VOA健康报道2024--Set ‘No-buy’ Rules to Save Money, Cut Waste

Set ‘No-buy’ Rules to Save Money, Cut Waste

Some Americans have been setting their own “no-buy” rules in an attempt to reduce wasteful¹ spending and save money.

Creating no-buy rules themselves can be easy. People simply make a list of non-essential things they plan not to buy for a specific period of time. The idea has caught attention on social media, with people and groups sharing progress on their goals.

But keeping such rules can be difficult, especially for extended periods of time.

Reporters from The Associated Press (AP) spoke² to some people who have set their own no-buy rules, as well as experts. Here are some of their ideas on how to come up with a list of rules, as well as ways to keep no-spend promises.

Identify your weaknesses

Whether it is beauty products, ordering takeout food or buying unnecessary low-cost items at the store, experts suggest knowing your weaknesses so you can make realistic plans.

Mia Westrap is a Ph.D. student in Southhampton, Britain, who decided³ to establish a no-buy promise, or pledge. But before starting, she took a close look at what she spent money on during the previous few months. Through that process, Westrap realized that unnecessary food and drinks were her big weakness.

“I figured out that I was spending four figures on just carbonated drinks and Pepsi Max,” she said.

Make your own rules

Experts say one of the fun parts of no-buy rules is that there are no set rules. Individuals get to choose what to include and what not to.

Amea Wadsworth is a 22-year-old living in San Diego, California. She told the AP she used to love spending hours looking at clothes and interesting knickknacks at places like Target and Goodwill⁴. But when she moved back home after finishing college, she realized how many things she had built up over the years.

“When I have those decluttering moments and I look through all my stuff, I was finding things that I bought and spent a lot of money on and then never ended up wearing,” Wadsworth said.

To keep her rules, she chose not to buy new clothing and to center most spending only on experiences involving loved ones. Wadsworth also set her rules to be on a month-to-month basis.

Experts say it can be a big help for people to write down their rules to help remember and keep them. However, it is also fine to slightly change some rules, if needed, during the process.

Take a pause

Take a break before buying. When Wadsworth feels a strong desire to get something she sees on social media or at a store, she writes it down instead of immediately buying the item.

At the end of each month, she then goes over the list and decides what, if anything, is worth buying.

Consider unfollowing

Between pop-up offers and influencers praising new products, social media can be a trigger for unnecessary shopping, said Courtney Alev. She is a financial adviser⁵ at the company Credit Karma.

If someone feels they are spending too much because of long periods spent on a computer or a device, Alev says they should take a break from any services providing an urge to buy things.

Make changes if needed

As Westrap began her no-buy year, things did not start well. During the first month, her car broke down. Then, she received a costly⁶ parking fine.

Experts say unexpected costs or weak moments happen to everyone. So it is ok if people do not end up following their no-buy rules exactly.

Carrie Rattle⁷ is the chief executive of financial advisory⁸ company Behavioral Cents. She told the AP, “If you fail, you probably need a bit more help. You are not a failure. You have simply failed at one method."

Rattle added that the realization⁹ is very important so that people don’t feel “dejected.”

Words in This Story

essential – adj. completely necessary

figure – n. a number that expresses an amount

carbonated – adj. containing a lot of bubbles, such as a drink

knickknack – n. a small, decorative¹⁰ object

declutter – v. to remove unneeded things from a space

trigger – n. an event or situation that causes something to start

park – v. put a vehicle in a place where it can stay for a period of time

dejected – adj. unhappy, disappointed or without hope 

1 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

8 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

9 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

10 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。