2010年巴菲特文章：如果看见我喜欢的T恤，我就买下它-中英

利奥

If I See A Shirt I Like, I'll Usually Just Buy It
　　By Warren Buffett
　　February 4, 2010 | Issue 46?05
　　www.theonion.com/content/opinion/if_i_see_a_shirt_i_like_ill
　　I'm not really the kind of person to get caught up in the latest trends or fashions or anything like that. But some days, if I get out of work early and have a little time to kill before dinner, I'll go do some window-shopping in the downtown Omaha area. Usually I just stick to browsing, but occasionally I'll see a shirt I like, and if I try it on and it looks good, I'll say, "What the heck," and go ahead and buy it.
　　Because why not, right?
　　If you think about it, we're only talking $50 or $60 tops here. I've had a steady income for years now, and I'm at the point in my life where I just refuse to feel guilty about treating myself to a decent shirt every once in a while. See, because it's not even about the money. It's about feeling good. So if I come across a nice blue button-down or a really sharp Tommy Hilfiger polo, I just think, "Warren, in the span of a lifetime are you really going to miss the $40 you spent on a shirt you might wear for upwards of 10 years?" Of course not.
　　Look, I'm old enough to understand that it's okay to spend a little cash on something that makes you happy. To tell the truth, I wish I'd learned that lesson years ago.
　　Now, I'm not saying you should go hog wild and buy 200 shirts at a time or anything. That'd be crazy. And no matter how much money you have, spending $150 on a shirt is just plain silly: I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts that someone somewhere makes a shirt that looks just as nice for half the price. For example, the Men's Wearhouse at Oak View Mall typically has nice dress shirts for decent prices by all the top name brands, like Ralph Lauren, Geoffrey Beene, and so on. It's not cheap stuff by any means, but if you have a member card you can get a 15 percent discount, and why not take advantage of a good deal when you see one.
　　I don't know about Men's Wearhouses outside Omaha, but I assume they have a similar discount at their other locations, as well.
　　When you're used to pinching pennies and watching where every dollar goes, it can be hard to let loose and just splurge on something. Believe me, I know. But, hey, I'll drop $8 on a movie once in a while, and it doesn't even have to be the greatest film in the world, either. And, sure, a $30 box of chocolates for your wife might be a bit extravagant, but the look on her face when you give it to her is more than worth it. (And, let's be honest, that $30 isn't exactly going to break the bank!)
　　I will say that I never buy just to buy. Having some extra sawbucks lying around doesn't mean they need to be spent. In fact, just last week I walked into a Banana Republic—I like their sweaters a lot—looked around for about 15, 20 minutes, and walked right out. Seriously, just walked right on out.
　　But, yeah, if something catches my eye, I'm not going to ignore it. I'm going to try it on, see how it looks with the pants I'm wearing, maybe try on a pair of khakis to see if they go with it better. If I like the khakis enough, I'll buy them, too. Even if it adds up to $160, it's an outfit I'll be able to wear many times, and I know I'll feel confident every time I wear it. That sounds like a bargain to me.
　　After all, I work hard. I deserve it.
　　One more thing: I learned the hard way to always try clothes on first. That's just smart shopping. Case in point: I recently bought this turtleneck at Eddie Bauer without seeing if it fit. Well, you know where that turtleneck is now? Collecting dust in my closet. Sometimes I wear it under a sports coat, but very rarely. Sixty-five dollars down the drain.
　　But you know what? It's just 65 bucks, for crying out loud. Big deal.LJW
　　

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我真的不是那种被最新潮流或时尚或诸如此类的东西所吸引的人。但有一天，如果我早点下班，晚饭前有点时间消磨，我会去奥马哈市中心逛街。通常我只是坚持浏览，但偶尔我会看到一件我喜欢的衬衫，如果我穿上它看起来很好，我会说，“该死的”，然后就去买它。

因为为什么不呢？

如果你想一想，我们这里只讨论50美元或60美元的上限。我多年来一直有稳定的收入，现在我正处于人生的关键时刻，我只是拒绝为偶尔给自己一件像样的衬衫感到内疚。看，因为这根本不是钱的问题。这是关于感觉良好。所以，如果我遇到一件漂亮的蓝色纽扣或一件非常锋利的汤米·希尔费格马球，我会想，“沃伦，在你一生中，你真的会错过你花在一件衬衫上的40美元吗？”当然不是。

听着，我已经足够大了，可以理解花一点钱买一些让你开心的东西。说实话，我真希望我几年前就学到了这一课。

现在，我不是说你应该疯狂地一次买200件衬衫或其他什么。那太疯狂了。不管你有多少钱，花150美元买一件衬衫简直太傻了：我敢跟你打赌，某个地方有人能以一半的价格买到一件看起来同样好看的衬衫。例如，Oak View Mall的男士服装店通常都有拉尔夫·劳伦（Ralph Lauren）、杰弗里·比恩（Geoffrey Beene）等顶级品牌的精美正装衬衫，价格适中。这无论如何都不便宜，但如果你有会员卡，你可以获得15%的折扣，为什么不在看到一张会员卡时好好享受一下。

我不知道奥马哈以外的男装店，但我想他们在其他地方也有类似的折扣。

当你习惯于省吃俭用，观察每一块钱的去向时，你很难放手挥霍。相信我，我知道。但是，嘿，我偶尔会花8美元买一部电影，它甚至不一定是世界上最伟大的电影。当然，给你妻子一盒30美元的巧克力可能有点奢侈，但当你送给她时，她脸上的表情是值得的。（而且，老实说，30美元不会让钱包破产！）

我会说我从来不会为了买而买。有多余的锯木块，并不意味着需要用掉。事实上，就在上周，我走进了一家“香蕉共和国”服装店——我非常喜欢他们的毛衣，在周围看了大约15、20分钟，然后就走了出去。说真的，刚刚走出去。

但是，是的，如果有什么东西吸引了我的眼球，我不会忽视它。我要试穿一下，看看它和我穿的裤子怎么搭配，也许可以试穿一条卡其裤，看看它们是否更合身。如果我足够喜欢卡其色，我也会买。即使加起来是160美元，这套衣服我也能穿很多次，我知道我每次穿都会很自信。对我来说，这听起来很划算。

毕竟，我工作很努力。我值得拥有它。

还有一件事：我吸取了买衣服要先试穿衣服的教训。这样购物才明智。举个例子：我最近在Eddie Bauer买了这件高领毛衣，但没看它是否合身。你知道那件高领毛衣现在在哪里吗？在我的衣橱里收集灰尘。有时我把它穿在运动外套里，但很少。六十五美元落空了。

但你知道吗？只要65美元，因为你大声喊叫。了不起的事。
BDY