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ENJOYING MONEY

“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”

—Woody Allen (1935-), American comedian and film director

Sharing Experiences

We all deal with money. What experiences have you had? Share your knowledge about money with your conversation partner.

1. What is the name of money in your native country? What does it look like?

2. How much is a dollar in your native country’s currency?

3. How much does seeing a movie cost? A gallon of gas? Lunch?

4. Can you compare shopping in the United States with your native country?

5. What are some bargains in your native country? Why?

6. Are you a thrifty shopper? Can you give an example?

7. Do you know someone who collects loose change? What do you do with the coins?

8. Do you know anybody who collects coins as a hobby?

9. Do you have any shopping tips for bargain hunting?

10. Are you an impulsive shopper or do you shop with a list?

11. When do you like to splurge? On what?

12. Do you prefer to go shopping by yourself or with someone else? Why?

13. Do you have a favorite mall, shopping center, or market?

14. Have you ever wasted money? How?

15. How often do you go out to restaurants? What do you look for in restaurants?

16. Are you a tipper? What percentage do you usually leave for good service?

17. Can you think of some extravagant ways to spend money?

18. Have you ever felt “buyer’s remorse”? When? What did you do?

Vocabulary

Choose five words you know. Use each in a sentence for your partner.

currency | coin | thrifty | frugal | impulsive | extravagant

remorse | buyer’s remorse | tip | tipper | budget

credit | pile up | debt

Proverbs

Do you agree with all of these proverbs? Choose your favorite.

Time is money. —Greek

No one spits on money. —Korean

Without money; without hands. —Ukrainian

Money can bribe the gods. —Chinese

When money talks, truth keeps silent. —Russian

The Conversation Continues

1. How do you like to spend money? What are you glad to buy?

2. Do you have a favorite store? Why?

3. Have you ever bought several identical items? Why?

4. Do you have a budget for yourself? Does your family have a budget?

5. How do you keep track of what you spend? Do you keep a money diary?

6. Do you have a favorite paper currency or bill? Why do you like it?

7. Do you have a favorite coin? Why do you like it?

8. Do you usually pay bills by check, by credit card, or by computer?

9. Do you usually pay by cash, check, or credit card at stores?

10. If you got a sudden gift of $10,000, what would you buy? Why?

11. When did you open your first bank account? When did you get your first credit card?

12. Do young people tend to live within their means or above their means? Why?

13. Have your spending habits changed since moving to the United States? How?

14. What are some common reasons that people go into debt?

15. Can you think of five good uses of credit?

16. What are five bad reasons to pile up debt? Why?

17. Do you and your relatives have similar spending habits?

18. What would you buy if you won the lottery for $50 million? Why?

19. What is your personal spending philosophy?

Discussing Quotations

With your conversation partner(s) or on your own, read the following quotations out loud. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Why? Explain your reasons.

1. “When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.”

—Voltaire (1694-1778), French writer and philosopher

2. “He that is of the opinion that money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.”

—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American statesmen and face on the U.S. $100 bill

3. “Money often costs too much.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American philosopher

4. “The golden age only comes to men when they have forgotten gold.”

—G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English writer

5. “When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I’m old I know that it is.”

—Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Anglo-Irish playwright

6. “Money: A blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it.”

—Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), American writer

7. “The lack of money is the root of all evil.”

—George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish writer

8. “Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?”

—John Barrymore (1882-1942), acting legend

9. “Money cannot buy health, but I’d settle for a diamond-studded wheel chair.”

—Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), American writer

10. “I don’t like money, actually, but it quiets my nerves.”

—Joe Louis (1914-1981), world heavyweight champion

11. “I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.”

—William Cowper (1721-1800), English poet

12. “It’s a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people believe they can be happy without money.”

—Albert Camus (1913-1960), French novelist and Nobel Prize winner

13. “I’d like to live like a poor man with lots of money.”

—Pablo Picasso (1881-1993), Spanish painter

14. “I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.”

—Jackie Mason (1931-), American stand-up comedian

On Your Own

Write four sentences that reflect your attitudes about money.