今年回家不攀比:鄰居只是看上去比你有錢

You look out the window of your home each night after dinner, staring across the street at your neighbors. You long for the cars they drive, their weekly manicured lawns, and even the vacations they seem to take several times a year.
吃完晚飯，你朝窗外望去，目光穿過小路看到了鄰居。你羨慕他家的車子，每週修剪的草地，甚至每年幾次的假期。

But there are several reasons our can neighbors afford so many of the things we would love to have:
但鄰居擁有我們追求的生活不是沒有原因的：

1. Perception is Everything
1. 眼睛會騙人

Your perception may be skewed. You see fancy cars in the driveway, and the trim lawns between your toes. You watch work crews going in and out of the awesome remodeling projects happening inside. Yet, none of that means your neighbors are wealthier than you are. Just because you see them as more affluent, doesn’t mean they are.
眼睛裏看到的東西未必是真實的。你看到車道上的靚車，腳下整齊的草地，看到他家進進出出的裝修工人，忙着爲屋子重新裝修。但這些都不能表示鄰居比你有錢。這只是你的錯覺，不是實際情況。

You are only able to see above the surface of their spending, meaning you have no idea what’s happening down below.
你只看到他們表面上花錢的情況，不知道人家在你看不到的地方過什麼樣的日子。

2. Allocation is Essential
2. 錢花在哪裏是關鍵

While you choose to consistently save money for your kids’ education, and retirement later in life, they are spending what they believe are excess funds on their cars and homes. They might be making the shallow choice to spend their money on what people can see, while you are spending your money on the life you want to live, both today and tomorrow. You choose to pay for piece of mind.
當你決定要爲孩子的教育和未來的養老存錢時，你的鄰居卻把額外的錢花在車子和房子上。也許他們只是膚淺地把錢花在大家都看得見的地方，可是你是用錢創造自己現在和未來的理想生活。你是在爲自己的理想買單。

It’s how your neighbors allocate their income that makes them seem richer than they are.
看起來鄰居好像很有錢，其實是他們花錢的地方和你不同。

3. Perks Matter
3. 福利很重要

While Your neighbors’ salaries might be slightly more than yours, it isn’t enough to justify the massive leap in spending. However, fringe benefits can greatly widen the gap. Perks such as cars, phones, laptops, and more can give the recipient an amazing leg up when it comes to freeing money for other pleasures.
雖然你的鄰居可能工資高一點，但這不足以解釋你們消費的巨大差異。不過，福利會加大你們之間的消費差距，比如汽車、電話、筆記本電腦等，有了這些福利，你的鄰居就有閒錢享樂了。4. Luxuries of the Mature
4. 家庭的成長可以增加消費的自由度

As families mature, houses get paid off and savings grow. Even if your children do go to the same school, their children are older, and they have a few years on you as well. Those could be years spent paying on their house and putting money in the bank.
隨着家庭的成長，家裏的支出會減少，存款會增多。即使你和鄰居的孩子上的是同一所學校，只要他們家庭比你的家庭組建年數長，就會比你稍顯富有。因爲他們已經還了房貸，並且有銀行存款了。

Imagine how much more freedom you would have without also having to manage your monthly mortgage.
想想如果沒有月供，自己花錢能有多少自由度。

5. Their Lives Might be Plastic
5. 月光族有什麼好羨慕的

Your neighbors might be disciples, worshiping the power of the plastic. While you are smart enough to understand the headaches of undisciplined credit, your neighbors might be living carelessly, buying short-term luxury today in exchange for a meager tomorrow.
或許你的鄰居是一個月光族，崇尚及時享樂。當你理解到爛刷信用卡的惡果時，他們說不定還在渾渾噩噩地生活，今天買了奢侈品，明天就要喝西北風了。

6. They Know Where to Find Deals
6. 你懂得精打細算

I consider myself a connoisseur when it comes to finding great deals on groceries and kids clothing. Perhaps your neighbors also know something about finding deals on the things they need, freeing up more money for things they want.
我自認爲是一個淘雜貨和兒童衣服的行家。也許你的鄰居也知道採購缺少的用品，只是錢要花得多一些。

7. They Pay for Their Immediate Wants First
7. 什麼急就買什麼

Your neighbors could also have more money than you do because they prioritize differently, and pay from their savings for projects that they want done.
你的鄰居看起來比你有錢也可能是這個原因，他們分清事情的輕重緩急，只要是在計劃之內的消費，就會拿出存款來。

While my neighbors may or may not make have more money than me, I don’t let it influence the way that I live. I spend money in the way that’s most important for my family, both for a better, more comfortable today, and for a brighter tomorrow.
鄰居也許比我有錢，也許比我窮。但我不會讓財富的差距影響自己的生活。我花錢的原則就是，對家庭有利，爲了更好更舒適的今天，爲了更光明的未來。