GIFT CARDS

1.礼品卡

If you’re in a hurry, a store-bought gift card might be your only option. But if you can plan ahead, services that act as marketplaces for unwanted cards can actually wind up costing you less than the face value of the balance. The exchanges buy cards from sellers, verify they're still good, then sell them below retail¹ price.

如果你很着急，那么在现成的礼品卡或许是你的唯一选择。但是如果你提前计划，商店一些滞销的礼品卡实际上价格会比礼品卡的票面价值要低。交换者从销售人员手中购买礼品卡，说明这些卡片还是不错的，然后就会以低于零售价格来销售这些卡片。

2. PRINTER INK

2.打印机油墨

While printer companies caution against recycling old cartridges² or using ink kits⁴ to replenish⁵ them, doing so instead of buying brand-new refills can save you a considerable amount of money. If printing quality begins to suffer, then consider splurging for a new cartridge³. Until then, you’ll save well over half the cost ($15 and up) of buying new.

尽管打印公司严令禁止回收旧的墨盒或者使用墨水盒来补充，而是要求购买全新的笔芯来更换，这样会节省许多钱。如果打印质量开始下降，那就考虑换一个新的墨盒吧。这样的话，你就能省下买新笔芯价格的一半以上（15美元以上）。

3. CABLE AND INTERNET

3.有线和网络

If you’ve ever sulked at the rock-bottom offers your cable company offers to new customers, don’t despair. You can often get the same deal by calling and discussing your current plan with a service representative; expressing dissatisfaction with inflated⁶ rates or inquiring about promotional offers can usually lead to a discount.

如果你曾经因为底层代理商以有线公司的价格卖给新用户，也不要绝望。因为你往往可以通过给服务代表打电话讨论你现在的想法，来获得同样的优惠；表达你对于价格飞涨的失望或者要求优惠价格，一般都会得到折扣价。

4. TEXTBOOKS

4.课本

Next to tuition and moving expenses, budgeting for textbooks can be a college-bound student's biggest financial hassle. Try to ignore the sticker price on brand-new books and search for the ones you need online. Putting up with a few tears or stains can slash⁷ as much as $60 off a $70 volume.

仅次于学费和搬家费，课本的预算支出可能是高校学生经济压力最大的一个难题了。试着忽视新书上面的标签价格，在网上找找你需要的书籍。用忍受眼泪或者委屈，买书的价格就可以降低很多，70美元的书可能60美元就能买到。