My mom used to tell me: You can only spend money once. What she meant is that if you spent money frivolously, you might really need it later and regret your earlier careless spending. After several years of managing a small amount of my own money, I have come to the conclusion that my mom was right, saving is better than spending. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, the only thing we can do is to try to be prepared. When disaster strikes, perhaps a sudden illness in the family, having money on hand can mean the difference between life and death. When opportunity knocks, a surprise acceptance to a top university for instance, money is needed for tuition, board, and books. This is not to say that one should not spend any money because they have to prepare for every possible contingency. It simply means that one should not spend recklessly without having a substantial amount of money to guard against an unpredictable future. The importance of saving money when young cannot be overstressed. This is because young people can tolerate higher-risk, higher return investments, and can let their investments mature longer, allowing interest on savings to compound. If invested well, $5,000 today could become $20,000 in 15 years. This concept is so powerful because the investor does not have to work for the money, the money works for the investor. Saving is not only a bulwark against an unpredictable future, it is also a way to generate future wealth. At last, while it is true that spending money can be enjoyable, it is not the only way to have fun. The idea that we must always be consuming things in order to have a good time is a lie told to us by advertisers. These companies tell us that only when we drive the right car, wear the right clothes, and drink the right beverages will we be truly happy. In reality, each person determines the standard of his/her own happiness. For my part, I have decided that creating things, writing, painting, making music, is what truly makes me happy. The amount of money I need to spend doing these things is almost nothing, but the happiness they bring me is immeasurable. I would prefer to save money for unavoidable expenses and enjoy life by being a producer, not a consumer.
我妈妈曾经告诉我：你只能花一次钱。她的意思是，如果你无节制地花钱，以后你可能会真正需要它，后悔你先前胡乱花钱。经过了好几年的管理我自己的钱，我得出的结论是，我的妈妈是正确的，储蓄是更好的比支出。没有人知道明天会带来什么，我们唯一能做的就是努力做好准备。当灾难降临时，家庭中的一个突然的疾病，手头上的钱可能意味着生与死的区别。当机会来临时，一个意外的接受到一所顶尖的大学，例如，金钱是需要的学费，董事会和书籍。这并不是说，一个人不应该花任何钱，因为他们必须为每一个可能的意外情况做好准备。它只是意味着一个人不应该花钱，而不必花费大量的金钱来防范不可预知的未来。在年轻时存钱的重要性怎么强调也不为过。这是因为年轻人可以容忍高风险、高收益的投资，并能让他们的投资更成熟，让储蓄的利息更高。如果投入的很好，今天5000美元可以成为20000美元15年。这一概念之所以如此强大，是因为投资者没有工作的钱，对投资者的资金工作。节约不仅是对不可预知的未来的一个堡垒，它也是一种产生未来的财富。最后，虽然花钱是令人愉快的，但这并不是唯一的娱乐方式。我们必须一直在消费的东西，以有一个良好的时间是一个谎言告诉我们的广告主。这些公司告诉我们，只有当我们开车的时候，穿合适的衣服，喝正确的饮料，我们会真正快乐。在现实中，每个人都决定了他/她自己幸福的标准。对于我来说，我已经决定创造东西，写作，绘画，音乐，是真正使我快乐的。我需要花的钱做这些事情几乎没有什么，但他们带给我的幸福是无法估量的。我更愿意为了避免不可避免的开支而节省开支，并且享受生活的乐趣，而不是消费者。