如何減少開支?

如何減少開支?

Budgeting gets a bad reputation.

預算的名聲不好。

"The first image that comes to most people's mind is dieting or imprisonment," says Jesse Mecham, founder of the budgeting software You Need A Budget. But that, Mecham says, is an inaccurate picture. "Budgeting is not about being handcuffed. It's really about being liberated."

預算軟件You Need A Budget的創(chuàng)始人杰西·梅卡姆說:“大多數人想到的第一個畫面就是節(jié)食或監(jiān)禁。”但梅卡姆說，這種描述不準確。“預算不是要銬上手銬。這真的是一種解放。”

It might just be empowering for you. There's no easy or simple solution to fixing the huge financial impact that COVID-19 has had on many Americans. But during the coronavirus pandemic, keeping tabs on where your money is going is a good first step to cutting back on spending and saving more, if you're able to do so.

它可能會給你力量。COVID-19對許多美國人造成了巨大的經濟影響，解決這個問題沒有簡單易行的辦法。但在冠狀病毒大流行期間，如果你有能力的話，密切關注你的錢花在哪里是削減開支和多存錢的良好第一步。

These six budgeting tips will help you track your spending and make more informed decisions about your money — and your life.

這六個預算技巧將幫助你記錄你的支出，并對你的錢和你的生活做出更明智的決定。

1. Don't budget just because you think you should.

不要僅僅因為你認為你應該做預算。

If you're budgeting because you think that's what responsible grown-ups do, that's not super-concrete or motivational. Instead, set a specific goal that has meaning to you, like paying off credit card debt or student loans or saving for a vacation, says Kristin Wong, author of Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford. "Now you have a reason to say no to that $50 dinner, because you have something to say yes to now," Wong says.

如果你做預算是因為你認為那是負責任的成年人做的事，那就不是非常具體或激勵人心的。相反，設定一個對你有意義的具體目標，比如償還信用卡債務或學生貸款，或者為度假攢錢，《賺錢：過你想要的生活，而不僅僅是你能負擔得起的生活》一書的作者克里斯汀•王說。“現在你有理由對那頓50美元的晚餐說不，因為你現在有事情要去做，”王說。

2. Harness your anxiety.

利用你的焦慮。

Big life changes — a move, a job loss or, say, a global pandemic — can bring big stress. If you're dealing with major life changes because of COVID-19, you're not alone. Leverage that anxiety, channeling it into motivation to adjust your budget.

生活中的重大變化——搬家、失業(yè)或全球流行病——都會帶來巨大的壓力。如果你正在應對COVID-19帶來的重大生活變化，你并不孤單。利用這種焦慮，將其轉化為調整預算的動力。

3. Follow the 50-30-20 method.

遵循50-30-20方法。

When you get started, try the guidelines that Sen. Elizabeth Warren helped develop as a Harvard University professor. The largest portion, 50%, of take-home income should go toward basic living expenses — housing, groceries, etc. Then 30% for discretionary expenses, like entertainment and clothes; and 20% for savings and paying down debt.

當你開始時，試試參議員伊麗莎白·沃倫在擔任哈佛大學教授時幫助制定的指導方針。稅后收入的最大一部分，即50%，應該用于基本生活開支——住房、食品雜貨等。然后30%用于娛樂和服裝等可自由支配的開支;20%用于儲蓄和償還債務。

4. Use the power of scarcity.

利用稀缺的力量。

With credit cards and overdraft protections, "we've gotten really used to the idea that we never really run out of money," Mecham says. But having a sense of scarcity can be helpful when you're trying to save. Remember back when you were a kid and all you had was that $5 from babysitting or mowing lawns? You were probably pretty careful about how you spent that money because once you did, it was gone. Try designating a certain amount of money for each budgeting category every month, and when you run out, it's out.

有了信用卡和透支保護，“我們已經習慣了我們從來沒有真正用完錢的想法，” 梅卡姆說。但是，當你想存錢的時候，有一種稀缺感是有幫助的。還記得小時候你只有5美元的保姆費和割草費嗎?你可能對如何花錢很謹慎，因為一旦你花了，它就不見了。試著每個月為每個預算類別指定一定數量的資金，當你用完時，它就(真的)用完了。

5. A roommate is worth a thousand coffees.

一個室友值一千杯咖啡。

It's unlikely you'll reach your budget goal just by cutting back on coffees. Housing, food and transportation are usually the biggest expenses. "If you get a roommate or move to a cheaper place, those major decisions are going to save you so much more money," says Wong. "They're harder decisions to make, obviously. But they give you more bang for your buck."

你不太可能僅僅通過減少喝咖啡就能達到預算目標。住房、食品和交通通常是最大的開支。“如果你找了個室友，或者搬到一個更便宜的地方住，這些重大的決定將會為你省下更多的錢，”王說。“很明顯，這是一個更難做的決定。但是他們給你帶來了更多的好處。”

6. Try different budgeting techniques to see what works for you.

嘗試不同的預算方法，看看哪些適合你。

Whether it's a simple spreadsheet or a budgeting app with lots of categories, use the system that works for you. Mecham says the main thing is not to wait until a "normal month" to get started — that will never come. So just start doing it, like right now. It's worth making a budget now, and if it changes in the coming months or year, as life starts looking a little like it did before the pandemic, that's OK.

無論它是一個簡單的電子表格還是一個有很多分類的預算應用程序，使用適合你的系統(tǒng)。梅卡姆說，最重要的是不要等到“正常月份”才開始——那是永遠不會到來的。所以現在就開始做吧，就像現在。現在就有必要做一個預算，如果在未來幾個月或幾年內發(fā)生變化，比如生活開始變得有點像大流行之前，那也沒關系。