美丽英文40

Buy What You Love

I used to be a shopaholic.

How many of us can relate to that statement? Yet, when Saturday rolls around, off we go to the nearest boutique or shopping mall to buy more clothes, things, and possessions that we really aren't even sure we need or want.

"But it was on SALE..." is often one of the biggest defenses we use to justify¹ our shopping habits and expenditures².

As someone who truly has been a shop-a-holic (yes, I once spent $10,000 in one two month period on clothes -- my MasterCard entered the MasterCard hall-of-fame for that one!) I can tell you that buying something just because it is "on sale" is not a good reason for making a purchase.

I spent far more money than I needed to simply because a store was going out of business and had too many great deals to pass up. But at what cost did I do this? If I had invested my money in real estate, I could have bought ten times the amount of clothes just three years later. Or, how many starving, hungry people could I have fed, if I had donated that money, instead? Did I need the clothes? Not really. I already had numerous suits, ties, and shirts that I hardly wore more than once a year.

So, if you're finding yourself nodding and saying, "hmm... yes, I DO have a lot of shoes I rarely wear.... yes, I do have more than I need... " then here are a few basic guidelines to help break the pattern and start creating the proactive life on purpose with our elegant -- yet SIMPLE lifestyle we seek:

1. Buy it ONLY if we NEED it and ONLY if we LOVE it. This is the most important guideline.

2. If I buy something new, and have something like it already, then the older something must be donated, given away, or thrown away. This is a basic of clutter³ clearing that when overlooked creates an abundance of stuff we no longer need cluttering⁴ up our lives.

3. If we need it, buy it if it is on sale, if possible, but do not let that be a deterrence⁵ to buying. However, buy consumables, furniture, and other things which stay in style longer at the end of seasons, and buy clothing which fades from style at the beginning of the season. We need to buy much less of the "fashion trend" type of clothing and much more of styles which will be staying around for a longer time, so we can maximize our clothing investment.

4. If we haven't worn it in a year, then consider getting rid of it.

5. Find a good tailor. Most of the problems with clothing and fit could be eliminated simply by having good tailor. Also, take outfits⁶ to the tailor for fitting any time we've gained or lost more than 5 lbs. Ever seen someone with a double breasted suit with the button in the wrong place? Or a suit that pinches in the middle? A dress that fits funny? Why not get it tailored professionally so we can look our best? That is what elegance⁷ is all about, isn't it?

6. If we have not used an item (furniture, gadget⁸, etc.) for over a year, consider donating, selling, or otherwise getting rid of the item. There are some exceptions to this guideline, if collecting a certain item is our passion, but otherwise, this is a healthy guideline to keep our "stuff" simplified.

7. Before buying anything, always ask "Do I need this? Do I LOVE this?" If the answer is "no", then don't buy it.

As we start to buy proactively, with a plan for bringing new things into our life and donating or selling those things we no longer need, we will find your life will be far more free to spend the time doing what we love, rather than being a slave to fashion.

1 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

2 expenditures   

n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费

参考例句：

• We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了，下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

4 cluttering   

v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的现在分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满…

参考例句：

• I'm sick of all these books cluttering up my office. 我讨厌办公室里乱糟糟地堆放着这些书。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some goals will need to be daily-say, drinking water, or exercise, or perhaps de cluttering. 对这些目标，需要把他们变成我们日常事务的一部分。 来自互联网

5 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

6 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

7 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

8 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。