Step 1: Create a Budget
第一步：制定预算

Begin by listing your stable monthly income, as well as all expenses. That’s everything from your monthly house payment, down to how much you spend buying coffee on the fly.
先列出每月固定收入和所有支出，上至每月房子月供，下到匆忙中买咖啡花的钱。

It's usually best if you go back a few months. At a minimum, you should include the past three months. But going back six months, or even a full year, may provide a lot more insight.
通常最好回顾近几个月的收支情况，至少该看近三个月的，要是能回顾一下过去六个月甚至一整年的就能更深入地了解。

It can be messy and involved, but there are budgeting apps that can help you do this in a matter of minutes. By linking your spending and income accounts to an app, the analysis can be done for you.[/en
情况可能有点儿混乱和复杂，但有些预算应用程序能帮你在几分钟内搞定。只要把支出和收入账户绑定到应用程序上，你就能得到分析结果。

 

[en]Step 2: Analyze Your Spending

第二步：分析支出

Whether you do it manually or using an app, you should summarize your spending patterns. Create expense categories, such as mortgage, car payments, utilities, groceries, and entertainment.
无论你是手动记录还是使用应用程序，都应该总结一下消费模式，把消费分类，比如月供、汽车支出、生活缴费、日常购物和娱乐。

The second point is the most important because it's the basic foundation of a budget. You don't want to merely track your spending, but develop plans and strategies to control it.
第二点最重要，因为这是预算的基本依据。你不仅是想追踪支出，还想制定计划和对策来控制支出。

Once you know what your monthly spending is in each expense category, group your expenses into three categories:
一旦知道自己每月的各种支出，你就把支出分成三类：

Necessary fixed expenses. These include basic living expenses, like rent, health insurance, and debt payments.
必要的固定支出。包括基本生活开销，如房租、健康保险和债务。

Necessary variable expenses. These are items you need, but that vary in amount. It includes groceries, gasoline, and some utilities.
必要的可变支出。这些是你需要消费的，但钱数不固定。包括日常购物、汽油和一些生活缴费。

Optional expenses. This broad category includes everything else, and are desirable, but not necessary. Entertainment and eating out are two prime examples.
可选支出。这个范围很广，包括其他所有方面，是你想做但又不必要的。最基本的两项就是娱乐和外出就餐。

There's not much you can do about necessary fixed expenses. But you can work to gradually lower necessary variable expenses. For example, you can set a goal to cut your grocery bill by 20 percent, and your utilities by 10 percent.
必要的固定支出你不能做太大改变，但你可以逐渐减少必要的可变支出，比如你可以定一个目标，减少20%的日常购物开销和10%的生活缴费。

The biggest savings will be optional expenses. Since these are totally discretionary, you can literally cut them to zero, without hurting your basic standard of living.
最大的省钱项目是可选支出，因为这些完全取决于你自己，你其实可以把这笔钱都省下还不会影响基本生活水平。

Now you don't need to cut your spending in this category by 100 percent. But 50 percent would free-up a solid amount of money for savings.
现在你不需要完全省下这笔开销，拿出50%就可以成为一笔可观的存款了。

The entire purpose of categorizing and analyzing your expenses is to identify areas you can reduce in favor of saving.
分类和分析支出的最终目的，就是知道在哪儿能省出钱来储蓄。

 

Step 3: Set a Savings Goal
第三步：制定储蓄目标

Set a target amount for savings. For example, you may want to have three month’s living expenses in an emergency fund. If you need $3,000 per month to cover your expenses, you’ll need $9,000 to fill the fund. That’s your savings goal––you can set others later.
定一个储蓄的目标钱数。比如应急基金可能需要三个月的生活支出，如果你每月支出$3,000，这个基金就需要$9,000，这就是你的储蓄目标，其他目标可以延后。

You'll then need to create a reasonable plan to reach that goal. For example, you can decide you're going to save a flat dollar amount each month. If you save $450 per month in your budget, you'll reach your savings target in 20 months.
然后你需要制定一个可行的计划来实现目标。比如你可以决定每月省下固定钱数，如果你每月计划省下$450，20个月就能达到目标钱数了。

 

Step 4: Know When You’re Pushing Too Hard
第四步：知道自己什么时候存得太多

You might set high goals at the very beginning, with the idea of making up for lost time. This is probably not a good idea. If you haven't been a saver up to this point, it’ll take time before it comes naturally.
你可能最开始定了很高的目标，想把损失的时间补回来，这个做法可能并不合适。如果你目前还没攒下钱，那想要自然而然地攒钱还需要一段时间。

Your best bet is to start with a savings goal that's doable. For example, if saving 10 percent of your income is fairly easy, go with that number. You can increase it over time, as your earnings increase, and you get better at cutting spending.
最好的做法是先制定可行的储蓄目标，比如，如果把收入的10%存起来很容易，那就存那么多。收入增多而且你更会省钱时就可以逐渐增加储蓄的钱数。

 

Step 5: Knowing When You’re Not Pushing Hard Enough
第五步：知道自己什么时候存得不够

One of the inherent problems in setting any savings goal is the need to see results. In Step 4 I suggested starting by saving 10 percent of your income, or some other number that’s an easy fit. That's fine when you're just starting out, but it should increase as you go along. If not, your savings plan could derail.
设定储蓄目标一定会产生一个问题，那就是要能看到结果。在第四步中我建议开始时先存起来收入的10%，或者任何对你来说可行的钱数。刚开始时还可以，但钱数要逐渐增加，做不到的话你的储蓄计划就前功尽弃了。

Start small, increase your savings gradually, and you'll find that balance. Once you do, budgeting and saving will start to come naturally, and you'll begin to reap the rewards of an improved financial condition.
先少存一些，逐渐增加储蓄金额，你会找到那个平衡点。一旦找到了，预算和储蓄就成了自然而然的事，你也能尝到经济条件改善的甜头了。


翻译：菲菲