便宜货?

节约，是不是一个诱人的词呢?多数人会想着勤俭节约是不是意味着要过着凄苦无望的日子，并且要与正常的社会脱轨。

The truth is, frugality simply means applying a bit of thought to how you spend your money. It's not about being cheap or miserly; it's about taking control.

事实上，节约，很简单，就是指花些心思在如何花钱上，并不是指买便宜货，斤斤计较，而节约就是要我们“节流”。

And don't you just love it when a bit of cleverness saves you a ton of cash?

不仅要喜欢还要想办法给自己省钱。

Maybe you found a fantastic dress on ebay – for half the price as in the shops. Or you compared the price of that new television in a couple of different stores, and saved $100. Or you found out how to fix something, instead of buying a new one.

可以是你在易趣网店半价购买了一件很喜欢的漂亮裙子，或是你货比三家后节省了100美元，再或者是你懂得修补不用再买新的。

Well, hey – you've got the hang of the frugal mindset already.

嗯，很好。你已经开始走向勤俭节约的道路了。

Being frugal means:

　　节约就是：

Caring about your money, and trying not to waste it – whether that's in noticeable ways (like losing your wallet) or less obvious ones (like paying your bills by check when you'd get a discount for using direct debit)

不管是不是故意(像丢了钱包或像用借记卡可以打折的时候用支票付钱)，也要关心你的钱，不浪费一分一毫。

Stocking up on your favorite foods when they're on sale.

囤积在打折的你喜欢的零食。

Borrowing books from your local library or using Amazon's second-hand sellers, instead of buying every single book new.

尽量从当地的图书馆借书或者在亚马逊上找二手卖家，而不要把每一本想要的新书都买回来。

Cutting out things which are pricey but which you don't really enjoy.

切勿留恋你不怎么喜欢的奢侈品

It's about valuing your money and getting the most from it – ensuring that you get to spend on the things which you really want.

珍惜你的钱，用它来合理购买吧，千万要保证你花钱买的东西是你真正想要的。

Do You Want to Be Rich?

你想变成有钱人吗?

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't say “no” to having more money in the bank, without working a single extra hour. That's what frugality can bring you – even if you're on a pretty low salary.

不用加班银行户头上的数字仍能噌噌暴涨，你一定做梦都在这么想。若是你勤俭节约，即使你的薪资很低，你的银行户头上的数字也会持续增长的。

Conversely, even if you earn hundreds of thousands, you could still end up with huge financial problems if you've got no idea about how to control your spending.

相反，即使你盆盈钵满，如果你不懂如何开源节流，你最终也会有很大的金融问题。

Don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe these two guys:

不相信我吗?好吧，或许这两个人的话你会信。

“Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.” (John Tyler, 10th President of the United States) – 19th century

“财富是靠勤俭和节约共同积累的。”约翰·泰勒(美国第十届总统)---19世纪

“The way to wealth depends on just two words, industry and frugality.” (Benjamin Franklin) – 18th century

“致富之路就是靠两个词：勤俭，节约。”本杰明·富兰克林---18世纪

Being frugal isn't some newfangled 21st century idea. It's a tried-and-tested way to live a happy, rich life.

节俭不是物欲横流的21世纪的创意，而是一个久经考验的通往幸福生活，富裕生活的必经之路。

But … Frugality Doesn't Mean Being Cheap

然而，节俭不是省钱。

Cheapness is different from frugality.

省钱和节约有着天壤之别。

Cheapness is when you have enough money but you still:

省钱是当你有足够的钱，但你仍然会：

Refuse to spend money on things which you really need (like new clothes)。

不愿意把钱花在你真正需要的东西上(像新衣服)。

Buy shoddy, low-quality goods – which end up costing you more in the long run.

而是买一些廉价劣质的产品，最终长远来看你还是要花更多钱。

Let friends foot the bill when you go out.

和朋友出去的时候让朋友付账。

Act unreasonably, expecting or demanding a discount (negotiating is different)。

肆意妄为的要求店员便宜卖给你。

Refuse to tip in restaurants.

吃饭不给小费。

That might mean cutting out the daily latte which you barely even taste, so that you can have an extravagant meal out once a month.

那样可能意味着你的每日喝的拿铁量会减少尽管你很难尝出来，于是你就有了机会让自己一个月出去享受一次大餐。

It might mean buying one great quality pair of shoes instead of three so-so pairs.

省钱是你花钱买一双耐穿的好鞋而不是买三四双质量一般的鞋。

Being frugal means having more money for what you really want. So tell me, what's so bad about that?

节约就意味着你会有很多钱买自己真正想要的。那么告诉我，节约有什么不好呢?