美国国家公共电台 NPR--How inflation may impact your holiday spending

How inflation may impact your holiday spending

Transcript¹

Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist² with the Washington Post, discusses how people should approach holiday shopping in the current economic climate.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Now that it's Thanksgiving, we are well into the holiday season. But how does the current economic uncertainty³ impact our spending? I spoke⁴ earlier with Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary for some tips and advice.

MICHELLE SINGLETARY: The thing is, especially when the holiday comes upon us and they get in the store - and a lot of those budget lists that they have kind of go out the door because they want to be generous. And so sometimes they overspend. We know that right after the first of the year, people have lots of regrets about how much they charge and how much debt they went into. I think what is going to be different about this season, whereas people might wait to buy things to see if there are going to be more discounts - because they know that there's a supply chain issue, they're going to be grabbing things as they see them. And that is smart because you don't know if that item is going to still be there as it gets closer to Christmas. And so even as my husband and I shop, we see something - like, we just bought a big tree - you know, artificial tree. And I said, baby, we better grab this now because we're not sure it's going to be here in a couple of weeks if we try to wait for it to be marked down.

MART?NEZ: It's almost like a way to save money.

SINGLETARY: That's just a great point because you don't know. It could go down, or it actually could go up. And remember, on the other side of that profability (ph) are workers. And so even as we hunt for deep discounts, you know, just keep in mind that the deeper the discount, it could impact those people who are ringing your purchases up or stocking those shelves. If it's a fair price, I'm OK to get it now, even if I think if I wait, I could get it cheaper.

MART?NEZ: Now, do you have any recommendations where people can score a deal? Because I think that's what a lot of people are waiting for, just that one great deal on something they've really, really wanted for a while.

SINGLETARY: Yeah, I tell people do both - in a brick and mortar⁵ and online. And so I will - you know, around the holiday times, I create a list. Now, my list starts with budget. How much can you afford to spend without going into debt? Don't start with listing the number of people you have to buy for 'cause that's how you overspend. So if your budget is $500, you start with that. And then you go online, you go in the store and you sort of look and see where you can get the best deals. Because during the pandemic, we sort of all could get more things online, and we assumed it was cheaper. But that's not necessarily true anymore.

MART?NEZ: Michelle, I've been so proud of myself. I've been trying my best to hold off on buying sneakers until December. My resolve is weakening.

SINGLETARY: (Laughter).

MART?NEZ: I got to tell you that right now. But I thought - you know, I thought it was a good thing that I was holding off.

SINGLETARY: Well, I mean, you could take the risk. So if it's an item that you don't have to have and it's a fun item or it's not a necessity, sure. Go ahead and wait. But if it's something that's your heart's desire and it may be in limited supply, I wouldn't wait. But if it isn't, you know, go ahead and do that dance that we all do with discounts by waiting. That's OK, too.

MART?NEZ: How is this current economic situation in the country, especially high inflation - how is that affecting holiday spending this year?

SINGLETARY: Well, I think lots of people are going to be looking for bargains, even more than they have in the past, because their own income is being pressed by higher prices and necessities like food and gas.

MART?NEZ: Michelle, you know the American consumer. Are they looking for bargains as a way to limit themselves from spending, or are they just going to find something to buy no matter what, bargain or no bargain?

SINGLETARY: I think there's going to be two types of consumers. There's those who've done well during the recession. And I know that sounds crazy, but they have. Their - you know, they saw increases in their stock portfolios⁶. And then there are those who were - definitely been pressed by the economy, and they still want to shop. They still want to give, but they're very concerned about how much they spend.

MART?NEZ: Michelle Singletary is The Washington Post's personal finance columnist. Michelle, thank you.

SINGLETARY: You're so welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

6 portfolios   

n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹

参考例句：

• Price risk arises in non-trading portfolios, as well as in trading portfolios. 价格风险中出现的非贸易投资，以及在贸易投资组合。 来自互联网
• How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? 我们怎样育肥我们的投资结构和维持财政健康呢？ 来自互联网