怎样改掉自己乱花钱的坏习惯?

　　I talked to a New York University professor who has researched how people’s reactions change as they get nearer to a situation.He believes the shift in my mind occurred when dropping prices suddenly made a big-screen TV a real possibility forme.

　　我去找纽约大学的一位教授谈了谈。他研究过当人们靠近某一情境时，反应将会如何变化。他认为，当价格骤降让拥有一台大屏幕电视突然成为可能时，我的想法发生了改变。

　　He likens the process to a trip to the mountains. When the trip is far off, we focus on the scenic view we expect to see. As the trip nears, we begin thinking about all the hassles of traveling there, the mosquitoes that will bite us and so on.

　　他把这一过程比作一次登山旅行。当距离旅行日期尚远时，我们关注的是期待看到的风景。而当启程之期临近时，我们就会开始考虑旅行中可能遇到的种种麻烦，比如蚊虫叮咬等。

　　As I talked to him, I realized that was exactly what happened with me and my big-screen TV. I knew there was no way I’d shell out $1,500 for a set, but it was fun to think of viewing movies on one.

　　在与其交流时，我意识到他所描述的这种情形恰好符合我买大屏幕电视的想法。我知道自己根本不会花1500 美元买台电视机，但每每想到可以用它来看电影，就感觉乐在其中。

　　The big price drop changed everything. Now I began focusing more on munda concerns.Where would the TV actually sit? Would it be a hassle setting it up?

　　大减价改变了这一切。现在，我开始更多地关注那些现实的问题。比如电视机到底应该放在哪里？安装它会不会很麻烦？

　　There were other factors as well.During that time, we moved and bought a new house. The owners left their relatively new 27-inch Toshiba TV behind. It wasn’t a high-definition TV. But it was a big improvement over our old set. So I had already gotten a better TV without buying anything.

　　还有其他一些因素影响了我。那段时间里，我们搬进了新买的房子。原来的房主把他家那台比较新的27英寸东芝电视机留给了我们。虽然它不是一台高清电视，但比我们那台旧电视机好多了。所以，我没花钱就拥有了一台更好的电视机。

　　I seem to talk myself out of buying things more and more as I get older. I briefly covet something,and then the urge passes.

　　随着年龄的增长，我似乎越来越能说服自己不要买什么东西。我会短暂地渴望一件东西，然后这种购买欲就消失了。