One source of unhappiness for people is feeling out of control of their spending and this is a problem that's far more widespread now than it was a year ago. Feeling regret about having bought something is a very unpleasant sort of unhappiness.
乱烧钱会叫人不快乐这个问题比一年前波及面更广了。买了东西又后悔叫人感到很不愉快。
Being an under|buyer, as opposed to an over|buyer, I don't generally have much trouble avoiding overspending. I have more trouble prodding1 myself to make the effort to buy things I actually need.
身为一个少买而不是多买的人，我比较容易制止自己乱烧钱。我的问题在于怎么样说服自己去买该买的东西。
Nevertheless, even with my under|buying ways, I sometimes come home with something I didn't really need to buy. Stores use extremely clever strategies to winkle customers into making purchases. Here are some strategies to make sure you don't make purchases you regret:
然而，即使像我这种少买的人，有时还是会买回一些无需的。商店使用极其聪明的方法引诱客户购买。下面这类办法能叫你买了东西不至于后悔:
1. Be wary2 of the check|out areas. There are lots of enticing3 little items here; ask yourself if you really need something before you add it to your pile. How many times have I picked up a jar of Balmex?
留神收银台区，那里有很多诱惑的小产品。在把它扔进购物车之前，问一问自己是否确实需要这件东西。有多少次我拿起了一罐Balmex尿片？
2. Get in and get out. The more time you spend in a store, the more you're likely to buy. Even better: don't even go in the store. Then you definitely won't buy.
速战速决。你在商店花的时间越多，买的就越多。最好连去都不要去，如此你就不会买了。
3. Question the need for an upgrade. You might want that device with a slick new function, or to get the improved version of what you have now, but do you really need it?
对升级的需要提出质疑。你想买那个有花俏新功能的东西，或者用升级版替换掉你现有些那个，但，你真的需要吗?
4. Be polite to salespeople4, but don't feel like they're your new best friends. Don't buy something because you're worried about hurting their feelings or having made them do a lot of work helping5 you or explaining products to you.
对销售要礼貌，但别把他们当成你新结识的最要好的朋友。不要由于担忧伤害到他们的感情而去购买，也别由于他们的努力帮助或解释说明就非得买某样东西。（同时，还是要对店员的努力表示尊重。几天前，我在Gap Kids，发现有个人把一堆叠得整整齐齐的衬衣翻得一塌糊涂，弄得每件都要重新叠过。他是恶作剧还是不自觉? 我不了解。）
5. Don't shop when you're in a hurry or when you're hungry.
不要在匆忙或饥饿的时候购物。
6. Stick to a list. I've found that after I've decided8 to buy one thing, I'm far more likely to throw in other impulse items, because I know that I'm committed to going through the hassle of paying.
严格遵循购物单。我发目前决定了要买一件东西后，总容易一时冲动买其它产品，由于我了解不管买多少，付款的繁琐都是免不了的。
7. Beware of sale items, which make you feel like you can't afford not to buy, or limited|time offers, which make you feel like you have to take advantage of a special deal. If you don't need or want something, it's not a good deal, not matter how cheap it is. A friend of mine told her husband, I got this 50% off! and he answered, That means it was 50% ON. Along the same lines
当心营销品，它们叫你感到自己不可以不买。也要当心限时打折，这会叫你感到占了实惠。假如你无需或不想要某样东西，不论价格多么实惠也不要买，这不是一笔好交易。我的一位朋友告诉它的老公：我五折买下的这件东西！她的老公回答：那说明原来卖贵了一倍。同理......
8. Don't buy anything that you don't know you need this is especially important with clothes. If you're not careful, you can buy a pair of pants marked down 75%, then realize that you can't really wear them unless you buy the right shoes to go with them.
不要买自己都不了解是不是需要的东西，特别是衣服。假如你不小心，你或许会买下一条标价2.5折的裤子，随后发现只有再买一双鞋和它搭配，不然根本穿不了。
9. Choose cash or credit card. Some people find it far harder to spend actual physical cash; other people find that paying cash makes a purchase seem trivial, even when the dollar amount is high. Know whether you're more inclined to overspend with cash or credit cards and leave that payment method at home.
选择用现金或信用卡。有些人购物时，若是付现金，就感觉不舍得买了；而有些人相反，花现金让他/她感觉购物只不过小事情，不管那东西有多贵。了解是现金还是信用卡更容易让自己乱烧钱，然后，将那个付款法收起来。
