生活给我们提供了很多便利，有人说这是个懒人的时代。然而懒惰会在个人理财的时候让你付出高额的代价。要知道，勤快能生财。

    Last month, Forbes published an article aboutall the ways your laziness is costing you. As a semi-reformed layabout （Kris would say I haven't reformed at all!）, I read the article with interest. I recognized some of my old money habits - and some I still have.

    Author Daniel Adler writes:

    These days countless businesses make hay by taking advantage of our collective indolence - everything from not bothering to spend 15 minutes surfing the Web for a better rate on a savings account to not taking half as much time to mail a $50 rebate on a new laptop computer.

    Here are some of the ways Forbes says laziness can cost you money. （The bullet points are from Forbes, but the rest of the text is from me.）

    · Not choosing the best rate on your savings account. While it's probably not a good idea to become a rate-chaser, it doesn't make much sense to keep the bulk of your savings in a big bank savings account earning 0.20%. Find a local credit union or an online bank where you can earn a decent return on your money. Even though rates are low right now, they'll rise in the future, and you'll be glad your money is earning interest for you.

    · Not opening a retirement fund （as soon as possible）. Never forget the power of compounding. The younger you begin to save, the more time your money has to work for you. Even if you're older, you should still get started as soon as possible. I didn't begin saving until I was 37, and I've now watched much of my retirement money wither away, but I'm continuing to put money aside for the future. If your employer matches your 401（k） contributions, take advantage of this free money. And don't forget to max out your Roth IRA.

    · Not sending in rebate offers. Ah, yes. That "not sending in the rebate" thing has bitten me before. It's a good way to turn a bargain into a run-of-the-mill deal. Manufacturers offer rebates instead of actual discounts because they know a large percentage of purchasers will never follow through.

    · Not paying attention to 0% financing deadlines. When you buy something with zero percent interest, there's a catch. If you don't pay in full by the end of the grace period, Adler writes, "the often very steep interest rate that kicks in applies not to the remainder of the debt, but the entire original purchase price." Zero percent is only a bargain if you aren't lazy.

    · Waiting until the last minute to send mail. This one has nailed me, too. A decade ago, I was a chronic sloth with my mail. （"Sloth Roth," Kris would call me.） I'd mail things on the day they were due, and then moan about the late fees I received. Now I try to mail my bills on the day I receive them. （Or, better yet, to pay automatically online.）

    · Not taking advantage of corporate wellness incentives. If your employer pays for health-related benefits, you ought to take them. I think this is true of many benefits. Some companies offer paid gym memberships （though you may have to pay taxes on this）. But most employees are too lazy to take advantage of the offer. At the box factory, we would pay for one class per employee per term at any public school they chose. Few employees took us up on the offer. （I took many classes via this benefit!）

    · Not bothering to negotiate a deal. Many people are averse to haggling. But if you're just avoiding it because you're lazy, you're missing out on a chance to save. You don't have to haggle on everything. But haggle where it makes sense, and your pocketbook will thank you. （Here's how one GRS reader uses haggling to save big bucks.）

    The full article has more details, and the accompanying slideshow highlights other ways in which laziness may be costing you money.

    Laziness isn't as much of an issue for me as it used to be. I'm much more motivated to manage my money. Still, I do make mistakes from time-to-time. Here are a few of the ways laziness continues to cost me money:

    · When I'm just too lazy to make dinner at home, I end up spending more in restaurants.

    · When I'm too lazy to maintain my tools, they rust or break. （I recently had a scare with my lawnmower. I hadn't changed the oil on it once in five years - because I was lazy - and the blade seized up. Turns out the oil wasn't an issue, but you can bet I'll change the oil every year going forward!）

    · When I'm too lazy to reply to e-mail from potential advertisers, they find somebody else to work with. I miss out on that revenue.

    · When I'm too lazy to go see the doctor, my running injuries linger for months instead of being resolved in weeks.

    Not everyone is lazy, of course. And even those of us who are chronic loafers have areas where we shine. I've written something substantive nearly every day for the past eight years, for example. Plus I'll often walk to do my errands. I'm not completely lazy!

    What about you? How has laziness cost you money? Did you take steps to prevent problems in the future?

    上个月，福布斯杂志上发表了一篇名为"懒惰带来的代价"的文章。我是个革命还未成功的懒人（克丽丝会说我根本就没怎么变过）、我饶有兴致地读了这篇文章，在其中发现了一些自己用钱的老习惯，有些坏习惯我至今还没改过。

    作者Daniel Adler是这么写的：大家都很懒，而无数的商家从中把握了赚钱的机会---从你不会花十五分钟上网为自己的存款账户找找好一些的利率，到你不会花什么时间为了一台新手提电脑发邮件索取50元折扣。

    以下是福布斯杂志列出的懒惰带来的代价的几点。（着重号后面的一句话是福布斯上的内容，其他内容是我的评述。）

    * 懒到不去给自己的存款账户选一个最佳利率。整天追逐高利息的做法可能并不怎么好，但是那种把所有的存款就那么放在一个大银行账户里，拿着0.20%的利息的做法似乎也不太说得通。到当地找家信用社，或者网上银行，为自己的存款找个有不错收益的地方。尽管最近利率很低，可将来会涨的，到那时你就会为自己的选择感到高兴了，因为那时你的钱会为你赚来更多的利息。

    * 懒到不去（尽快）给自己开一个退休基金。永远不要忘记复利的作用。存钱存得越早，到时候你的钱给你带来好处的期限就越长。即使你已经不怎么年轻，你仍然要尽快开始。我知道37岁才开始存钱，现在我看着自己的退休金一点一点地萎缩变少，但我仍旧为将来留出那部分钱。假如你的老板给你的养老金计划里存钱的话，请利用好这笔钱吧。请不要忘了罗斯退休计划。

    * 懒到不去索取折扣券。是的，以前这种事情也曾困扰过我的。要知道，把享受折扣的特价商品当作你常去光顾的购物选项是个好做法。制造商不会打折，而是提供折扣券，原因就是他们知道，大部分购买者都不会所要这个折扣券。

    * 懒到不去注意最后期限。当你用零利率购买东西的时候，这里面肯定有个圈套。假如你没有在最后期限之前付清，Adler写道，通常情况下，要缴纳的利息会涨的很厉害，不只是债务的零头，而往往是原商品的价钱。如果你不懒，及时付清账单的话，零利率就会是个好交易了。

    * 懒到最后一秒才把邮件寄出去。这一点说的就是我。十年前，我是个彻头彻尾的懒人，邮件不拖到最后不会发出去的。（"懒人罗斯",克丽丝这么叫我。）我会在到期的那天寄邮件，然后又抱怨自己因此而缴的费用。现在我一收到账单就会寄出付款单了。（或者，更好的方法就是在网上自动支付。）

    * 懒到不利用好公司给你的健康优惠政策。假如你的老板给你提供健康类的福利，你应该把它利用好。有些公司提供付过款的体育馆会员资格（尽管你得在这上面付点税）.但是大多数员工都很懒，以至于没有什么人利用好了这个福利。原来在盒子工场工作的时候，我们给每个员工提供一个课程的福利，他们可以在任意公立学校选择充电课程。然而，很少有员工跟我们要了这个福利。（我通过这个福利上了很多课。）

    * 懒到不愿去讨价还价。许多人都很讨厌跟人讨价还价。但如果因为懒而不还价的话，你就错过了存钱的机会了。当然，没必要在所有商品上还价，但你可以在某些商品上还一下价，你的钱夹会感谢你的。（这里是一位读者用来讨价还价，存大钱的方法。）

    整篇文章还有很多细节，附带有幻灯片，告诉大家懒惰还会带来什么后果。

    现在懒惰对我来说已经不算什么了。我会更主动地管理自己的钱。当然，我也会时不时犯个错误什么的。以下是懒惰给我带来的代价：

    * 当我很懒，不想在家做饭的时候，我就会在餐馆花更多的钱。

    * 当我懒得打理我那些园艺工具的时候，它们就生锈变坏不能用了。（最近，我家的割草机吓了我一跳，我已经五年没有给它换油了-因为懒-所以刀口卡住了。换油并不是件难事，但我以后肯定会每年给它换的。）

    * 我懒得给广告商回email,因此他们找了别人，我也就错过了这部分收益。

    * 还有我懒得去看医生，所以伤口疼了几个月，其实可以几周就治好的。

    当然，并不是所有的人都很懒。即使那些很懒的人也会有不懒的时候。比如，我在过去的八年时间里一直坚持每天写东西。还有，我常常步行去做事。我并不完全是个懒人！

    你呢？懒惰会让你受到什么损失呢？你尝试过什么方法避免自己将来出现这些问题吗？