Do you often complain about your wages seeming to disappear as soon as they enter your bank account? For many of us, living from month to month in terms of spending is a common occurrence. But have you ever wondered how much you could save if you really budgeted?Michelle McGaghdid just that and managed to save up a massive $23,000 in a year by forgoing luxury items and sticking to the necessities. Don’t think it’s possible? Think again!
你是不是也經(jīng)常抱怨你的薪水似乎剛一入賬就噌的一下消失了呢？對(duì)我們大多數(shù)人而言，靠每個(gè)月的薪水支出為生是一種非常常見的情形。但是，你有沒有想過(guò)，如果你認(rèn)真的編排預(yù)算，每個(gè)月能夠省出多少錢呢？Michelle McGagh就這樣做了，通過(guò)放棄奢侈品而只用生活必需品，每年竟然節(jié)省出23000美元。你不信？來(lái)看看吧！
The Story Behind The Experiment（試驗(yàn)背后的故事）
Michelle McGagh came across as an irony – she was a personal finance journalist for 10 years who wrote about how people could spend their money better, yet she wasn’t doing it herself.
Michelle McGagh簡(jiǎn)直就是一個(gè)諷刺。她做了10年的個(gè)人金融作家，主要寫關(guān)于人們到底應(yīng)該如何更好地花錢，但是她自己卻沒有像她所寫的那樣做。
She found she was caught up in the common belief that spending more would make her happier, and she believed that buying the latest products would enhance her life in countless ways.
她發(fā)覺自己深陷世俗價(jià)值觀念之中，那就是花錢越多越快樂。她深信買最時(shí)髦的產(chǎn)品將會(huì)在無(wú)數(shù)方面提升自己的生活品質(zhì)。
So, the idea was born to spend a whole year only buying necessities – no fancy dinners out, no getting the bus on a rainy or windy day, no excessive beauty products or holidays away.
因此，一個(gè)想法誕生了~一整年只買必需品，沒有花哨的晚餐，哪怕風(fēng)雨天也不乘坐汽車，不用過(guò)多的美容產(chǎn)品和也不去度假。
Instead, she stuck to cycling or walking to work, cooking cheap homemade meals, wearing only the clothes she already had in her wardrobe and only buying necessary items such as toothpaste, soap and shampoo. It was time for a massive change. It seemed an uncomfortable prospect at first, but changing her habits and mindset towards money was key in carrying out this experiment successfully. And so, the journey began.
相反，她堅(jiān)持騎車或者走路工作。自己烹飪便宜但美味的食物。只穿衣柜里已有的衣服。只購(gòu)買生活必需品。比如牙膏、肥皂、洗發(fā)水啥的?，F(xiàn)在是做出重大改變的時(shí)候了，開始時(shí)，對(duì)她來(lái)說(shuō)可能還不是很適應(yīng)，但是生活習(xí)慣和對(duì)于金錢的態(tài)度的改變成為這項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)得以成功的關(guān)鍵。因此，旅行開始啦！
What She Learnt From Living Thrifty（她從簡(jiǎn)化生活中學(xué)到了什么）
By carefully cutting out daily coffees from the local café and making her own brew, cancelling her gym membership and exercising at home instead, and swapping expensive concerts for free gigs and exhibitions, Michelle learnt a new way of life. As she explains it:
通過(guò)將喝咖啡的場(chǎng)所從咖啡館里移到家里自己煮，取消健身館會(huì)員而選擇在家進(jìn)行鍛煉，以免費(fèi)的展覽或演出代替高昂的音樂會(huì)。Michelle 掌握了一項(xiàng)新的生活方式。她解釋到：
“I?won’t pretend it?was easy, though, especially the first months when?I tried living my?old life but with no?money. Sometimes, I?had an?urge to?forget all about it?and lose myself in?a?shopping spree, get drunk in?a?bar, or?just buy a?bus ticket instead of?climbing onto my?bike again on?a?windy day. However, I?understood something important: you don’t have to?open your wallet every time you want to?have a?good time.”
我不會(huì)假裝這一切好像過(guò)得很輕松。特別是剛開始的幾個(gè)月，我想要回歸到我原有的生活方式中，但是卻沒有錢。有時(shí)，我有種強(qiáng)烈的沖動(dòng)想要忘記這一切，沉浸在購(gòu)物中，迷醉在酒吧，或者是去買張票而不是在風(fēng)雨天仍騎自己的自行車。但是，有一些事情我很清楚：不是每一種幸福都需要花錢獲得。
While saving money was her ultimate goal, the most important lesson she learnt was the fact that spending money didn’t always equal happiness.
雖然，省錢是她的最終目標(biāo)，但是她學(xué)到的最重要的一課卻是錢并一定能夠換來(lái)幸福。
A Difficult But Rewarding Journey（艱難但卻值得紀(jì)念的經(jīng)歷）
Of course, it wasn’t all easy. Cutting out all her splurges and pampering expenditures was hard, and after a year, her clothes were starting to wear out, her hair was in desperate need of a hairdresser and she missed her takeout food and coffee dates with friends.
當(dāng)然啦！這一切并不容易。斷絕她過(guò)去用于各種奢侈品和揮霍性支出是非常艱難的。一年后，她的衣服磨損，頭發(fā)也急需護(hù)理。而她也錯(cuò)過(guò)了和朋友一起外出吃飯喝咖啡的美妙時(shí)光。
However, she describes how she’s learnt to efficiently budget food and find the best bargains and even how to cook – skills she never would have gained had she not gone ahead with the experiment.
但她說(shuō)：通過(guò)這項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)她學(xué)會(huì)了如何有效的進(jìn)行食物預(yù)算，達(dá)成最佳的交易。甚至學(xué)會(huì)了自己從未想到的烹飪技巧。
The biggest bonus of all? She managed to save a whopping $23,000 that went towards her mortgage, which she had been convinced she would need to spend the next 25 years paying for.
那么最大的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)又是什么呢？她最終設(shè)法省下了高大23000美元抵償自己的貸款，曾經(jīng)她認(rèn)為她甚至還得花上25年才能還清的貸款。
“The most important result of?the year for me?was that?I became more open for adventure and new people. I?learned to?say “yes” to?all things new. And I?also realised how little?I need to?be?happy.”
這一年對(duì)我而言最重要的收獲是“我變得對(duì)冒險(xiǎn)和陌生人的走進(jìn)抱以更加開放的心態(tài)，我學(xué)會(huì)了對(duì)新事物說(shuō)yes。而且我意識(shí)到“變得快樂，其實(shí)并不需要擁有太多””。
So, if your bank balance isn’t looking how you’d like it to, think about what you really spend your money on. What could you cut out? Weed out the necessities from the luxuries and see how much money you can ultimately save.
所以，如果你的銀行卡余額看起來(lái)不咋地的話，不妨認(rèn)真考慮下你把錢都花在了什么地方？哪些是你可以砍掉的花銷？將奢侈品和生活必需品分開，看一看你最終能夠省下多少錢。
