1、This is not a step-by-step guide to reducing debt. Rather, it is a collection of a lot of the wisdom I have read so far on this topic and a list of some of the things that worked for us.
1、这并不是一个一步一步教你减少负债的指南方法，相反，这是一个智慧的结晶，一个到目前为止我读过的所有关于这个话题的总结和一个对我们有帮助的建议单。
2、As you go through the list, I would recommend sorting it out into things that will definitely work for you and things that could possibly work for you. Start implementing the things that will work for you right away and start working on incorporating the others when possible. Believe me, soon it will become an obsession (if it already isn’t!) and slowly but surely you will be free of debt. And that feeling is worth any short-term pain you have to go through.
2、当你要浏览这份单子的时候，我建议你最好整理出哪些对你绝对有帮助和哪些对你可能有帮助。然后开始实施对你立即起作用的那些工作，同时有可能的话最好也做一些对其它有帮助的事。请相信我，很快你就会上瘾（如果现在还没有的话）并且慢慢地你会确信你已经成为无债的人。这种感觉是值得你为之承受一切短暂的痛苦的。
3、Stop adding more debt: No kidding right? Well, if it's so simple why aren't you doing it? Think of your debt as a small hill of dirt in your back yard. To get rid of that dirt hill, you need to dig out a shovel at a time. Now imagine for every 2-3 shovels of dirt that you dig out, you toss 4 shovels back on. How long will it take to get rid of that little hill? Piling on more debt while you are trying to get out of it doesn’t make much sense either.
4、Get rid of your credit cards: One of the biggest down falls that most of us have is the reliance on credit cards. Unlike spending real cash, when you charge it to a card you don’t feel the burn. So if you cannot control how much you spend on your card, then cut up your cards, leave them locked up at home, freeze them or bury them until you are out of debt. (Note: Don’t close the accounts since that can result in reducing your credit score!)
4、杜绝用信用卡：对于大多数的我们来说，最大的败点就是我们太依赖信用卡了。不像花现钞，当你刷卡时你不会感觉象是在割肉。因此，如果你不能控制刷你的卡，你就要禁用你的信用卡，将它们锁在家里，不管是冷冻还是火烧，直到你还清了你的债。（注意：不要关掉你的账户，因为这样会减少你的信誉积分！）
5、When I was in college, I went a little wild with student credit cards. I learned the hard way that I needed some control, so I froze the cards in a large pan of water. If I wanted or needed something badly enough to wait for the cards to thaw out, then it was probably worth purchasing. If not, I saved the dough. My mom still laughs about this, but I saved thousands in forgone impulse purchases. -- Kelly Colucci, Cumming, Ga. - quote source: Kiplinger
5、当我读大学时，我用学生卡有一点疯狂。我知道要采取些强硬的手段才能控制住，因此我将卡放在一大缸水中。如果我需要某样东西急得我恨不得我的卡马上干掉，那么我要买的东西就是值得买的。如果不是这样子的话，我就省下了钱。我妈妈经常笑我，但我确实省掉了因冲动而可能用掉的钱。----Kelly Colucci, Cumming, Ga. 来源：Kiplinger
6、Change your attitude: Like everything else in life, getting out of debt is heavily dependent on your attitude. Switch to a “Can Do” attitude. Stop giving into the victim mentality or self-doubts of whether you can do it. Start attacking debt and don’t stop until its all gone.
7、Stay busy: An idle mind is a devil’s work shop and a retailer's dream. If you go to the mall just because you are bored, you are bound to end up buying stuff you likely don’t need. If you laze in front of the TV doing nothing, then the advertisers are bound to instill a yearning for something that you wouldn’t have wanted otherwise. Throwing away money to keep yourself entertained when you could be using that time a lot more productively just won’t cut it if you are serious about getting out of debt.
7、将自己适度保持在忙碌状态上：悠闲的头脑状态可以说是恶魔的天下和卖家的梦想。如果你仅仅因为无聊了就去购物中心，那你注定会买一些你不需要的东西。如果你懒散地在电视机面前无事可做，那些广告商们又注定会一点点地挖掘出你的本来根本不想买的欲望。在你本应用这些大好时光做一些事的时候，你却挥霍着钱来让自己享受，这根本无法使你减少你的负债，如果你正严肃地思考着如何不再负债的问题的话。
8、Change your spending habits: Do you always plan before you buy something or do you just pick things up? Do you ask yourself if you really “need” it, or justify your “wants” and keep indulging yourself? Do you spend an excessive amount of money on showing off to your friends? Take a long hard look at your spending habits and fix any short comings that you see.
8、改变你的消费的习惯：你在买东西之前总是有计划的呢，还是你只是随便挑一东西呢？你有没有问过自己是不是真的需要它或者是将自己的需求“有理化”并一直让自己沉迷于这种快感中呢？你会不会为了向朋友炫耀而多花了钱呢？好好地抽个时间想想自己的消费习惯，并找出你认为的不好之处。
9、Cut your spending: Can you still save some money after all of your bills are paid? For instance when you look at your groceries, can you replace some brands with generics so you can save some cash? Can you stock up during sales to save some money? How about making sure you use your utilities wisely to save on water, electricity and gas bill? Look at all aspects of your spending to pinch some more money out that you can throw at debt.
9、减少你的开支：在你的账单都付完了之后，你还会继续省钱吗？举个例子，看看你的东西，你会不会用没什么品牌的东西代替一些品牌货来省钱呢？你会不会在大甩卖的时候，多买一些存在家里来省钱呢？你有没有明智地使用你的电器来省水费，电费和煤气费呢？看看这些消费，尽可能地挤出更多的钱将它们从你的债款中踢除。
10、Embrace a simple, frugal lifestyle: We are in a land of excess. We believe that we need a lot of things to survive. But in reality we can get on by with very little. The more of the excesses you can trim out the sooner you will be out of debt. Yes, life will seem a bit drab without some of the indulgences you are used to. It’s your call which one you like more – temporary indulgences and sleepless nights worrying over debt, or a few sacrifices now to be free of debt issues for the rest of your life!
11、Always lookout to improve your current income: The more the money you make, the more you will have left over to throw at your debt. So always look for opportunities for picking up tasks with higher commission, or over time pay or something that will result in a bonus. Take your job seriously and work hard everyday, at some point it will pay off for you.
11、经常注意改进你现有的收入：你挣得钱越多，就越能偿还你的负债。因此，经常寻找有更多佣金，有加工费或有奖金的工作的机会。认真做你的工作并踏实工作每一天，从某一点来看，你是会有回报的。
12、Create additional sources of income: Sometimes it is not easy to simply increase your current income at your day job. If that's the case, look at means to create additional sources of income. Do you have a hobby that you can monetize? Do you have skills (musician, carpenter, writer, etc.) that you can use to get some part time gigs? Do you have computer knowledge that you can use online? Creating additional sources of income not only helps you get out of debt but provides you with better cushion to survive through primary job loss.
12、给自己创造额外收入来源：有的时候，你要想简简单单地在工作上增加现有的收入，那是不容易的。但如果你想要的话，你可以找一些方法来增加你的额外收入。你有没有什么特长对你的赚钱有用呢？你有没有什么技能（音乐家，木匠，作家等）能帮你赚一些兼职费？或你有没有什么电脑技术能在上网时用？制造你额外收入的来源不仅帮你走出负债，还能为你提供一个更好的缓冲物可以抵消一点你现有的工作损失。
13、Build an emergency fund: As you attack your debt, remember to put away a small amount for the rainy day. If something unexpected comes along or if you are forced to borrow money again, you will have a rough time getting out of debt. So stash away small amounts of money in an emergency fund, and make sure you use it – well, only for emergencies!
13、准备一个急救资金：当你着手于你的负债时，记住要先挪出少许钱以备有需要的时候用。如果预料之外的事发生了，或是你不得不再借一些钱，那么你还债的路程就更艰辛了。因此，储存一部分钱当作急救资金，并保证你能很好地用这部分钱，而且只能在急用的时候用！
14、Avoid paying fees when possible: Get organized. Make sure you are paying your bills on time. There is no point in paying fees in addition to interest! Also, look out for other options where you can save on fees – for instance, going into a bank to withdraw money may seem like a hassle, but is it really worth spending $3 in ATM fees every time you withdraw money? Booking your movie tickets online may seem convenient, but is it really worth paying an extra dollar for the ticket?
15、Use balance transfers: Call up every single one of the credit card companies and ask them if they can lower your interest rate or offer you special interest on balance transfer. Repeat with all the credit cards you have, and consolidate your loans onto the cards that offer the best interest rate. Watch out for the “balance transfer fees” and make sure you are really coming out ahead. Again, do NOT close paid off credit cards because it will lower your credit score!
15、使用差额转账：给每一个信用证公司打电话，然后问他们是否能降低你的利率或是在差额转账上给你提供特殊利息。反复多次使用你所有的信用卡，然后将你全部的贷款放在提供最优惠利息的卡上。接着注意你“差额转账费用”并弄清楚你是真正地成功了。再一次申明一下，不要关掉你付款的信用卡，这样会降低你的信誉积分！
16、Make a budget: A budget is not really that difficult to make or follow. You don’t need fancy software or tools, just a simple notebook and pen, or a trusted spreadsheet program. List all your recurring bills like rent/mortgage, groceries, utilities, bills and put a limit on it. Then create a category for miscellaneous expenses to cover what you cannot plan for and an indulgence category. If you don’t have enough for paying towards debt, tweak and tune these categories, until you find enough.
16、学会使用预算：预算并不是真正地难以使用。你不需要什么特别的软件或工具，你只需要一本简单的笔记本和一支笔或可信的电子数据表。将你经常会用到的账款如租费/抵押费，商品费，日常生活费用，账单列在一个目录上并给这些消费加上一个最大限额。然后再给其它费用建立一个目录用来涵盖你不能计划的作为你临时享受用的一个目录。如果你认为你没有能力来付这些款项，那就修改你的目录，直到你有足够的能力来付这些款。
17、Reuse and recycle: Reuse and recycle whatever you can. I never buy garbage bags. Instead I have small waste bins in my kitchen and bathrooms that I line with grocery bags. I don’t care if someone thinks that is cheap – it saves me money and is a small way to reduce my environmental footprint. So why should I bother about what snobs think. And since they are smaller waste bins, they get cleaned our more regularly, reducing the possibility of stench in the kitchen. You will be amazed at how many different places you can apply the reuse and recycle principle to save a few bucks!
17、再使用和再回收：再使用和回收一切你能够做到的。我从来不买垃圾袋。相反在我厨房和浴室里用的垃圾袋是我买东西的袋子。我不在乎谁说我这是便宜货---这确实帮我省了钱也是让我减少对环境损害的一个小方法。因此，我不必烦恼那些势力的人所说的话。由于那些是比较小的垃圾袋，我能够更有规律地将它们及时清理干净，减少它们在厨房的逗留时间。不久你将会很惊异地发现你可以在很多地方运用这个再使用和再回收的原则来帮你节省少许钱！
18、Make your intentions public: When you start digging into your debt, make your intentions public. Say it out loud - maybe to your spouse or your family or friends. When people know that you are tackling debt, they will give you dirty looks and lectures when you slip up :) It may be an unsavory experience, but if it keeps you on track and gets you out the hole faster, why not? Maybe it will also stop them from enticing you to eat out or buy that new pair of pants!
20、Start a blog about your effort: If you are not comfortable about sharing it with the people you know, share it with strangers! The internet makes it so easy to have an anonymous public image! Use it! Create a blog and chart your progress. You can create free blogs using software like blogger - it is fairly easy and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to be able to do it. Nothing makes you obsessive about getting rid of your debt like encouragement from a bunch of strangers whom you have never met! Besides, depending on your success, you may be able to monetize your blog and make it an additional source of income. Here are a few blogs to get you started Blogging Away Debt, No Credit Needed, The Simple Dollar. A simple search for “blog debt” on Google will show you many more if you are interested.
20、创建一个博客对你每天的努力作一个报告：如果你觉得将这些与你认识的人分享感到不太舒服，那就与陌生人分享这一切！因特网让你拥有一个虚拟形象变得非常容易。就用它！创建一个博客然后见证你的成功。你可以用像blogger 这样的软件来创建一个免费博客---这确实很简单，而且你不需要是一个技术专家来使用它。从来没有什么像来自一群你没遇见过的陌生人的鼓励那样让你如此着迷。此外，依赖你这种成功，你可以将你的博客成为你赚钱的工具来做为你额外的收入。你可以从以下几个博客开始：Blogging Away Debt、No Credit Needed、The Simple Dollar。如果你有兴趣的话，在Google网上简单地搜寻一下“blog debt”这几个字，你将会得到更多信息。
21、Surround yourself with the right type of people: If you are surrounded by people who keep spending, then it is difficult to get out of the consumerist mentality and slip into the more sensible mentality of living within your means. This may mean changing friends or keeping your distance from those that influence you negatively. It is a very difficult tip to follow, but a necessary one, if you want to really get out of debt.
22、Move! Drastic times require drastic measures! If you are really deep into debt you might want to consider more drastic steps like moving to a city with lower cost of living, to a smaller house, to an apartment with lower rent etc.
22、行动！极端的时代需要极端的方法！如果你确实深处债务中，那你得考虑考虑是否要搬到消费低一点的城市，小一点的房子，房租便宜一点的公寓，等等。
23、If something is available for free, don’t pay for it. Throw the money at your debt instead! If you can take public transportation to get around, skip the driving. Better yet, ride your bike and get a little workout at the same time. At the end of the month you may have used one less tank of gas. Make sure you bump up your debt repayment by that amount. It may not seem like much, but over a course of time, this can add up beautifully to free you from debt a lot sooner.
23、如果有的东西可以不要钱，那就不要付它，而让这些钱花在偿还你的债务上！如果你可以用公共交通工具去某个地方，那就不要开汽车。最好是骑自行车，同时还能健身。在月底你用的汽油就可能少于一油箱。确保你用这些钱来偿还一些负债。这看起来似乎不太多，但长时间下去，你就可以完美地并更快地偿还所有的债款。
24、Always pay more than the minimum payment toward your debt. If you only pay minimum payments, you will be old and gray before you pay off a the debt. Here is a calculator that shows the true cost of paying minimum. For example, if you only pay the minimum payment on a credit card loan of just $1000, at an APR of 18%, then it will take you around 13 years to pay off that debt. In that time you would have paid $1,115.41 in interest. That is more than the principal borrowed! Imagine how much worse it is with larger loans. So always try to make more than the minimum payments if you are serious about getting rid of debt.
24、经常在偿还你的债款时，多付一点你能承受的最低量。如果你只是一味地每次偿还最低量，那你直到老的那天才会还清所有的债。下面就每次只付最低量做的一个计算。例如，你信用卡上欠了1000美元，你仅付最低量，大概 18%来偿还，那你要花13年来还债，而这段期间，你要付1115.41美元来还利息费。这比你借的本金还要多。试想一下，如果欠了更多的债，那是多么地严重。因此，如果你是认认真真地对待还债这件事，那你最好试着每次偿还你能付的最低量的多一点的金额。
25、Don’t hesitate to take help from loved ones: When you are down and battling with debt, if loved ones offer to help don’t hesitate to accept. This could be in cash or kind. For instance, can your mother baby sit your kids so you can save some money that is spent on daycare and apply it to your debt? Can your parents loan you some money at low or zero interest that will help you reduce the amount you pay in debt? If you are just starting out, can you move back with your parents for a few months and throw the rent money towards your debt? These may be very tough but they can save you several years of slaving to pay off your debt.
25、不要犹豫接受来自你亲人的帮助：当你处于劣势并与债款作斗争时，如果你的亲人为你提供帮助，你不要犹豫地去接受。这种帮助不仅体现在现金上也体现在关爱上。比如，你的妈妈是否可以照顾你的孩子，这样你就可以省掉一笔花在照顾上的钱而可以将这些钱花在债务上？你的父母是否能以低率或免率来借你一笔钱来减少你在债款上付的钱？如果你是刚搬出去住的，你能否搬回去和你父母住来免掉房租费？这些可能让你很为难，但这确可以帮你省好几年来还债。
26、Make it automatic/manual: I know that’s ambiguous, but pick what works for you. If it hurts you every month to go over the bills and make the payments, then just set up automatic payments so that a fixed portion of your income goes towards paying debt. Your sole responsibility then is to make sure that your bank balance stays above the required amount and to avoid overdraft fees. On the other hand, if it gives you pleasure to watch your debt shrink and motivates you to keep at it, then make it manual. Pay your bills by yourself each month.
26、自动化或手动化还债：我知道这很模棱两可，但选择一个对你最适用的。如果每个月去查账款付款让你觉得很麻烦，那就设定一个自动每月付款，这样你收入中的一个定额就会自动地拿去偿还债款。你唯一的任务就是去确认一下你银行的余额仍处在最低点之上，免得要去付透支费。另一方面，如果看着你的债款渐渐减少让你觉得很爽并激励你继续保持下去，那你就人为地去还债。每个月自己去偿还。
27、Ultimately, getting rid of debt is like going on a financial diet; it is not easy and the temptations to give in are high. There will be that tiny voice in your head that says, “what’s the point of money if you can’t enjoy life?” But if you are in debt, and constantly worrying about it, you are in fact enslaved to your financial miseries. Unless you make some sacrifices, it is unlikely that you will be able to get out of it. Not all of these tips will work for you, so pick what does and stick to it!
27、总之，脱离债款就像是减钱的肥；这一点也不容易，你所遇到的诱惑也是很大的。有一个小小的声音总是在你的头脑你回荡，“如果不可以享受生活，那钱还有什么用呢？”但是你如果欠债，并不断地担心着，那你实际上就成了钱奴。如果你不做出一点牺牲，你是不可能脱离债谷的。不是所有的建议对你都是有用的，所以你要挑出几个并坚持做下去。
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