【龙腾网】美国人真的生活在“月光”之中吗？

正文翻译

Is it true that Americans are living "paycheck to paycheck"?

美国人真的生活在“月光”之中吗？

（paycheck to paycheck, 形容这个月工资花完了盼着下一个月的工资单过日子。）

I've been seeing online a lot of commentators saying that American citizens are living "paycheck to paycheck" and made me wonder how is it possible considering the USA is still #1 or very possibly #2 economic power in the World after China?
I am from Serbia and love my country but due to low pays here made me want to move to the US at the time. When I was younger all I've seen on media is that Americans live pretty comfortable lives with no major economic issues.
So average American citizens, is there any truth to the claim that Americans are living "paycheck to paycheck" and that the US economy and life are not that perfect?

我在网上看到很多评论家说美国公民在"靠下一个月的工资单过活"，这让我很好奇，考虑到美国仍然是世界上仅次于中国的第一或第二经济大国，这怎么可能呢？
我来自塞尔维亚，热爱我的国家，但由于这里的低工资，我曾想搬到美国去。当我年轻的时候，我在媒体上看到的都是美国人过着相当舒适的生活，没有重大的经济问题。
那么我想问一下普通的美国公民，关于美国人"靠下一张工资单生活"的说法是否有道理，美国的经济和生活并不那么完美？

评论翻译

greatteachermichael
Washingtonian in Korea
paycheck to paycheck doesn't necessarily mean people don't have good incomes. It just means that people aren't saving. Now, some people might not save because they have poorly paying jobs. On the other hand, you could earn $100,000 a year and still spend all your money every week on expensive junk you don't need and live paycheck to paycheck.
The problem is, when you live in a wealth country like the US, your expectations are higher. In fact, our average poor person earns above the average global wage, even after adjusting for a higher cost of living. However, that person is still poor by American standards. It's really hard to save in a country when you're expected to have internet, a cell phone, a TV, an education, a computer, a car, car insurance, live on your own and not in multigenerational housing, etc. etc. As incomes go up, the potential to save also goes up, but so does people's expectations so they spend their new disposable incomes on better/higher quality/more stuff. I remember reading an article about how making $400,000/year for a family of 4 shouldn't make people think all their problems were solved and then they broke down someone's budget. It had things like a "cheap" $80,000 car for the mom, $400/month piano lessons for each kid, $2,000/month on food, $2,500/month (every month!) on clothing... it was really really BS.
So in a way, it isn't as bad as it sounds, but at the same time, it is.

（华盛顿人在韩国）
靠工资维持生计并不一定意味着人们没有一个好的收入。它只是意味着人们没有储蓄。有些人可能因为他们的工作收入很低而没有储蓄。另一方面，你也可以每年赚10万美元，但仍然每周把所有的钱花在你不需要的昂贵的垃圾上，过着靠下个月工资维持生计的生活。
问题是，当你生活在像美国这样的富裕国家时，你的期望值会更高。事实上，我们的普通穷人的收入高于全球平均工资，即使在经过较高的生活成本的调整之后依然如此。然而，按照美国的标准，这个人仍然是穷人。在一个国家，当你被期望拥有互联网、手机、电视、教育、电脑、汽车、汽车保险、自己住而不是多代同堂的住房时，真的很难储蓄。随着收入的增加，储蓄的潜力也在增加，但人们对生活质量的期望也在增加，所以他们把新的可支配收入花在更好/更高质量/更多的东西上。我记得读过一篇文章，说一个四口之家每年赚40万美元，不应该让人们认为他们所有的问题都解决了，然后他们分析了其中某人的预算，里面包括一些东西，如妈妈的8万美元的"廉价"汽车，每个孩子400美元/月的钢琴课，2000美元/月的食品，2500美元/月（每个月！）的衣服......这真的是非常扯淡。
所以在某种程度上，它并不像听起来那么糟糕，但同时，它也是事实。

PatrickRsGhost
Georgia
This. So much this. The economic psychology of most Americans is "spend, spend, spend" when they have the income to "spend, spend, spend". Even if you're making minimum wage, the mindset is to spend, spend, spend.
Some people do save money, but deep down they hate doing it. They want to buy new clothes, new electronics, new furniture, and everything else RIGHT NOW. They'll pay the necessary bills and debts, buy the necessities like food and personal hygiene products, but if there's even a single penny left over, they'll find ways to spend it.
And this is one of the major reasons as to why so many Americans are in debt. They don't save the money necessary to buy some things they may need on down the road, or for "a rainy day". Some don't even budget properly. They only budget for what they know they have to pay/purchase; things that are relevant or evident. They'll budget for rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, gas, and other bills (car payment, credit card payment, etc.). But they don't budget for car repairs, for medical expenses (including prescxtions), or other routine-but-not-as-routine-as-the-other-stuff expenses. This dangerous way of thinking is one of the main causes to such a high amount of debt in this country. "Unexpected" expenses such as routine car maintenance or major repairs, medical expenses, and the like are put on the credit card rather than paid for in cash or debit card.

（乔治亚州）
就是这样。太多这样的事了。大多数美国人的经济心理是"花钱、花钱、花钱"，当他们有收入可以"花钱、花钱、花钱"时。即使你挣的是最低工资，心态也是花钱，花钱，花钱。
有些人确实在省钱，但在内心深处他们讨厌这样做。他们想现在就买新衣服，新电子产品，新家具，以及其他一切。他们会确保能支付必要的账单和债务，购买食品和个人卫生用品等必需品，但如果有哪怕是一分钱的剩余，他们都会想办法花掉。
这就是为什么这么多美国人负债的主要原因之一。他们没有存下必要的钱来购买一些他们可能以后需要的东西，或者为了"未雨绸缪"而存钱。有些人甚至没有正确的预算。他们只为他们知道必须支付/购买的东西做预算；与之相关或明显的东西。他们会为房租/抵押贷款、水电、杂货、汽油和其他账单（汽车付款、信用卡付款等）做预算。但他们不会为修车、医疗费用（包括处方）或其他常规但不像其他东西那样常规的费用做预算。这种危险的思维方式是造成这个国家如此高额债务的主要原因之一。例行的汽车保养或大修、医疗费用等"意外"支出被记入信用卡，而不是用现金或借记卡支付。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

3AM_Dreaming
Got it.
You know, most of the comments are negative here regarding the current US economy but and all I've got is that the average life in the US is pretty much the same as in Serbia. Except that you guys can maybe occasionally afford tech, vacation or whatever toys you want or occasionally travel. So that's a big plus for the US.
Due to NATO bombing and sanctions economy here in 2021 is kinda bad so the average salary is around 500$. With that money, you cover bills with let's say 200-250$ and you spend 50-100$ for food. And you have about 150$ at most just for yourself if you ain't paying a house/apartment. That means treating yourself with vacations, Playstation, iPhone, an amazing car, or whatever is out of the reach for an averige Serbian. That kinda bothers me as a 28-year-old man. I LOVE this country but I guess I gotta leave somewhere If I wanna experience nicer things in life as an average worker.But then again you guys do not have healthcare and that's a big plus for Serbia.
Overall: I guess life is not perfect anywhere and that there is the truth to the "paycheck to paycheck" I see on the internet but that it MIGHT be a bit overblown. Things are rough for many. Things could be worse for others.

我懂了。
你知道，这里的大多数评论都是关于当前美国经济的负面评论，但我所得到的信息是，美国的平均生活与塞尔维亚的基本相同。除了你们也许偶尔能买得起科技产品、度假或任何你们想要的玩具，或者偶尔能旅行。所以这对美国来说是一个很大的好处。
由于北约的轰炸和制裁，2021年这里的经济有点糟糕，所以平均工资是500美元左右。有了这些钱，你可以用200-250美元来支付账单，你可以花50-100美元购买食物。如果你不支付房子/公寓，你最多有150美元给自己。这意味着用假期、PS游戏机、苹果手机、漂亮的汽车或其他什么东西来犒劳自己，对于一个普通的塞尔维亚人来说是遥不可及的。作为一个28岁的男人，这让我有点困扰。我喜欢这个国家，但我想如果我想作为一个普通工人体验生活中更美好的东西，我必须离开某个地方。
总的来说：我想生活在任何地方都不是完美的，我在网上看到的"从这个月工资到下个月工资"的说法是有道理的，但可能有点夸大了。对许多人来说，事情很艰难。对其他人来说，情况可能更糟。

ggill1313
Texan in MA/RI
all I've got is that the average life in the US is pretty much the same as in Serbia. Except that you guys can maybe occasionally afford tech, vacation or whatever toys you want or occasionally travel. So that's a big plus for the US.
I'm not sure I'd agree with this.
Most people, yes, do go to work to make a living. They have bills to pay and budgets to watch, and perform some calculus to know if they can afford to do XYZ with the money they have "left over." But when reading this:
That means treating yourself with vacations, Playstation, iPhone, an amazing car, or whatever is out of the reach for an averige Serbian.
It seems to me that maybe you're not understanding some of the nuance.
A lot of people here are living "paycheck to paycheck" precisely because they've indulged in not just one, but all of these things. They take that vacation, they buy the Playstation, the iPhone, the car they want, etc. It's not a thought of, "Well maybe I can get one of these." It's, "I'm going to get all of these" even if it means having "no money" "left over" at the end of the pay period.
My brother has a house, a new Xbox, a new iPhone, car, etc., but splits these bills with his wife. They can afford these things, and he's making far less than I am.
I guess the difference is that the majority of us have something else we're working for other than mere subsistence. Some people are about to buy that new console, or an iPad, or a new couch or whatever. Most people have their eye on that next something.
If the Internet has convinced you that the average American is living like the average Serb, then I'm not sure you've yet gathered the correct picture.
And I have healthcare. I pay $400 a month for it for a max out-of-pocket cost of $1,000 for the year.

（在马萨诸塞州/罗得岛州的德克萨斯人）
“我所知道的是，美国的平均生活与塞尔维亚的基本相同。 除了你们也许偶尔能买得起科技产品、度假或任何你们想要的玩具，或者偶尔能旅行。所以这对美国来说是一个很大的好处。”
我不确定我是否同意你这个观点。
大多数人，是的，确实依靠每个月的工资生活。他们有账单要付，有预算要看，并进行一些计算，以了解他们是否能用"剩余"的钱做XYZ。但是当读到这里时：
“这意味着用假期、PS游戏机、苹果手机、漂亮的汽车或其他什么东西来犒劳自己，对于一个普通的塞尔维亚人来说是遥不可及的。”
在我看来，也许你没有理解其中的一些细微差别。
这里的很多人"靠下个月工资生活"，正是因为他们不只是沉迷于其中一个，而是所有这些东西。他们去度假，买PS游戏机，买苹果手机，买他们想要的车，等等。这不是一个"好吧，也许我可以得到其中的一个"的想法。而是"我要得到所有这些"，即使这意味着在下个月发工资之前"没有钱"会"剩下"。
我哥哥有一栋房子，一个最新的Xbox，一个最新的苹果手机，汽车，等等，但与他的妻子分担这些费用。他们能负担得起这些东西，而他的收入却远远低于我。
我想区别在于，我们中的大多数人除了单纯的生存之外，还有其他的为之工作的目标。有些人即将购买新的console游戏机，或iPad，或新的沙发或其他东西。大多数人都在关注下一个东西。
如果互联网让你相信，普通美国人的生活就像普通塞尔维亚人一样，那么我不确定你是否真的理解了这件事。
而且我有医疗保健。我每月支付400美元，一年的最高自付费用为1000美元。

GreatLookingGuy
you don’t have healthcare
We have healthcare lol. I’m sorry I actually laughed out loud when I read that. We have some problems with access to healthcare for some people. Millions of people. But the country consists of about 350M people most of whom have plenty of healthcare.
In fact, as a legal immigrant, if you come to a major city, NYC for example, you will almost certainly get free healthcare immediately. If you continue to earn below a certain salary, you will continue to receive free healthcare. If you find a higher paying job, your healthcare will stop being free and youll need to pay for insurance. Every employer I’ve worked for has provided it. But your experience may vary.

“你没有医疗保健”
我们有医疗保健服务，笑。对不起，当我读到这句话时，我真的笑出声来了。我们有一些人在获得医疗保健方面存在一些问题。可能数以百万计的人在这方面有问题。但这个国家由大约3.5亿人组成，其中大多数人有大量的医疗保健。
事实上，作为一个合法移民，如果你来到一个大城市，例如纽约市，你几乎肯定会立即得到免费医疗。如果你的收入继续低于一定的工资，你将继续获得免费医疗服务。如果你找到一份更高薪的工作，你的医疗保健将不再是免费的，你将需要支付保险。我工作过的每一个雇主都提供这种服务。但你的经验可能有所不同。

3AM_Dreaming
Yes, I know that I just worded that horribly :D Apologies.

是的，我知道我犯了个大错:D 在此道歉。

Listlesslix
What we don't have is access to affordable healthcare. 2/3 of personal bankruptcy is now due to medical debt

我们没有的是获得负担得起的医疗保健。现在2/3的个人破产是由于医疗债务造成的