新东方托福高分作:花钱还是攒钱?

My mom used to tell me: "You can only spend money once." What she meant is that if you spent money frivolously, you might really need it later and regret your earlier careless spending. After several years of managing a small amount of my own money, I have come to the conclusion that my mom was right, saving is better than spending. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, the only thing we can do is to try to be prepared. When disaster strikes, perhaps a sudden illness in the family, having money on hand can mean the difference between life and death. When opportunity knocks, a surprise acceptance to a top university for instance, money is needed for tuition, board, and books. This is not to say that one should not spend any money because they have to prepare for every possible contingency. It simply means that one should not spend recklessly without having a substantial amount of money to guard against an unpredictable future. The importance of saving money when young cannot be overstressed. This is because young people can tolerate higher-risk, higher return investments, and can let their investments mature longer, allowing interest on savings to compound. If invested well, $5,000 today could become $20,000 in 15 years. This concept is so powerful because the investor does not have to work for the money, the money works for the investor. Saving is not only a bulwark against an unpredictable future, it is also a way to generate future wealth. At last, while it is true that spending money can be enjoyable, it is not the only way to have fun. The idea that we must always be consuming things in order to have a good time is a lie told to us by advertisers. These companies tell us that only when we drive the right car, wear the right clothes, and drink the right beverages will we be truly happy. In reality, each person determines the standard of his/her own happiness. For my part, I have decided that creating things, writing, painting, making music, is what truly makes me happy. The amount of money I need to spend doing these things is almost nothing, but the happiness they bring me is immeasurable. I would prefer to save money for unavoidable expenses and enjoy life by being a producer, not a consumer.