如何過好勤儉節約的生活

In times of economic downturn, many people start to look for ways to reduce their household budget and save extra cash. Living a thrifty lifestyle does not have to mean doing without. Making small changes will allow you to save money and still enjoy your favorite treats and activities. Being frugal can help you save for retirement, pay off your credit cards faster or even just save money for a dream vacation. To live in a thrifty way, you need to pay attention to your day-to-day expenses.
在經濟萎縮時期，許多人開始尋找減少家庭預算和節省額外開支的方法。節儉的生活方式並不一定意味着什麼都不做。做一點小小的改變既能幫你省錢，又能享受你喜歡的事和活動。節儉可以幫你爲退休存錢，更快償還信用卡，或者，甚至存錢以備一個夢想的假期。想要節儉地生活，就要注意每天的花費開支。

1 Track your spending for at least 2 weeks. You won't really know how to live a thriftier lifestyle until you know where your money is currently going. Write down every time you spend money and take a look at it at the end of the month. You will see obvious ways to reduce the small daily expenses that many of us accrue.
1 至少每兩週跟蹤記錄你的消費情況。直到你知道當前錢花在哪裏了你纔會真正懂得如何節儉地生活。每次花的錢都記下來，到了月底看一看。你就會知道大部分人積累下來減少小的日常開支的明顯方法。

2 Scour the Internet when you have to make purchases. Because of the easy access to information, you can compare prices from more stores in less time. Check your local stores as well as online providers to find the best price.
2 當你想買東西的時候到網上搜索一下。由於輕鬆獲得信息，你可以在更短的時間內比較更多店的價格。到當地商店和網上供應商看看，找到最便宜的價格。

3 Turn off the lights and other electronics in your home when you are not using them. Open a window and let in the natural light instead. Leaving electronics on can use a tremendous amount of extra energy, costing you money. Also, unplug chargers when you are not using them. Your cell phone charger is still using a residual amount of electricity when it is plugged into the wall.
3 當你不用電燈和其他電子產品的時候，關掉它們。打開窗戶用自然光代替。讓電子產品開着需要大量的額外能源，浪費錢。同樣，當你不用充電器時拔掉其插頭。插上插頭的話，手機充電器也需要消耗一些殘餘的電。

(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)4 Cut back on your cable. You probably don't really need 500 channels. Reduce your cable package or eliminate it altogether and save a large chunk of money every year. If you decide you really can't live without it, call your cable company and see if there are any promotions or discounts available to you.
4 削減有線電視服務。你可能並不真的需要500個頻道。減少或完全取消有線電視服務，這樣每年可以節省一大筆錢。如果你真的不能沒有它，打電話去有線電視公司詢問一下有沒有一些適合你的促銷活動或打折。

5 Use coupons when you do your regular grocery shopping. Many websites offer free printable coupons you can take with you to the grocery store. Check sites like for coupons of a variety of name brand products (see link in Resources). Combining manufacturer's coupons with store discounts can lead to major grocery savings.
5 定期購買生活必需品時使用優惠券。許多網站都提供免費打印優惠券，你可以拿到雜貨店使用。檢查像這些網站，拿各類名牌商品的優惠券（請參閱參考資料中的鏈接）。將廠商的優惠券和商店打折結合起來，可以節省更多錢。

6 Eat at home most nights. When you do go out, look for available deals and discounts. If you are a frequent restaurant diner, consider purchasing an Entertainment Book for local restaurants (see link in Resources). These collections of coupons typically cost around $30, but provide 2-for-1 deals at local restaurants and places of interest.
6 晚飯經常在家吃。如果你真的要出去，尋找一些便宜和打折的地方。如果你是經常在餐館吃飯的人，考慮買本有關當地餐館的《娛樂書》（請參閱參考資料中的鏈接）。收集這些優惠券一般花約30美元，但是可以在當地餐館和旅遊勝地提供2換1的交易。

(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)