We watch them on TV, we follow them on Instagram, we read their blogs and autobiographies.

我們在電視上看到他們，在Instagram上追蹤他們，閱讀他們的博客和自傳。

Unfortunately, that awareness of how the other half lives doesn't happen much in the other direction.

不幸的是，對另一半生活方式的了解在另一個方向並不常見。

Though many of us have probably described ourselves as "broke" or "poor" at one point or another, very few have an understanding of what real poverty feels like.

雖然我們中的許多人可能在某個時候自稱為「一文不值」或「貧窮」，但很少有人真正理解真正的貧困是什麼感覺。

And it's not just a matter of having less money.

而且這不僅僅是金錢上的不足。

Once you get below a certain threshold, a whole new set of rules apply that actually make day-to-day life more expensive.

一旦你降到一個特定的門檻以下，就會適用一整套新的規則，實際上使日常生活變得更加昂貴。

If you've never struggled with real poverty, you might not be aware of the many hidden costs and financial traps that conspire to keep poor people poor.

如果你從未與真正的貧困掙扎過，你可能不會意識到許多隱藏的成本和金融陷阱，這些成本和陷阱共同作用，使窮人保持貧窮。

It's very hard to make your way through modern life without access to basic financial services like checking accounts, ATMs and personal checks.

在現代生活中，如果沒有基本的金融服務，如支票帳戶、自動櫃員機和個人支票，很難度過。

But the less money you have, the more these things will cost you.

但是你擁有的錢越少，這些東西對你的成本就越高。

That's because banks make their profits by accruing interest on your money.

這是因為銀行通過在你的錢上計息來賺取利潤。

So if your account balance is too low, usually under $1,500, they won't consider you a profitable client anymore, and they'll make you pay for their basic services in the form of a monthly fee.

因此，如果你的帳戶餘額太低，通常低於1500美元，他們將不再認為你是一個有利可圖的客戶，並且將讓你支付其基本服務的月費。

And heaven help you if you go below zero--each overdraft incurs a charge of about $35, and many banks will deliberately reorder your transactions for the day--from biggest to smallest--to drive you into the red more quickly and rack up as many overdraft fees as possible.

如果你陷入零以下，那就麻煩了——每筆透支都會產生約35美元的費用，而許多銀行將故意重新排列你當天的交易——從最大到最小——以更快地讓你進入赤字，並累積更多透支費。

If a bank is willing to extend you credit at all, the terms will be much less favorable than for someone with a rosier financial history.

如果銀行願意向你提供信用貸款，其條款將遠不如擁有較好金融歷史的人那樣有利。

You'll pay more money in interest every month, and any late payments means more penalties and fees.

你將每月支付更多的利息，而任何逾期付款都意味著更多的罰款和費用。

Even cash can be more expensive if you don't have much of it.

即使是現金，如果你沒有太多現金，也可能更昂貴。

If you withdraw $100 from an out-of-network ATM, that $3 fee equates to a 3% service charge.

如果你從非網絡的ATM提取100美元，那3美元的費用相當於3%的服務費。

But if you can only afford to take out 20 bucks at a time, you're essentially paying a 15% charge to access your own money.

但如果你只能一次提取20美元，實質上你支付的是15%的費用來取得自己的錢。

Taken together, this means that a poor person might end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars a year for services that wealthier people virtually enjoy for free.

綜合起來，這意味著一個窮人可能每年支付數百或數千美元，以獲得較富有的人幾乎免費享受的服務。

It's no wonder, then, that a lot of low-income people avoid banks altogether--but even that comes at a steep price.

難怪很多低收入人群完全避免銀行——但即使如此也要付出高昂的代價。

Cashing a paycheck without a bank account costs money.

沒有銀行帳戶的情況下兌現支票需要花錢。

Buying a money order to pay your electric bill costs money. And if that bill is due in just a couple days?

購買匯票支付電費需要花錢。如果該帳單在幾天內到期？

Well, you can either get hit with a late fee, or fedex it--an extra expense that someone with a debit card and an internet connection never has to worry about.

嗯，你要麼支付逾期費，要麼用聯邦快遞寄出——這是一個只有擁有信用卡和網路的人才不必擔心的額外花費。

If you think that dealing with credit card debt is bad, thank your lucky stars you've never dealt with a payday or car title lender.

如果你認為應對信用卡債務很糟糕，那麼感謝你的幸運星，你從未面對過發薪日貸款或車標貸款業者。

These businesses are often the only recourse for people without credit cards, and their interest rates reach upwards of 800% annually!

這些企業通常是沒有信用卡的人唯一的求助之處，他們的年利率高達800%！

Not only does it cost more to borrow and spend money, but what you spend it on is often more expensive!

不僅借錢和花錢更貴，而且你花錢的東西通常也更昂貴！

If you have to feed a family on a tight budget, buying in bulk at a supermarket is usually the best option--but one not available to many poor people.

如果你必須在有限的預算上養活一家人，通常在超市大量購買是最好的選擇，但這對許多窮人來說是不可得的。

Even if they had the cash on hand to buy weeks' worth of food in one trip, how is someone who depends on public transportation supposed to get it home?

即使他們有現金可以一次性購買幾週的食物，那麼依賴公共交通的人該如何將它帶回家呢？

On their lap on the bus?

在公車上放在他們的膝蓋上嗎？

Big food retailers--ones with enough purchasing power to offer low prices--are notorious for avoiding poor neighborhoods,

大型食品零售商——具有足夠購買力以提供低價的企業——以避開貧困社區而聞名，

and people who live in these so-called "food deserts" often lack the mobility to cruise around town bargain-hunting.

生活在這些所謂的「食品沙漠」的人通常缺乏四處尋找便宜貨物的機動性。

Instead, they're stuck with local convenience and corner stores, where prices are much higher.

相反，他們只能依靠當地的便利店和角落店，那裡的價格要高得多。

Or they rely on fast food, which can seem cheap in comparison, but is actually more expensive than cooking at home, to say nothing of the long-term health risks.

或者他們依賴快餐，與在家煮飯相比，這似乎便宜，但實際上比長期健康風險更昂貴。

Rent can also be more expensive.

租金也可能更昂貴。

Most landlords require a security deposit between $500 and $1000 to move in--an impossible sum for people barely scraping by.

大多數房東要求提前支付500至1000美元的按金——對於勉強糊口的人來說是一筆不可思議的金額。

In that case, your only option (other than homelessness) might be a low-end extended stay motel, which typically don't require deposits, but cost way more than an apartment in the long run.

在這種情況下，你唯一的選擇（除了無家可歸）可能是低端的長期住宿旅館，通常不需要支付押金，但從長遠來看，其成本遠高於公寓。

And they often lack amenities like kitchen appliances and laundry that save apartment-dwellers time and money.

而且它們通常缺少像廚房家電和洗衣房這樣的設施，這可以為公寓居民節省時間和金錢。

They say "time is money," and the less money you have, the more time you have to spend on everyday tasks.

他們說「時間就是金錢」，而你擁有的金錢越少，你就必須花更多時間在日常任務上。

Waiting at the bus stop, waiting at the laundromat, waiting at overcrowded clinics and public offices.

在公車站等車，洗衣房等候，擁擠的診所和公共辦公室等候。

This leaves much less free time to take care of one's family, pick up extra work, or strategize a way out of poverty.

這使得花費更少的自由時間來照顧家人、找額外的工作或制定擺脫貧困的計畫變得更加困難。

It gets worse. Inflation, the general increase in prices, tends to hit things like food, gas, and rent the hardest.

情況變得更糟。通脹，即物價上漲，往往最容易影響食物、汽油和租金等方面。

The lower your income, the greater percentage of it goes to those costs, so a poor person will see their year-over-year expenses go up at a higher rate than a wealthy person.

你的收入越低，花在這些成本上的百分比就越高，因此窮人的年度開支將以比富人更高的比率上升。

All these pressures take a toll on one's psyche that only makes things worse.

所有這些壓力對一個人的心理造成的影響只會讓事情變得更糟。

Imagine having to constantly make tough decisions about where to spend your last few dollars:

想像一下不斷在哪裡花最後幾美元進行艱難決策：

Pay the water bill or buy food for dinner? Put gas in the car or see the doctor?

支付水費還是買晚餐的食物？給汽車加油還是看醫生？

This relentless burning of mental energy leads to a deterioration in the quality of one's judgement--a phenomenon psychologists call "decision fatigue."

這種不懈地消耗精力的情況會導致判斷力的下降，心理學家稱之為「決策疲勞」。

It's why someone might visit a payday lender when they know it's a bad idea--they're so exhausted that they'll settle for a quick fix even if it will lead to more problems down the road.

這就是為什麼有人在知道發薪日貸款是個壞主意時可能會去拜訪——他們太累了，以至於他們會滿足於快速解決問題，即使這會導致以後出現更多問題。

Closely related to decision fatigue is the "scarcity trap," which is our tendency to fixate on the resources that we have the least of, to the point that we lose sight of the big picture.

與決策疲勞密切相關的是「稀缺陷阱」，即我們傾向於關注我們擁有最少的資源，以至於我們忽略了大局。

Running low on diapers, for instance, can create a feeling of panic that compels a poor mother to buy 6 months worth of Huggies--only to realize afterwards that she didn't set aside enough money for rent.

例如，尿布不足可能會產生一種恐慌感，迫使一位貧窮的母親購買 6 個月的好奇寶寶尿布，但事後才意識到她沒有留出足夠的錢來付房租。

Some might think that poor people just need to work harder and spend smarter.

有些人可能認為貧困的人只需要更加努力工作和更加明智地花錢。

And while it's true that improving your financial situation requires these things, it also requires having at least a little bit of extra cash to move around, and access to decent spending options.

儘管改善你的財務狀況確實需要這些努力，但同時也需要至少一點額外的現金流動，以及接觸到適當的花費選項。

If you can't choose where you shop, where you live, or where you bank, you become a captive customer to predatory businesses.

如果你不能選擇你購物的地方、你居住的地方，或者你開戶的銀行，你就成為掠奪性企業的固定客戶。

If you don't have any extra money to save, invest, or budget, you can't make a financial plan.

如果你沒有額外的錢來存錢、投資或進行預算，你就不能制定財務計劃。

And when are you supposed to think about tomorrow when you're constantly putting out today's fires?

當你不斷應對當下的危機時，你何時能考慮未來呢？

Next time you describe yourself as "broke," remember that having just a little bit of wiggle-room is infinitely better than none at all.

下次你形容自己為「身無分文」時，請記住，有一點彈性的餘地總比一點都沒有好得多。

It can make all the difference if you're trying to improve your financial situation.

如果你試圖改善你的財務狀況，這可能是決定性的。

So if you do have that wiggle-room, be thankful and don't waste it!

因此，如果你有這樣的餘地，請感謝並不要浪費它！

And that's our Two Cents!

以上是這集的 Two Cents！

Missing one payment can quickly spiral into a pit of debt.

錯過一次付款很快就會滑向債務的深淵。

Has this ever happened to you and were you able to escape it?

這種情況發生過嗎？你能擺脫它嗎？

Share your story in the comments.

在評論中分享你的故事。