《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》28 Why You Need a Personal Budget

　　Unit 28
Why You Need a Personal Budget
Credit can be a friend or a foe¹. It can be an asset or a liability. If you abuse the privilege, it can ruin future plans. If you find your debts have piled up and you feel out of control, develop a plan to help you solve the problem. Getting out of debt takes a lot of work and self-discipline. It can't be done overnight, but it can be done!
In today's world there are few people who take the time to create a personal budget. Some do not see the value in doing so; others simply have no desire to restrict their spending habits. With this in mind, it should surprise no one that the number of personal bankruptcies² has reached an all time high. People have reached a point in our society where they buy on impulse with no thoughts on the consequences. In order to reverse this trend people need to become more responsible with their patterns of spending. The personal budget helps an individual accomplish this behavior.
A personal budget is a financial plan, which sets limits on the amount of money that will be spent on each category of expenses in a given month. A good budget will take into consideration such factors as: the amount of income being received, retirement³ savings⁴, and an emergency fund.
Many people have no idea exactly where or how they spend a good portion of their money. How many times have you taken money from the ATM only to realize a couple of days later that it is gone? Many times it is difficult to remember how exactly yo spent the money, and often times this money is wasted on foolish and light-hearted purchases. A budget will help prevent this from happening by making a person accountable for the money that they spend. If a person only has $50 left for monthly food expenses then they may decide to give up purchasing that fancy $3 designer cup of coffee. Another great benefit is that a budget portrays⁵ an accurate idea of how much an individual can actually afford to pay for various consumer items. Whether it's a house, a car, or a new TV, a person will be able to determine whether or not a certain purchase will fit within their monetary⁶ constraints⁷.
It is important to realize that simply crating⁸ a budget is not enough. This in and of itself will do a person absolutely no good if he does not discipline himself to stick to it. At times this will be very difficult, particularly if a person has established the habit of freely spending without a second thought. However, the long-term benefits of financial freedom, debt free living, and a comfortable retirement far outweigh⁹ any potential difficulty. If you have a hard time avoiding impulse buying, leave the credit cards at home. Keeping track of what you buy is another idea. Those purchases add up at the end of the month without you realizing it. Finding ways to reduce spending is hard for many families, but not impossible to do. Everyone in the family should be included in the cutbacks. The more involved the family is in planning ways to reduce spending, the more committed they will be to succeed. It is also a good lesson for your children to learn early in life.

1 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

2 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

5 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 crating   

把…装入箱中( crate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Note: Weights are approximate and do not include crating. 注：重量参数只是大约数值，并不包括包装箱重量。
• All wood packaging materials must be crating. 所有木包装材料必须无树皮。

9 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。