3元一顿饭、沐浴露用一年!这届年轻人有多会省钱?
越来越多的年轻人开始追求一种简朴、低成本的生活方式——花得少了,攒得多了。
后疫情时代经济和就业的压力,以及人们对于物质生活的观念的转变,让年轻人开始拒绝奢侈和浪费,对消费主义说“不”。
比起无意义的虚荣和面子,他们更注重实用性。比起盲目地“买买买”,他们更追求性价比,相信简朴的生活也能带来快乐。
用最小的花费获得最大的幸福感
来自广东深圳的大四学生何嘉峥说,自己在初中的时候也一度追求名牌。但后来他发觉,一件衣服也就能穿一两年,且名牌衣服的质量不一定比普通衣服质量好,所以现在他只买几十块钱的衣服。他说,“衣服够穿就好。”
He Jiazheng, 22, a college student in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said he used to buy only big brands during middle school. Then he realized that a piece of clothing, regardless of whether it is from a well-known brand or not, may only be worn for one or two years. Besides, the quality of famed brands sometimes is not as good as that of ordinary ones.
Now he spends no more than 100 yuan on each item of clothing. “As long as the clothes are suitable to wear, this is fine.”
何嘉峥的9元晚餐 图源:何嘉峥
“我希望用最小的花费获得最大的幸福感。既然山珍海味和名牌衣服无法扩大我的幸福,我为什么不选择用更少的钱满足自己同样的幸福呢?”何嘉峥说。
“I hope to realize maximum happiness through minimum expenditure. As luxury food and brand-name clothing cannot increase my happiness, why not satisfy myself be spending less for the same amount of happiness?” He said.
我不想为“粉红税”买单
来自北京的23岁研究生Luna卢在日常购物时发现,功能相似的商品,男性用品的价格要远低于女性用品的价格。所以她在购物时都会有意识地去规避“粉红税”。
Luna Lu, 23, a post-graduate student in Beijing, tries to avoid so-called pink taxes — a levy or other cost added to the price of a product or service aimed particularly at or used by women, especially when compared to similar products for men.
Luna用来平替脱毛刀的男士剃须刀 图源:Luna卢
“比如我会用男士刮胡刀代替女士脱毛刀,买男士的短裤或卫衣。我们经常会发现一些东西一旦带了女性色彩,就必然会更贵,但质量却未必更好。就像男士衣服确实很便宜,甚至面料还更好。”
“For instance, I use men’s razors instead of women’s hair removal razors and buy men’s shorts or sweatshirts. Once something carries a feminine touch, it becomes more expensive without necessarily being of better quality. On the other hand, men’s clothing is generally cheaper than women’s and at times even has better fabric,” she said.
用省下的钱实现梦想
在广东佛山上学的19岁大学生张莹说她六七月份每月只花800元,“就是靠多多买菜上买菜和面自己煮,拼多多上买面包和牛奶,还有晚上九点半过后学校的半价水果捞活下来的。”
她说,攒钱主要是为了去看五月天的演唱会。下学期她还打算去西藏、香港和澳门旅游。
Zhang Ying, 19, from Foshan, Guangdong province, only spent 800 yuan each month in June and July, eating stewed noodles cooked in her dormitory, bread and milk bought on the online discount platform Pinduoduo, and half-priced yogurt fruit mix bought on campus after 9:30 pm.
Her short-term goal is to save money to attend a concert performed by Mayday, her favorite singing group, while her longer-term goal is to travel to Lhasa, autonomous region, Hong Kong and Macao during the next semester.
张莹称自己是喜欢省小钱干大事的人,对吃穿方面不挑。“那段时间吃面吃到想吐,但忍忍也就过去了。”张莹说道。
She said she enjoys saving small amounts of money to do big things. “I even felt nauseous at the thought of eating noodles, but thankfully, I persevered and got through it,” Zhang said.
她说:“我一个月2000元生活费,如果没有点节俭意识,一下子就会花完了。我经常欺骗自己这周只剩50元,这样就舍不得乱花钱了。一般比较有钱的时候会囤纸巾、卫生巾、面膜、洗发水、沐浴露这种消耗品,还有生活费一发下来就会充话费,这样在需要俭朴的时候无论如何都能活下来。”
Zhang, who receives pocket money of 2,000 yuan a month from her parents, said, “I often trick myself into thinking that I only have 50 yuan left for the week, so that I will be reluctant to spend money recklessly.”
When she has some extra cash, she stocks up on items such as tissues, sanitary pads, shampoo and shower gel. “I also top up my phone credit as soon as I receive my pocket money, so that when I need to be frugal, I can still get by,” she said.
张莹6月份距离发生活费还有十天时的微信余额 图源:张莹
来自山西的大学老师马媛经济条件较好,但她从去年八月起就开始接触精简生活的概念,主要通过每个月坚持记账,非必要不购买,从而坚持储蓄,满足个人深造和家庭旅游的需求。她说,希望通过精简一些不必要的支出来满足自己更高品质的生活。
Ma Yuan, 36, a college teacher in Shanxi province, began saving money a year ago to keep account of her spending, as she is pursuing advanced studies and her family expects to travel routinely.
马媛从2022年8月1日到2023年7月24日期间的存款 图源:马媛
她说自己经常会搜索大牌美妆护肤品的平替产品。对于家里即将空瓶的油盐酱醋也从不丢掉,而是认真收集来使用。平时也尽量自己动手做饭,减少点外卖或者去外面吃饭的频率。
马媛存钱去泰国读博 图源:马媛
“我认为物质享受只能带来短暂的快乐,但简朴生活可以带来精神的富足。我可以用省下的钱去实现一个个人生目标,省钱可以让我离梦想越来越近。”马媛说。
She stopped buying well-known brands of cosmetics — using cheaper products instead. Ma also recycled empty boxes, cut back on dining out, and reduced the number of unnecessary purchases.
“While pursuing material desires may bring temporary happiness, I have discovered that living a more frugal lifestyle can lead to a sense of spiritual abundance (the belief that there is enough for everyone),” she said. “I have many dreams that require financial support. By consciously controlling and reducing my spending, I am able to bring those dreams closer to reality.”
断舍离和一物多用
来自上海的HR Coco吴对简朴生活的做法主要是断舍离还有一物多用。
她说,从整理衣橱开始,把过去堆积的衣物分批次清理的过程,可以发现自己很多无意识的购买与浪费,对自己是一种提醒。
Coco现在已经10个多月没有买衣服了,但并没有觉得没衣服穿。在一物多用上,比如一块香皂不仅可以用来洗衣服,还可以用来放在衣柜做扩香,自己做香薰,放鞋柜除异味。
In Shanghai, the simple lifestyle of Coco Wu, 34, a human resources worker, mainly involves sorting, storing and finding multiple uses for items.
She started by organizing her wardrobe. “Clearing out the piles of clothing made me realize just how much unconscious buying and wastage I had been engaged in. This served as a reminder to avoid frequent purchases. It's been more than 10 months since I last bought clothes, and yet I don't feel as if I have nothing to wear.
To find multiple uses for items, she uses a bar of soap not only for washing clothes but also as a natural air freshener for rooms, and to remove odors from shoe cabinets.
Coco的衣橱 图源:Coco
她说,贯彻简朴生活之后,家里的开支少了大概一半。“我觉得断舍离会让生活少些纷扰,就像早上不会精神内耗想着要怎样搭配衣服让别人喜欢,也不会因为害怕搭配不好而产生容貌自卑。另一方面,因简朴而存下的钱也可以备以后不时之需,给自己一份心安。”
She added that she has almost halved her expenses by adopting a simple approach to daily life. “I feel that decluttering brings less chaos to life. For example, in the morning, I don’t waste time thinking about dressing to please others, and I don’t feel insecure about my appearance due to a bad combination of outfits. On the other hand, the money saved from living simply can be put by for future needs, giving me peace of mind,” Wu said.
香皂放在鞋柜做扩香 图源:Coco
在深圳读研的唐伟博则认为,节俭也须理智,以浪费时间和降低生活品质为代价去追求极致地简朴是不值得提倡的。“如果我花两个小时去抢3块钱的优惠,那就不是理智的节约了。”
Tang Weibo, 25, from Shenzhen, disagrees with adopting frugality at the expense of time or a reduced quality of life. “If I spend two hours in gaining a discount of 3 yuan, this is not reasonable frugality,” he said.
越来越多的年轻人在豆瓣、小红书等社交平台分享自己的省钱妙招,有的更戏称自己为“抠门男女”或“丧心病狂在攒钱”。“如何用3元钱解决一顿饭”和“一瓶沐浴露如何用一年”等热门话题吸引不少网友关注。
对于简朴生活的趋势,凯度消费者指数大中华区董事总经理Jason Yu认为,三年疫情让年轻人意识到,在面对未来的诸多不确定性时,保持身心的强大抵抗力是多么地重要。年轻人善于发现平替产品,用更低的价格实现同样的效能,这样他们也并不会因为向低成本妥协而降低生活质量。
Jason Yu, general manager of consultancy Kantar Worldpanel China said that the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years taught young people the importance of enhancing immunity, both physically and mentally, when confronted with uncertainties.
“They are very smart in finding cheaper products with a high efficacy, so that their quality of life is not compromised by lower costs,” he said.
贝恩公司全球专家合伙人鲁秀琼则认为,今天发生的不是消费降级,行业真正要面对的问题是如何给消费者更有价值的购物理由,去激发消费欲望。
Joanna Lu, global expert partner at the consultancy Bain & Co, said consumption is not being downgraded, but the industry needs to look at ways to stimulate consumer desire and provide consumers with more value-based reasons to shop.
节俭不再是老一辈人的专利,月光也不是年轻人的标签。重要的是选择适合自己的生活方式。
记者:陈美玲
实习生:崔语桐 傅俊淇
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