当富人觉得钱多得花不完时，就会随心地买一些可有可无的东西，这一买不打紧，却引发了expenditure cascade ——“支出瀑布”，让那些因艳羡而效仿的穷人本来就很可怜的一点钱不知不觉都败光了。

An expenditure cascade occurs when the rapid income growth of top earners fuels additional spending by the lower earner wannabes. The cascade begins among top earners, which encourages the middle class to spend more which, in turn, encourages the lower class to spend more.

最高收入群体收入随着自己收入的迅速增长，就会产生一些额外开支，而那些想跻身富人行列的低一层收入群体会效仿这些开支，从而导致“支出瀑布”的出现。这种“瀑布”从最高收入群体开始，鼓励中产阶级花更多钱，而中产阶级消费增加又鼓励更贫穷的人群增加开支。

Ultimately, these expenditure cascades reduce the amount that each family saves, as there is less money available to save due to extra spending on frivolous discretionary items.

最终，这些“支出瀑布”会降低每个家庭的存款数额，因为在可有可无的东西上额外花费了太多钱。

（中国日报网英语点津 陈丹妮）