Unexpected Quiz Win: Local Man’s Spending Spree
Rottinham Resident’s Quiz Show Surprise
The people who live in the quiet village of Rottingham in the south of England couldn’t believe their eyes yesterday when they switched on their TVs and saw their neighbor, Michael Scott, participating in a quiz program. The man did very well; he answered all questions correctly and won a prize of 25.00 euros. Nothing is wrong, except that the man really took part in the program a fortnight ago.
In the fortnight between the recording and the broadcasting, when Michael won the quiz and received the check, he went to the nearest bank to cash it. With all the money in his pockets, this young taxi driver took the train to London and went shopping. He bought clothes for himself, toys for his two sons, some lovely dresses for his mother, and an expensive necklace for his wife. In the evening, Michael returned home and gave out all the presents. Then he went clubbing with his friends and, of course, spent all the money.
The problem started yesterday when his wife watched the program and heard about the prize. She just asked her husband angrily, “Where is the rest of the money?” Michael had no answer.
Smart Saving Strategies
Would you like to receive 10,000 on your 30th birthday? Well, you need to save either 78 pennies a day from the age of 13, 4.57 euros a day from the age of 25, or 27 euros a day from the age of 29. Just do the maths. It’s more intelligent to save money early. So how can you start saving money smartly?
Trade and Save
Imagine there’s a new games console. It’s faster and better than yours, but it’s very expensive. At home, you’ve got a lot of old games and a very old games console. Why don’t you swap them for something new? Many games shops have a swapping system. They also sell second-hand games and consoles. They’re often much cheaper than new products.
Earn Extra Income
If you want to save for something big, use your initiative and do a part-time job at the weekend. You can earn a few pounds a week if you walk your neighbors’ dogs or wash their cars, and a few pounds an hour if you look after children. Then you don’t need to borrow, and you don’t lose friends because you can’t pay them back.
Think Before You Spend
Before you spend money on something new, think about it. Do you really need the best mobile phone in the shop? Do you really need the biggest memory card for your camera or the best basketball? If the answer is no, don’t buy it.
Financial Vocabulary
- Borrow (pedir prestado): When I was a boy, I borrowed toys.
- Cash (efectivo): I put my cash together to pay bills.
- Mortgage (hipoteca): I have mortgaged my house.
- Waste (malgastar): I used to waste my money on candies.
- Credit card: Always payment by credit card.
- Debit card: Never pay with debit card.
- Loan (prestamo): I asked for a loan from the bank.
- Lend (prestar): I always lend money and earn interest.
- Check (cheque): I pay my employees with checks.
- Spend (gastar): I spend my salary on videogames.
- Earn (ganar): I earn 200 pesos per hour.
- Swap (intercambiar): I swap my car for a house.
- Sell (vender): I sell my home.
- Pay for (pagar): Pay for cash my mortgage.
- Save (salvar): I save my money.
Comparisons
- Young (joven): Juan is younger than Matias / Juan is the youngest.
- Rich (rico): Juan is richer than Pablo / Juan is the richest.
- David takes more time to go to work than Juan.
- Spend (gastar): Juan spends more money on food than Matias.
- Old (viejo): Juan is older than Matias.
- Taller (mas alto): Matias is taller than Juan.
- Lighter (liviana): Matias is lighter than Juan.
- Better (mejor): Matias is better than Juan in volley / Matias is better than Juan in maths.
- Worst (peor): Matias is worst than Juan in history.
- Fatter (mas gordo): Juan is fatter than Juan.
- Bigger (mas grande): Juan is bigger than Matias.