Listening Practice
Listen to the audio and answer the questions below.
Learning to Be Smart with Money
Learning to Be Smart with Money
When I was eighteen, my grandfather passed away and I inherited money for the first time. It wasn't a huge amount, but it felt like a lot to me. At that age, I didn't really know how to spend money wisely. I wasted money on expensive headphones, clothes and video games. My best friend Tom was different. He knew how to live on a tight budget. He always said: You should save up for something important, not just buy things you'll forget in a week.
Last year, my sister decided to buy an apartment. The place she wanted was worth a fortune, so she had to take out a mortgage. She asked our parents to lend her some money for the first payment. They agreed, but said she would need to pay off the loan slowly. I wanted to help too, but I didn't have much in my bank account. I had to borrow money from someone just to pay my rent. I realised I was starting to be in debt, and it was my own fault.
After that, I decided to change. I found a job as a bike courier to earn a living. I stopped using my credit card for everything and learned to pay in cash when possible. I also started cutting down on expenses: cooking at home, cancelling subscriptions I didn't use.
One day, I went to the bank to withdraw money from an ATM. I checked my balance and smiled. For the first time, I had saved some money. Last month, I even made a donation to a local animal shelter. I also bought shoes that were too small, and the shop let me get a refund.
My grandfather once told me: Don't just keep your money under the bed. Invest money in something. I'm not ready to invest yet, but I'm reading about it. Money can give you freedom, but only if you use it carefully. Next year, I hope to travel. And this time, I'll pay for it myself.
Comprehension Questions
1. What happened when the author was eighteen?
2. How did the author spend his money at first?
3. What did Tom know how to do?
4. Why did the author's sister take out a mortgage?
5. What did the author realise about his own finances?
6. What job did the author find?
7. What did the author do when the shoes were too small?
8. What does the author hope to do next year?
Vocabulary
Learn new words, phrasal verbs and useful phrases.
Match the money collocations with the pictures and listen to the pronunciation
Match the phrasal verbs with their definitions
Match the useful phrases with their definitions
Practice
Complete the exercises to practise the new vocabulary.
Complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb
1. It took me three years to my student loan.
2. I'm trying to for a holiday next summer.
3. We need to eating out — it's too expensive.
4. They decided to a loan to buy a car.
5. Can you the money I lent you last week?
6. She fifty pounds every month for her daughter's education.
7. We had to a proper holiday this year because of the high rent.
8. That garage charged me three hundred pounds for a simple repair — they really .
Complete the sentences with the correct useful phrase
1. With the rising prices, it's getting harder to .
2. After losing his job, he's been .
3. I can't go out for dinner — I'm completely until payday.
4. They're quite — both of them are doctors.
5. His new car is amazing — his parents must be .
6. That designer handbag — I could never afford it.
7. This laptop is really — it was only three hundred pounds.
8. Five pounds for a cup of tea? That's a complete .
9. These biscuits are — buy one, get one free.
10. Before buying a new phone, I always to find the best price.
11. Don't worry about the bill — the company will .
12. Let's on a taxi to the airport.
13. I'm a bit this week — can we go out next Friday instead?
14. He buys a new watch every month — he must .
Complete the sentences with the correct money collocation
1. She from her grandmother and bought a flat.
2. I need to before we go to the market — they don't take cards.
3. Can you until Friday? I'll pay you back.
4. I had to my parents to pay the deposit on the flat.
5. Most small cafés prefer if you .
6. I usually when I shop online — it's safer.
7. He's been a new guitar for months.
8. Don't things you don't really need.
9. My grandfather taught me to .
10. We to the local hospital charity.
11. The coat was too big, so I returned it and .
12. After university, many graduates for years.
13. It took them ten years to on their house.
14. They had to to buy their first home.
15. She decided to her friend's start-up company.
16. That painting on the wall — it's an original.
17. As a student, you learn to .
18. The company after the financial crisis in 2008.
19. He as a freelance photographer.
20. To save for a house, we need to like holidays and eating out.
Final Test
Check your knowledge of money vocabulary, phrasal verbs and useful phrases.