The Culture of Saving Money Around the World全球省钱文化一览

It’s a familiar feeling for many Americans： checking your bank account after a week of hard work only to wonder， “Where did my money go？” How many times have you told yourself that you really need to stop going out for that happy hour1 drink （or three）， that you shouldn’t have taken an Uber when you could have taken the bus？ All those miscellaneous expenses can really add up.

不少美国人都有类似体验：辛苦工作了一周，查对银行账单之后却纳闷“我的钱都花到哪儿去了？”曾经多少次告诫自己，该戒掉欢乐时光的那一杯（三杯）酒了，该乘坐公交的时候也不该老打车。这些杂七杂八的开销最终积少成多。

But for a country that loves to spend， spend， spend， the United States is not without its thrifters. For many Americans， saving money can be an art form. Clipping coupons， packing lunch from home and taking public transit are among the countless ways spending-conscious Americans try to curb their spending. Around the world， thriftiness is more ingrained in everyday culture， and many other countries fare much better than the United States when it comes to saving money. Here’s a look at spending and saving culture around the world.

不过，国民热衷于买买买的美国也不乏精打细算的行家。对很多美国人来说，省钱是一门学问。他们剪下报纸上的赠券，自带午饭上班，乘坐公共交通，精打细算的美国人就这么变着各种花样来节约开支。放眼全球，节约精神深深地植根于日常文化中，还有不少国家的人比美国人更精于此道。让我们一起来了解全球消费和省钱的文化。

Strength in numbers

人多力量大

A communal money-saving method that many Americans would consider novel is the tanda2， which is popular in Latin American countries and the Caribbean. It’s known by different names around the world， but its basic underlying idea is the same： when people work in tandem3 to save， everyone benefits. The system works in turns; a group of people each pitches in an agreed-upon amount to a collective pool during each turn on a specific day， which can be a payday， the first of the month， or any other stipulated time. Then， during the first turn one member of the group receives the pooled money as a payout， and then the next member receives all the money during the next turn， and so on. More money isn’t created， but it gives each person a boost every once in a while.

很多美国人会对叫做坦达的集资方式感到新奇，其实它在拉丁美洲国家和加勒比海地区广泛流行。尽管叫法不同，但世界各国都有与之相通的集资概念：大家搭伙攒钱，互利共赢。这是一种轮流运转的机制：一轮开始时，每位成员按约定金额在特定的某日（可以是发薪日、每月第一天或其他约定的日子）向资金池各自投入资金；投入完毕，第一轮筹集的资金由第一位成员收取，第二位成员则收取第二轮筹集的所有资金，以此类推。这么做并不能钱生钱，但每个人都可以时不时拿到一大笔钱。

The notion of communal financial planning is not foreign in Kenya， either， where the harambee （Swahili for “all pull together”） is a popular tradition of community improvement. It works through a group contribution to a common cause or goal like education and resourcing—all projects that benefit the community as a whole. It may not be “saving” in the purest sense of the word， but by crowdfunding money， people hold each other accountable and can see the tangible effects of their investments.

集资规划这种概念在肯尼亚也称不上新鲜，他们用传统的哈兰比募捐会（瓦西里语，表示“齐心协力”）来促进社区建设。通过集体的力量来促成某项事业或达成目标，比如推进教育或资源管理，最终目的是让整个社区获益。也许这种做法不能严格归为“省钱”，但是众筹让大家分摊责任，而且人人都能看到投资带来的切实效果。

Thinking bigger， farther ahead and beyond oneself

着眼长远，自利利他

Indian culture—less individualistic than that of the United States and much more frugal—typically emphasizes sharing wealth and investing in the financial stability of one’s family. Parents often support their children financially even after they leave home， and the cost of weddings and dowries makes saving up all the more important.

印度文化不像美国文化这么看重个人主义，而且印度人节俭得多，他们尤其注重家族财富的共享，会为家庭经济的稳定而投资。父母对子女的经济支持一直持续到他们成人离家之后，而且婚礼和嫁妆费用让攒钱格外重要。

In China， people are more focused on saving for a rainy day4. The saving culture also has a focus on taking care of one’s elders and planning for the future， like children’s education or unexpected health costs that might arise.

在中国，人们更关注未雨绸缪。他们的储蓄文化还侧重于赡养老人和长远打算（如为子女教育或意外的医疗支出存钱）。

That’s not to say that people shouldn’t take care of their own needs， or that the United States has a perfect welfare system that allows its population to throw family values out the window5. But reframing your savings to account not only for yourself but also for your dependents and family members might make you think twice about blowing6 your paycheck on the latest gadget.

当然，不是说关注自己的需求就不重要，况且美国的福利制度也没有尽善尽美，还没到可以抛弃家庭价值观念的程度。但是，重新规划储蓄思路来满足个人、被供养人和家人的需求，你在花光工资购买最新电子产品之前就会三思。

Stay within your means

量力而行

When it comes to saving money， don’t buy what you can’t afford！ This might sound too intuitive to even merit putting into words， but it’s an idea that many other cultures seem to grasp better than Americans do.

说到怎么省钱，可千万别买自己买不起的东西！这话看似不假思索，甚至不值一提，但对于这一点，其他很多国家的人都比美国人理解得深刻。

Take Germany， for example， where people are so averse to debt that they use cash far more than they use credit cards. The German Central Bank found that 80 percent of its citizens’ transactions are conducted with cash， compared to only 50 percent of Americans’. They’ve even got a saying， Geld stinkt nicht （“Cash doesn’t stink”）， to reflect their steering clear of7 credit. And Germans are among several other European states like Belgium， Italy and Austria， where people try to shy away from8 personal debt by avoiding borrowing.

以德国人为例，他们厌恶借贷，现金比信用卡结算普遍得多。德国中央银行研究发现，国内交易有八成都是现金支付，但在美国只有五成的现金交易。德国甚至还有句谚语，叫做“现金永不臭”，体现了他们对信贷避之唯恐不及的态度。德国人与比利时、意大利、奥地利等欧洲国家的国民一样，避免借贷以防背上个人债务。

Something similar happens in Japan， where money is generally treated with respect and dignity. That means that physical currency gets the star treatment; bills are kept crisp and clean to the fullest extent they can be and are customarily given as gifts in special envelopes tied up in red. In these cultures and others， being able to visualize and control exactly how much money you’re letting go of—and treating that money with care—means there’s a lot of thought that goes into spending and， by extension， saving.

在日本也一样，现金为王，地位尊崇。也就是说，实体货币交易享受明星级的待遇，日本人把钞票保存得极其干净挺括，并习惯把钱放进系红带的特殊信封里当作礼金送出。在东亚和其他文化中，能在开销上量入为出，而且用之有节，意味着无论花钱还是存钱都深思熟虑。

There’s plenty to learn about frugality， saving money and responsible financial planning from countries across the world. If you’re looking to spend less for your New Year’s resolution， you might want to take a page out of these cultures’ playbook9—or checkbook？

很多国家关于节约、储蓄和理性财务规划的经验都值得学习。如果你定下新年决心要节约开支，那么不防借鉴一下这些文化的做法——尤其是花钱的方法。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者；单位：上海工程技术大学）

1 happy hour欢乐时光，酒吧酒水打折的时段。

2 tanda来自西班牙语，原义是“轮流、交替”。在华人社会俗称标会，也叫互助会。 3 in tandem协同地，联合地。

4 save money for a rainy day为有朝一日困难时打算，未雨绸缪。 5 throw out the window放弃，抛弃。

6 blow挥霍，浪费。 7 steer clear of 绕开，避开（令人不快或危险的人或事情）。 8 shy away from sth（因不喜欢、害怕或缺乏自信而）退缩，躲避。

9 take a page out of someone’s playbook 采纳别人的做法。

Money Saving Quotes

Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend what is left after saving.

—Warren Buffett

The habit of saving is itself an education; it fosters every virtue， teaches self-denial， cultivates the sense of order， trains to forethought， and so broadens the mind.

—T.T. Munger

Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money， and I’ll tell you what they are.

—James W. Frick