1.Divvy up any unexpected income
分配好福利收入
When you have a windfall a bonus, gift, or extra cash for extra work — use the rule of thirds to determine how to use it:
当你得到一笔意外之财时--奖金、礼物，或是赚到的外快--使用三分之一法则来决定如何使用它：
One third for the past. Use one third to pay down debt you owe.
三分之一用在过去。把三分之一的钱用来支付你欠下的债务。
One third for the future. Put a second third immediately into some sort of savings or investment.
三分之一用在未来。把第二个三分之一立刻进行储蓄或是投资。
One third for the present. Use the final third to make a home or personal improvement or purchase you want.
三分之一用在当前。把最后的三分之一用于家庭或个人改善，又或者是买你想要的东西。
If you follow this rule, you'll see your debt shrink and your savings grow, and you won't feel deprived.
如果你遵循了这个法则，你将看到你的债务在减少，而你的储蓄在增加。你也不会再觉得拮据了！
2.Keep a slush fund handy
手头要有一笔备用金
Something be it a car repair, an emergency root canal, or a job layoff always comes up to throw you off your monthly budget. To keep these incidents from running you into debt, you need to have an emergency stash in an easily accessible account, preferably a money market account (they earn a little more interest than regular savings accounts).
总有些事会给你一个措手不及，打乱你的每月预算，比如修车、牙根治疗或是下岗之类的事。为了避免因为这些事而让自己背负债务，你需要准备一个随时可用的紧急账户，比较好的是货币理财账户(比起一般的储蓄账户，它们赚到的利息会更多一点)。
How much is enough?Easy.Track all of your spending for a month(including everything from your mortgage payment to lunch at the deli)，and multiply that monthly total by three.That three-month operating budget is a scary number, eh? Well, is the minimum you should have on hand in case the roof caves in(literally or figuratively)and you need some dough to get you through the rough spots. And don't worry if this money isn't accruing the big interest; it's there for emergencies.
多少钱才足够？很简单。记录下你一个月的总花销(所有林林总总的账目，从按揭支付到去熟食店吃午饭的开销)，然后把月消费总额再乘以三。这份三月收支预算看着有些吓人，是吧？这个数字其实是你手头应该有的最低费用，用来防止意外的发生，不管是房子倒塌了还是出现其它意外。你需要一些钱帮你度过这些难关。如果这些钱不能产生很多利息，也不必担心，因为预留这些钱是为紧急状况准备的。
3.Ditch the ATM card
丢掉银行卡
We're always making impulse purchases,from a pack of gum at the supermarket checkout line to that new Van Halen-meets-bluegrass CD.How can you stop your bank account from hemorrhaging? Take a page from the old-timers and shred your ATM card.Figure out how much cash you'll need each week for your regular,cash-based purchases(things like lunch at the cafeteria and your daily cup of coffee)，head on over to the bank teller's window,and get your walking-around money for the week.With a finite amount of cash,you'll start to think twice before those spur-of-the-moment spending sprees.
我们不可避免地会冲动购物，比如在超市排队结账时会买一盒口香糖，或是在唱片店买一张范·海伦乐队新出的CD。你怎么做才能守住你银行里的钱而不是铺张消费呢？跟老前辈学一学，丢掉银行卡。你要算出每个月满足正常生活需要所花的现金数目(像在自助餐厅吃的午饭，你每天要喝的咖啡)，接着径直走到银行柜台，取出你这一星期所需要的零花钱。因为金额有限，在你想冲动购物时，你就会开始再三考虑了。
