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.

    乱花钱会让人不快乐——这个问题比一年前波及面更广了。买了东西又后悔让人感到非常不愉快。

    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.

    身为一个“少买”而不是“多买”的人，我很容易制止自己乱花钱。我的问题在于如何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，即便像我这种“少买”的人，有时还是会买回一些不需要的。商店采用极其聪明的手段引诱顾客购买。下面这些方法能让你买了东西不至于后悔:

    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?

    留心收银台区，那里有许多诱人的小商品。在把它扔进购物车之前，问一问自己是不是确实需要这件东西。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，这样你就不会买了。

    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的那个，但是，你真的需要吗?

    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.)

    对销售人员要礼貌，但别把他们当成你新结识的最要好的朋友。不要因为担心伤害到他们的感情而去购买，也别因为他们的努力帮助或解说就非得买某样东西。（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衫翻得乱七八糟，弄得每件都要重新叠过。他是恶作剧还是不自觉? 我不知道。）

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

    不要在匆忙或饥饿的时候购物。

    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.

    严格遵循购物单。我发现在决定了要买一件东西后，总容易一时冲动买其它商品，因为我知道不管买多少，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…

    当心促销品，它们让你感到自己不能不买。也要当心限时优惠，这会让你感到占了便宜。如果你不需要或不想要某样东西，不论价格多么便宜也别买，这不是一笔好买卖。我的一位朋友告诉它的丈夫：“我五折买下的这件东西！”她的丈夫回答：“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.

    不要买自己都不知道是否需要的东西，尤其是衣服。如果你不小心，你可能会买下一条标价2.5折的裤子，随后发现只有再买一双鞋和它搭配，否则根本穿不了。

    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。有的人购物时，如果是付现金，就觉得不舍得买了；而有的人相反，花现金让他/她感觉买东西只是小事情，不管那东西有多贵。知道是现金还是信用卡更容易让自己乱花钱，然后，将那个付款法收起来。