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This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes:
Examples of phrases you can use when talking about money and expenses:
- Everything’s getting so expensive lately.
- Prices are going up everywhere.
- Things aren’t as affordable as they used to be.
- I’m really feeling the pinch.
- Money’s a bit tight at the moment.
- I’m just trying to make ends meet.
- I’m barely getting by.
- Rent’s through the roof.
- Petrol costs a fortune.
- I’ve had to cut back and watch every dollar.
- I’m trying to stick to a budget.
Colloquial expressions:
To feel the pinch means that you feel that it’s getting harder to cover your expenses.
If you say that money is tight, it means you don’t have much money to spend.
To make ends meet is to have just enough money to cover your basic needs like rent, food, and bills. You can use it when you are managing ok, but suggests that it is not easy to do this.
If you’re barely getting by, you only just have enough money to cover your basic needs. You can use it when you are very nearly not managing to cover your expenses.
If something is through the roof, it is very high. For example, rent or prices for petrol can be through the roof.
To cost a fortune means to be very expensive.
To watch every dollar means to be very careful how you spend money.
To stick to a budget means to spend only the money you have planned to spend.
Vocabulary:
A budget is a plan you make for how you will spend your money.
If something is affordable, it means it costs a reasonable amount and you can pay for it without difficulty.
If something is not affordable, it costs too much money and you don’t have enough money to pay for it easily.
To cut back on something means to reduce how much you do, spend, or use something.
Learning Focus:
In English we have different present tenses, that we can choose to use depending on what we want to emphasise: the present continuous. (to be + verb + ing) and the present simple (verb(s)). We use the present continuous when we want to emphasise the actual process or feeing that is going on in the present time. Notice that Allan and Claire use this when they are stressing how difficult they are finding it to manage:
Allan: Everything’s getting so expensive lately. (is getting)
Allan: …I’m just trying to make ends meet (am trying)
Claire: I know. I’m really feeling the pinch. (am feeling)
But when they simply want to say that something is true, they use the present simple:
Claire: Me too. Rent’s through the roof, and petrol costs a fortune. (is, costs)
We also have the present perfect (have/had + past participle), which we can use to talk about something that started in the past but is continuing into the present, as in
Allan: Yeah, I’ve had to cut back and watch every dollar. (have + had)
Allan uses the present perfect because he started having to cut back in the past but he is still having to cut back. If he didn’t have to cut back any more, he would say:
Allan: I had to cut back (but now I don’t have to)
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia.
Have you noticed that everything costs more than it used to? You go to the supermarket, pay your rent or morgage, fill up your car – and suddenly, your money is gone.
Hi, I’m Kate. We might not be able to help you with more money, but we can help you talk about the cost of living. In this episode you’ll learn everyday English you can use to talk about money, expenses, and any financial pressure that you are feeling.
These are the kind of conversations you might have with friends, colleagues or family. So, let’s learn from Allan and Claire who are chatting about rising costs.
Allan:
Everything’s getting so expensive lately.
Claire:
I know. I’m really feeling the pinch.
Allan:
Same. I’m just trying to make ends meet.
Claire:
Me too. Rent’s through the roof, and petrol costs a fortune.
Allan:
Yeah, I’ve had to cut back and watch every dollar.
Like Allan, every time prices go up, I have to think carefully before spending money. So, I’m keen to learn these phrases, how about you?
First, Allan said,
Everything’s getting so expensive lately.
This is a very common way to talk about rising prices. You could use it everyday situations when things like food, rent, mortgage or transport cost more than they did before.
You could also say:
- Prices are going up everywhere.
- The cost of living keeps going up.
When you say “the cost of living keeps going up”, you mean that prices for everyday things like rent, food, transport, and bills are increasing.
The cost of living is the amount of money you need to pay for all the basic things you need to live.
Next, we heard Claire,
I’m really feeling the pinch.
To feel the pinch means to start noticing that you are under some financial pressure. You are finding that things are still manageable, but it’s getting harder.
You could also say:
- Money’s a bit tight at the moment.
And that would mean the same thing as saying, “I’m feeling the pinch.”
Allan then said,
I’m just trying to make ends meet.
If you make ends meet, then you have just enough money to cover your basic needs like rent, food and bills, but that you are not finding it easy. Actually, although I’m trying hard to make ends meet, since my rent went up, I’m barely getting by. That’s another phrase we can use. If you’re barely getting by then you are only just about making ends meet and you are finding it extremely difficult. You might not make it next time.
After I pay for my rent, I have just enough for basics. Then Claire explained a few reasons why we’re stuck trying to make ends meet. She said,
Rent’s through the roof, and petrol costs a fortune.
If the cost of something is through the roof, it is very high – so high that it has gone through the ceiling. You can also use it to talk about other numbers that are very high and you are not happy about it. So, for example, you could say that your blood pressure is through the roof, or the number of complaints is through the roof.
Claire also said,
Petrol costs a fortune.
If something costs a fortune, it is very expensive. These are both very common, informal expressions.
Finally Allan said,
I’ve had to cut back and watch every dollar.
To cut back on something means to reduce how much you do, spend or use it. For example, last week my doctor told me to cut back on sugar because my blood sugar level was though the roof, so I stopped eating my chocolate treats every afternoon. Do you need to cut back on something?
Allan is talking about cutting back on spending, but he also said something else. Let’s hear him again
I’ve had to cut back and watch every dollar.
If you’re watching every dollar, you’re being very careful with your money.
You could also say:
- I’m trying to stick to a budget.
I’m going to use this phrase a lot because I’m trying to spend only the money I have planned to spend on different things. Basically, I’m trying to keep to a very small, or we can say tight, budget so that I can save some money for a holiday.
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Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
