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.

    亂花錢會讓人不快樂——這個問題比一年前波及面更廣了。買了東西又后悔讓人感到非常不愉快。

    Being an under-buyer, as opposed to an over-buyer, I don't generally have much trouble avoiding overspending. I have more trouble prodding myself to make the effort to buy things I actually need.

    身為一個“少買”而不是“多買”的人，我很容易制止自己亂花錢。我的問題在于如何說服自己去買該買的東西。

    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，即便像我這種“少買”的人，有時還是會買回一些不需要的。商店采用極其聰明的手段引誘顧客購買。下面這些方法能讓你買了東西不至于后悔:

    1. Be wary of the check-out areas. There are lots of enticing 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?

    留心收銀臺區，那里有許多誘人的小商品。在把它扔進購物車之前，問一問自己是不是確實需要這件東西。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.

    速戰速決。你在商店花的時間越多，買的就越多。最好連去都不要去，這樣你就不會買了。

    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?

    對“升級”的需要提出質疑。你想買那個有花俏新功能的東西，或者用升級版替換掉你現有的那個，但是，你真的需要嗎?

    4. Be polite to salespeople, 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 helping you or explaining products to you. (At the same time, be respectful of clerks' efforts. The other day, I was in Gap Kids, and I saw someone rifle through a pile of beautifully stacked shirts in a way that meant that they'd all have to be re-folded. Was he malicious or oblivious? I couldn't tell.)

    對銷售人員要禮貌，但別把他們當成你新結識的最要好的朋友。不要因為擔心傷害到他們的感情而去購買，也別因為他們的努力幫助或解說就非得買某樣東西。（同時，還是要對店員的努力表示尊重。幾天前，我在Gap Kids，發現有個人把一堆疊得整整齊齊的襯衫翻得亂七八糟，弄得每件都要重新疊過。他是惡作劇還是不自覺? 我不知道。）

    5. Don't shop when you're in a hurry or when you're hungry.

    不要在匆忙或饑餓的時候購物。

    6. Stick to a list. I've found that after I've decided 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.

    嚴格遵循購物單。我發現在決定了要買一件東西后，總容易一時沖動買其它商品，因為我知道不管買多少，付款的繁瑣都是免不了的。

    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…

    當心促銷品，它們讓你感到自己不能不買。也要當心限時優惠，這會讓你感到占了便宜。如果你不需要或不想要某樣東西，不論價格多么便宜也別買，這不是一筆好買賣。我的一位朋友告訴它的丈夫：“我五折買下的這件東西！”她的丈夫回答：“那說明原來賣貴了一倍。”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.

    不要買自己都不知道是否需要的東西，尤其是衣服。如果你不小心，你可能會買下一條標價2.5折的褲子，隨后發現只有再買一雙鞋和它搭配，否則根本穿不了。

    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.

    選擇用現金或信用卡。有的人購物時，如果是付現金，就覺得不舍得買了；而有的人相反，花現金讓他/她感覺買東西只是小事情，不管那東西有多貴。知道是現金還是信用卡更容易讓自己亂花錢，然后，將那個付款法收起來。