What Frugality REALLY Means: It's Not About Being Cheap
勤儉節(jié)約=買便宜貨?
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.
節(jié)約，是不是一個誘人的詞呢?多數(shù)人會想著勤儉節(jié)約是不是意味著要過著凄苦無望的日子，并且要與正常的社會脫軌。
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.
事實上，節(jié)約，很簡單，就是指花些心思在如何花錢上，并不是指買便宜貨，斤斤計較，而節(jié)約就是要我們“節(jié)流”。
And don't you just love it when a bit of cleverness saves you a ton of cash?
不僅要喜歡還要想辦法給自己省錢。
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.
可以是你在易趣網(wǎng)店半價購買了一件很喜歡的漂亮裙子，或是你貨比三家后節(jié)省了100美元，再或者是你懂得修補不用再買新的。
Well, hey – you've got the hang of the frugal mindset already.
嗯，很好。你已經(jīng)開始走向勤儉節(jié)約的道路了。
Being frugal means:
節(jié)約就是：
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(像丟了錢包或像用借記卡可以打折的時候用支票付錢)，也要關(guān)心你的錢，不浪費一分一毫。
Stocking up on your favorite foods when they're on sale.
囤積在打折的你喜歡的零食。
Borrowing books from your local library or using Amazon's second-hand sellers, instead of buying every single book new.
盡量從當?shù)氐膱D書館借書或者在亞馬遜上找二手賣家，而不要把每一本想要的新書都買回來。
Cutting out things which are pricey but which you don't really enjoy.
切勿留戀你不怎么喜歡的奢侈品
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.
珍惜你的錢，用它來合理購買吧，千萬要保證你花錢買的東西是你真正想要的。
Do You Want to Be Rich?
你想變成有錢人嗎?
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.
不用加班銀行戶頭上的數(shù)字仍能噌噌暴漲，你一定做夢都在這么想。若是你勤儉節(jié)約，即使你的薪資很低，你的銀行戶頭上的數(shù)字也會持續(xù)增長的。
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，即使你盆盈缽滿，如果你不懂如何開源節(jié)流，你最終也會有很大的金融問題。
Don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe these two guys:
不相信我嗎?好吧，或許這兩個人的話你會信。
“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
“財富是靠勤儉和節(jié)約共同積累的�！奔s翰·泰勒(美國第十屆總統(tǒng))---19世紀
“The way to wealth depends on just two words, industry and frugality.” (Benjamin Franklin) – 18th century
“致富之路就是靠兩個詞：勤儉，節(jié)約�！北窘苊鳌じ惶m克林---18世紀
Being frugal isn't some newfangled 21st century idea. It's a tried-and-tested way to live a happy, rich life.
節(jié)儉不是物欲橫流的21世紀的創(chuàng)意，而是一個久經(jīng)考驗的通往幸福生活，富裕生活的必經(jīng)之路。
But … Frugality Doesn't Mean Being Cheap
然而，節(jié)儉不是省錢。
Cheapness is different from frugality.
省錢和節(jié)約有著天壤之別。
Cheapness is when you have enough money but you still:
省錢是當你有足夠的錢，但你仍然會：
Refuse to spend money on things which you really need (like new clothes)。
不愿意把錢花在你真正需要的東西上(像新衣服)。
Buy shoddy, low-quality goods – which end up costing you more in the long run.
而是買一些廉價劣質(zhì)的產(chǎn)品，最終長遠來看你還是要花更多錢。
Let friends foot the bill when you go out.
和朋友出去的時候讓朋友付賬。
Act unreasonably, expecting or demanding a discount (negotiating is different)。
肆意妄為的要求店員便宜賣給你。
Refuse to tip in restaurants.
吃飯不給小費。
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.
那樣可能意味著你的每日喝的拿鐵量會減少盡管你很難嘗出來，于是你就有了機會讓自己一個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.
省錢是你花錢買一雙耐穿的好鞋而不是買三四雙質(zhì)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?
節(jié)約就意味著你會有很多錢買自己真正想要的。那么告訴我，節(jié)約有什么不好呢?