Squeezed by inflation, families are tightening their holiday budgets
通胀阴影笼罩美假日购物季，消费者不再“买买买”
A November Quinnipiac poll found 47% of Americans have less in savings than they did just a year ago.
美国昆尼皮亚克大学11月的一项民意调查发现，47%的美国人储蓄比一年前少。
The same poll found 42% plan to spend less on gifts this season and only 8% plan to spend more.
调查还发现，42%的受访者今年购物季计划减少礼物支出，只有8%的受访者计划增加支出。
Overall holiday spending hasn’t slowed yet, according to the National Retail Federation, but many families are making sacrifices to buy presents for their loved ones.
全美零售商联合会称，圣诞假期的整体消费还未放缓，但许多家庭已经在为礼物开支而让步。
Janette Duvall, a school bus driver in Maryland, is relying on coupons for the first time to afford gifts for her family.
马里兰州校车司机珍妮特•杜瓦尔第一次用优惠券为家人买礼物。
While inflation is squeezing her budget, she wants to make sure her kids have something to open on Christmas, even if she can’t buy anything for herself.
高通胀限制了她的预算，即使不能为自己买任何东西，她仍希望孩子们在圣诞节能够收到礼物。
“I will do whatever I can, but I will, of course, look for something cheaper this year,” she said. “Not everybody will have the same quality of gift they used to get.”
杜瓦尔说：“我会尽我所能，但今年我肯定会选择更便宜的。并不是每个人都会得到与以往一样的礼物。”
In a Gallup poll this month, 55% of Americans said rising prices have caused financial hardship for their household, and 13% say that hardship is “severe.”
本月盖洛普民意调查显示，55%的美国人表示物价上涨使他们囊中羞涩，13%的人表示经济“非常”困难。
Second-grade teacher Lindsay Cook said her family has been living paycheck to paycheck for the first time.
二年级教师林赛•库克称，她家第一次过上“月光族”的生活。
For months, she and her husband, a school security officer, have been dipping into savings and using credit cards to keep up with higher prices on food, gas, energy, as they take care of their two children.
库克的丈夫是一名学校警卫，家里有两个孩子。几个月来，为了负担上涨的食品、汽油、能源支出，他们一直在动用储蓄和信用卡。
Recession concerns are also impacting family spending.
对经济衰退的担忧也影响着家庭支出。
Karissa Warren spoke with CNN in March when she could barely afford to fill her gas tank because of surging fuel prices.
今年3月，卡里莎•沃伦曾接受CNN采访。当时由于油价飙升，她几乎没钱加满油箱。
With gas prices down, and after receiving a raise at work, Warren felt more secure heading into the holidays.
随着天然气价格的下降，以及获得加薪，沃伦以为自己可以安度假期。
Then she received news that she’s getting laid off from her job.
但现在，她收到了被解雇的消息。
“It just kind of blew everything up,” she said about her budget. “Now, it’s like, anything extra is out of the question.”
谈到购物预算，沃伦称：“这简直是把一切都搞砸了。现在，任何额外支出都是不可能的。”
