Hello, and welcome to Your Money 2.0. I'm Thomas Fox, Community Outreach Director of Cambridge Credit Counseling. In our last episode, we discussed the importance of understanding how and where you're spending your earnings every month. In this installment, we're going to look at classifying your expenses as either wants or needs. Taking this small but very necessary step can help you identify any additional adjustments you should make in your spending plan.
哈囉，歡迎來到「你的財富 2.0」單元。我是 Thomas Fox，劍橋信用顧問的社群聯外主任。在我們上個單元，我們討論過了解你將你每月收入怎樣花和花在哪的重要性。在這段中，我們要探討將你的消費分類為「想要」或是「需要」。採取這小小但非常必要的一步能幫助你發現你在你的消費規畫中應該做出的任何額外調整。
Wants and needs are often easily distinguished from each other. But there are a few times when the line blurs and we're not really sure what might be causing us to spend the way that we do. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, first published in 1943, can help us explain why we're sometimes unable to tell the difference.
「想要」和「需要」通常很容易被區分出來。但有時候那界線不清，且我們不是很確定什麼可能是造成我們這樣花錢的原因。亞伯拉罕‧馬斯洛的需求層次理論，在 1943 年首次發表，能夠幫我們解釋為何我們有時無法分辨差異。
The hierarchy is generally depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels with the first reserve for the satisfaction of our basic physiological needs. These are the basic biological requirements for survival: including food, water, sleep, clothing, and shelter. I don't think any of us would argue that ensuring that these needs are satisfied motivates a fair amount of our spending, and rightfully so. They should be our first budget priorities.
那層次通常被描繪成一個由五個層次組成的金字塔，第一層留作我們基本生理需求滿足。這些是生存的基本生物需求：包含食物、水、睡眠、衣物以及住處。我不認為我們之中任何人會爭論，確保這些需求被滿足造成我們一筆不小的花費，且理應如此。這些花費應該是我們的預算優先款項。
Maslow suggested that satisfying the needs at the lower levels of the pyramid would enable us to move on to the next tier. In his second level, commonly described as safety needs, Maslow included such elements as personal and financial security, health and well-being, and protection from accidents, illnesses or the unknown, the type of general goals we accomplish when we buy insurance. Spending on items that help fulfill these needs may not always seem like priorities to us.
馬斯洛表示，滿足金字塔較低層次的需求能使我們向下一層前進。在他的第二個層次，一般被描述成安全的需求，馬斯洛將這類的組成包含個人及經濟安全感、健康、以及遠離意外、疾病或未知事物的保護，我們買保險時會達成的那類一般目標。花錢在幫助滿足這些需求的品項對我們來說可能不總像是優先項目。
For example, many of us probably know someone who has decided not to buy insurance, preferring to spend the money on something else. Maslow felt that failure to satisfy such a need would result in feelings of anxiety, which may not be resolved even if higher-level needs were satisfied instead.
舉例來說，我們之中許多人可能認識某個決定不買保險的人，他寧可將錢花在其他東西上。馬斯洛認為沒去滿足這樣的需求會引起焦慮感，這種焦慮感即使換成更高層次的需求被滿足都可能不會被消除。
The next two levels, social needs and esteem needs, are responsible for a great deal of our spending, and not all of it healthy. The items Maslow assigned to these levels included the need to love and be loved, to belong to a supportive family or group, to have self-esteem, and to enjoy the acceptance and respect of others. The desire to satisfy these needs can often result in dangerous behaviors, particularly when it comes to the way we spend our money.
接著兩個層次，社交需求以及尊重需求，都是造成我們許多花費的原因，而那並非都是健康的。馬斯洛歸到這些層次的項目包含愛與被愛的需求、歸屬在一個予以支持的家庭或團體、擁有自尊，以及享受他人的認同和尊重。滿足這些需求的欲望往往會引起有害的行為，特別當談到我們花錢的方式時。
You can probably think of someone you know who spends money just to keep up with the Joneses, that is to gain social acceptance, even when doing so might deprive their family of the money they should be using to satisfy their more basic needs for food and shelter. This is an unpleasant truth within Maslow's Hierarchy that acting to accomplish social needs can often trump our real priorities. But recognizing the motivation behind such unhealthy spending is often the first step toward resolving such issues.
你可能會想到某個你認識的人，他花錢只是為了要和別人家比排場，也就是得到社會認同，即便在這樣做時可能會剝奪他們家人應該要用來滿足對食物和住所更基本需求的錢。這是一個存在馬斯洛層次理論中不爭的事實，做來達到社交需求的行動常常會勝過我們實際的優先需求。但辨別這樣不健康消費背後的原因，往往是解決這類問題的第一步。
Let's try an exercise to help you identify your wants and needs. Make three columns on any blank sheet of paper, labeling one for needs, one for wants, and leaving the final column for items that may be difficult to categorize at first. Assign each item in your budget to one of the three columns. Try not to omit a single expenditure of any kind. Undoubtably, you may experience difficulty in assigning a clear-cut definition of need or want to some of your expenses.
讓我們試試一個活動來幫助你分辨你的「想要」和「需要」。在隨便一張空白紙上畫三欄，將一欄標示為「需要」、一欄標示為「想要」，並將最後一欄留給一開始可能很難分類的項目。將你預算中的每個項目分配到三欄中其中一欄。試著不要漏掉半個任何種類的支出。毫無疑問地，你可能會在明確界定你的一些開銷是「需要」或「想要」時經歷困難。
If you're unsure, go back to Maslow's Hierarchy for a moment and see what might be motivating you to spend on that particular item, and then re-evaluate whether you truly need the item, or want it in a way that is symptomatic of unhealthy spending. Before you start cycle-analyzing every move you make, rest assured that there is room in this exercise for compromise.
如果你不確定，回到馬斯洛的層次理論一會兒，並看看什麼可能引起你去花錢在那特定項目，然後重新評估你是否真的需要那項目，或是以一種有病兆且不健康的消費方式想要它。在你開始反覆分析你做的每一步時，放心，在這個活動中有妥協的空間。
Let's say an individual who needs cable television service, because they live in an area where there is poor reception. However, they want the most expensive package that offers every premium channel. In evaluating wants and needs, the individual may decide to keep cable service as a need, but determining that the premium package is excessive. The individual can decide to downgrade services and save money in the process, savings that can be reassigned within their spending plan.
比方說有個需要有線電視服務的人，因為他們住在一個收訊差的區域。然而，他們想要提供所有優質頻道的昂貴套案。在評估「想要」和「需要」時，那個人可能將保留有線服務決定為需要，但判定優質套案是過多的。那個人可能決定將服務降級並在過程中省錢，可以被重新分配到他們消費規畫中的省下的錢。
Ultimately, this list of needs and wants should be used to help identify areas of your spending that can be readjusted. While there are may be opportunities to purchase cost-effective alternatives to many of the items you need, you can almost always save more money by eliminating wants.
歸根結底，這張「需要」和「想要」的清單應該被用來幫助發現你的花費中可以被重新調整的區塊。雖然在你需要的許多物品方面，有許多購買更划算替代選擇的機會，你還是可以幾乎總是藉由消除「想要」來省下更多錢。
Join us in our next episode as we continue to examine the development of a successful spending plan. Until then, we welcome your feedback and ask for your thoughts and suggests by emailing us at yourmoney2@cambridgecredit.org. Thank you for watching, until next time. I'm Thomas Fox for Cambridge Credit Counseling.
加入我們下個單元，我們會繼續分析一個成功消費規劃的擬訂過程。在那之前，透過寄信到 yourmoney2@cambridgecredit.org 給我們，我們很樂意收到您的回饋意見，並徵求您的想法和建議。感謝您的收看，下次再見。我是劍橋信用顧問的 Thomas Fox。
- 「查看、考慮」- Look At
In this installment, we're going to look at classifying your expenses as either wants or needs.
在這段中，我們要探討將你的消費分類為「想要」或是「需要」。 - 「繼續前進」- Move On
Maslow suggested that satisfying the needs at the lower levels of the pyramid would enable us to move on to the next tier.
馬斯洛表示，滿足金字塔較低層次的需求能使我們向下一層前進。 - 「舉例來說」- For Example
For example, many of us probably know someone who has decided not to buy insurance, preferring to spend the money on something else.
舉例來說，我們之中許多人可能認識某個決定不買保險的人，他寧可將錢花在其他東西上。 - 「導致、引起」- Result In
The desire to satisfy these needs can often result in dangerous behaviors, particularly when it comes to the way we spend our money.
滿足這些需求的欲望往往會引起有害的行為，特別當談到我們花錢的方式時。 - 「和周圍的人比排場」- keep Up With The Joneses
You can probably think of someone you know who spends money just to keep up with the Joneses...
你可能會想到某個你認識的人，他花錢只是為了要和別人家比排場...
