Unless you're a prince or a preschooler, you probably said yes.

除非你是王子或學齡前小朋友，不然你應該會回答是。

For a lot of people, it always feels like there's not quite enough to go around.

對許多人而言，他們總是覺得錢不夠用。

You're constantly having to make tough decisions about what you can forego, and it never feels like you're really in control of your finances.

你得不斷做出痛苦的抉擇來放棄某些事物，從來不覺得有好好掌控過自己的經濟狀況。

Well, when you need a bit of inspiration, look no further than the front of a one dollar bill.

當你需要靈感時，看看自己手中的一元美金正面吧！

I'm talking about this guy: George Washington.

我指的是他，喬治．華盛頓。

Besides being the first president of the United States, General George Washington was the commander of the rag-tag Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

除了身為美國第一任總統，喬治．華盛頓將軍也是美國獨立戰爭時的大陸軍總司令。

He must've felt like he never had enough soldiers to go around, but by making a plan, he was able to lead that army to victory over the greatest fighting force in the world.

他當時一定覺得士兵怎麼都不夠用，但靠著擬定計劃，他設法擊敗了世界上最強的軍隊。

You can take a cue from George by becoming commander-in-chief of your finances.

你能夠以喬治作為榜樣，成為你金錢的總司令。

Each one of these is a soldier in your army, and your battle plan is a budget.

每張鈔票都是你的士兵，而你的戰術就是擬定預算。

I know, the word "budget" makes most people want to go AWOL.

我懂，聽到「預算」，就讓大多數人想要當逃兵。

In fact, according to a 2016 Gallup poll, only 32% of couples keep a written budget of any kind.

事實上，根據 2016 的一個民調，只有 32% 的情侶有以任何形式記下預算。

But if you were a soldier, would you want to follow a general who was making it up as he went along?

但如果你是名士兵，你會想跟隨一個想到什麼就做什麼的將軍嗎？

A lot of people tend to think of budgeting as prediction, estimating what you'll make in future months and how you'll want to spend it.

許多人認為列預算是預測，估算自己未來會花多少錢，而且想要怎麼花。

But the most effective budgets work exclusively with present dollars.

但列預算最有效的方法，就只有針對當前所擁有的財產。

After all, you can't give orders to soldiers that don't exist!

畢竟，你無法對不存在的士兵發號施令嘛！

So the size of your army is only how much money you currently have in your bank accounts.

所以，你軍團的大小只取決於你銀行帳戶裡有多少錢。

And as general, your role is to give every last one of those soldiers a job to do.

而身為將軍，你的工作就是給予每位士兵任務。

So, if you have a total of $10,000 across all of your accounts, you need to decide how much of that you're going to spend this month and how much you're going to set aside for savings.

所以了，如果你帳戶裡共有 10,000 美金 (約台幣 30 萬)，你得決定這個月要花多少，而多少錢要存起來。

Before we can decide how much we want to spend, we need to know how much we're spending now.

在我們決定想要花多少錢之前，要先知道我們現在花了多少錢。

Print out your last 3 months of bank statements, and put each expense into one of 5 categories.

把這三個月來的銀行細項印出來，依照五個類別分類你的支出。

Essentials.

必需品。

These are the things you can't do without.

必需品是你一定得有的東西。

Rent, utilities, groceries, gas, car payments, health insurance.

房租、家庭用品、雜貨、汽油、車貸、健保。

Anything you need to live or do your job effectively.

任何你生存所需或讓工作有效率的東西。

Security.

保障。

These are expenses that increase your financial stability, like building emergency funds or paying off debts.

這些是保障財產穩定的花費，如急用金或償付債款。

Don't double count credit cards in this category though!

但別多算一次信用卡的花費了！

If you use a card to buy groceries, that expense should go in "Essentials."

如果你刷卡買雜貨，那這筆花費應歸類至「必需品」。

Goals.

目標。

This is money you set aside to achieve big life goals, like saving up to buy a house, starting your own business, or taking a special vacation.

這類別的錢是為了人生大目標而存的，如買房、創業或度個特別的假期。

Lifestyle.

生活。

These are expenses that help you navigate your social world.

這是維持你社交生活的花費。

Personal grooming and apparel, gifts for friends and family, gym memberships, even pet needs can go in here.

打扮自己、買衣服、給家人朋友的禮物、健身房會費，甚至寵物花費都可以分類於此。

Discretionary.

其他。

This category is all about treating yourself.

這個分類就是在犒賞自己。

Going out to dinner, renting a movie, buying a video game, or getting a massage.

上餐館吃飯、租電影、買遊戲機或去按摩。

Everyone has their own priorities, but think of this as a good battle plan template, with the most urgent needs at the top, and the more flexible ones towards the bottom.

每個人都有自己的先後順序，但把這個當成一個好的戰術板，最重要的放在最上面，較彈性的則放至下方。

Now that you know how much you generally spend on these categories, you can start assigning your soldiers to next month's duties.

現在知道了一個月大致會花多少錢在每個類別，你可以開始分配下個月的任務給你的士兵們了。

Unless you're living paycheck to paycheck, you probably have some money left over--but don't let those soldiers just sit around!

除非你是月光族，不然手頭上應該會有一些閒錢，但別讓這些士兵無所事事！

Decide what you're saving them for.

要為這些儲蓄設定目標。

Is it an emergency fund or a Hawaiian vacation?

要當作急用金？還是夏威夷旅遊的錢？

Savings that have explicit purposes are a lot harder to steal from.

有明確目的地儲蓄，就不會輕易花掉了。

Congratulations!

恭喜！

You've made your first month's budget. Now how do you make it stick?

你列好第一個月的預算了。現在，你要如何堅持下去？

Number one: Write It Down.

第一點：記錄下來。

You can use a spreadsheet, an app, or good old pencil and paper, but no general ever won a war by keeping all their strategy up here.

你可以運用表單、應用程式或傳統的紙筆，但沒有任何一個將軍可以打贏戰爭，如果他的戰略都放在腦裡。

Number two: Update It.

第二點：時常更新。

Conditions on the ground will change, so restrategize at the beginning of every month, and you'll have new soldiers to deploy in next month's battles.

地面情勢會有變化，所以每個月都要變更戰略，如此一來，下個月你就會有新的士兵可以部署。

Number three: Use Advanced Technology.

第三點：運用先進的科技。

Thanks to the dozens of budgeting apps you can download for your phone, no one has to keep a checkbook longhand anymore.

感謝現在有許多你能下載到手機裡的記帳應用程式，沒人需要手寫記帳了。

This can be especially helpful for discretionary spending: now you can know right away whether you can afford that Weird Al album on vinyl.

這對控制其他類別的花費很有幫助，你現在可以馬上知道，自己是否負擔得起 Vinyl 的 Weird AI 專輯了。

So how you do know you're budgeting correctly?

那要怎麼知道自己列的預算是正確的？

Well, the most obvious answer is that you're less stressed.

這個嘛！最簡單的方法就是看自己的壓力是否減輕了。

Imagine enjoying a dinner out without worrying about whether or not you can afford it.

想像在外享用晚餐，卻不用擔心自己是否負擔得起。

Imagine not holding your breath every time you check your account balance.

再想想不用每次查看帳戶餘額時都心驚膽跳。

You'd be amazed how much you can improve your mood just by introducing more clarity and control into your finances.

把自己財務狀況弄清楚並掌握好後，你會訝異自己心情怎麼變那麼好。

Like a lot of good financial habits, the point of budgeting isn't to have more money… it's to be happier with the money you have.

就像許多理財習慣，列預算的重點不是要有更多錢，而是讓你對現有的錢感到更快樂。

And that's our two cents!

這就是我們的建議！

We want to tell you about the new PBS Digital Studios series: "Say It Loud."

我們想分享新 PBS 數位團隊的新系列作：《大聲說出口》。

A celebration of Black History and culture and it's impact on how we live today.

慶祝黑人歷史與文化，以及它對我們當代的影響。

Hosts Evelyn from "The Internets" and Azie Dungey, give you a comedic take on identity and pop culture. From Black pride movements to Black Twitter shenanigans.

來自 The Internets 的主持人 Evelyn 與 Azie Dunge，將以輕鬆的方式帶你看看身分問題與流行文化。從黑人驕傲運動到黑人推特惡搞。

Check out "Say It Loud" in the link in the description below.

從敘述欄的連結來看看《大聲說出口》。