Money Matters: Debt Consolidation
Money MattersII. Listening Exercises
Listen to the conversation again by pressing the Play Audio button and read along with the conversation.
Review the
and the sample sentences.
Loading the player ...
[ Other Audio Options:
Ron: Uh, could I borrow a few
until payday? I'm a little .
Nancy: Uh, yeah, I guess, but I'm
myself, and you still owe me $20 from last week. And mom and your friend Ron said you borrowed money from them this past week. [Oh, yeah.] How ARE things going anyway?
Ron: Well, not very well. To be honest, I'm really , and I can't seem to
these days.
Nancy: What do you mean? I thought you
a great job recently, so you must be .
Ron: Well, I do have a job, but I've used my credit cards to pay off a lot of things recently, but now, I can't seem to pay
the money off.
Nancy: Uh, do you have a ? I mean, how do you
your income and expenses?
Ron: Well, when my money , I come to you. Of course. [Great!] No, but I guess I should have some financial plan.
Nancy: Well, let me see if I can help you. How much money do you spend on your apartment?
Ron: Uh, I pay $890 on rent for the
apartment downtown . . . not including
and cable TV. But the place has an awesome view of the city.
Nancy: Uh, $890! Why are you
for such a small place when you could find a cheaper one somewhere outside of the downtown area?
Ron: Yeah, I guess.
Nancy: Okay. How much money do you spend on food a month?
Ron: Hmmm. I'm not really sure. I think I spend around $600. [$600?!] Well, I go out to eat at least four times a week, so those expenses add up. I just don't enjoy eating alone, and I don't have a
for cooking like you do.
Nancy: Well, I can understand that, but perhaps you ought to buy some microwaveable meals you could prepare at home.
Ron: Well, I guess I could.
Nancy: And entertainment?
Ron: Well, I spend a few dollars here and there on basketball and movie tickets, a concert or two, and ballroom dance lessons.
Nancy: Uh, exactly how much do you spend on all of these? Just a "few" dollars?
Ron: Well, oh . . . about $400 or so.
Nancy: Or so? No wonder you're having money problems. You can't just
your money on things like that! And what about transportation?
Ron: Oh, I
to work everyday in my new sports car, but I got a great deal, and my monthly payments are only $450. Come outside and take a look. We can go for a !
Nancy: No, I've heard enough. You've got to
your spending, or you'll end up . I suggest you
your credit cards,
your entertainment expenses, and sell your car. Take public transportation from now on.
Ron: Sell my car?! I can't date without a car. What am I going to say? "Uh, could you meet me downtown at the bus stop at 7:00?" Come on!
Nancy: And you need to create a budget for yourself and
it, and start with paying off your bills, starting with me. You owe me $50 dollars.
Ron: Fifty dollars! Wait, I only borrowed $20 from you last week. How did you come up with $50?
Nancy: Financial consulting fees. My advice is at least worth $30!
Key Vocabulary []
buck (noun): dollar
- Could you load me a buck or two until tomorrow?
be strapped for cash (idiom): have no money available
- He has really been strapped for cash because he lost his job two weeks ago.
pinch pennies (idiom): be careful with money
- That young couple had to pinch pennies so they can live.
in the hole (idiom): in debt
- My brother has charged so some many purchases to his credit cards that
is the hole.
make ends meet (idiom): make enough money to live
- When I was a student, I had to work three part-time jobs to make ends meet.
land (verb): find
- I need to land a good job where I can earn a lot of money.
be loaded (adjective): having a lot of money
- Don't let him borrow money off you because, in reality, he's loaded. His rich parents give him $2,500 in spending money a month!
budget (noun): a financial plan of expenses and income
- You should create a budget of your expenses.
keep track of (idiom): keep a record of
Any business should keep track of its earnings.
run out (phrasal verb): use up or exhaust
- If you don't keep a budget, you might run out of money before your next paycheck.
utilities (noun): services provided by gas, power, and water companies
- The rent for this apartment includes the cost of utilities.
pay through the nose (idiom): pay an excessive amount of money
- Car insurance is so expensive that you have to pay through the nose to get any type of coverage these days.
knack (noun): a special way or ability of doing something
- My mother has a real knack for saving money on her low salary.
blow (verb): spend thought throw away
- People sometimes blow money on things that have no lasting value.
commute (verb): travel back and forth between work and home
- I commute by bus everyday.
curb (verb): lessen or reduce
- Unless you curb your spending, you're going to run out of money before the week is over.
Vocabulary Activities
Now, do these exercises to review the vocabulary. Then, return back to the
to use the vocabulary in real conversations.
Randall's Sites:
. All rights reserved.Read complete
for more information.
Using This Site