Your money
Here is a table with the information about the most popular ways to spend money. Complete it taking into consideration the interests of Ukrainian young people. Compare the Ukrainians and the British.
| The ways to spend money | Great Britain | Ukraine |
| Cinema and concerts Bowling Eating out Expensive things Amusement parks, fairs, festivals Car insurance Books CDs and tapes Clothes Magazines and newspapers Going out Alcoholic drinks Taxi Cigarettes Jewellery Food Sport and fitness Church activities Keeping pets College Holidays Social activities The Internet Presents Care/support for family members Girl/boyfriends Lottery Charity Gambling Car/travel expenses Hairdressers, beauticians, etc. Household bills Medical care Rent/mortgage Services of other people (cleaners, gardeners, etc.) | ** *** *** * ** ** *** *** *** ** *** ** *** * ** *** ** * ** ** *** ** * ** ** * * * * *** *** *** *** *** * |
Are these ways of spending money popular in Ukraine? Why? Find out other ways of spending money popular with your groupmates. What proportion of your income do you allocate to the things mentioned in the table? Try to give a rough percentage.
Speak about your attitude to money and the ways to earn and spend it using the expressions below.
| · I think that money plays … because … · The only source of getting money for me is… · But sometimes I … · I can also get money … | · I usually spend money on … · What’s more, I … · That’s why I … · So … |
1. Is talking about money a taboo subject in your country?
2. What things would you like to spend more/less on?
3. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve recently bought?
4. What thing do you most regret having bought?
5. Are you saving up to buy anything in particular?
6. How have your spending habits changed over the last three years?
7. Do you prefer to save or to spend money? Give your reasons.
8. What (if anything) you are saving your money for?
It is interesting to know
& Reading
Read the text and tell whether you are a materialistic person. Do you want to become less materialistic?
Material things
I have never been considered a materialistic person. As a child I didn’t need expensive clothes and toys to have a good time with my friends. We used to play for hours using mostly our imagination and initiative. The ‘world of things’ was simply not able to influence our world, full of fantastic creatures and events.
As I grew older, my attitude towards material things, and money in particular, remained similar. I could live without them easily, with only one exception – books. They were my only addiction, and I spent most of my pocket money on them.
As a young girl, I valued boys with a sense of humour and sensitivity more than those who could take me to an expensive restaurant in their car.
That’s how it used to be. And now? As an adult, I’m so preoccupied with saving money for my own apartment. There are so many things I just cannot do without – books, clothes, food, and travel. Of course supporting oneself is part of being an adult, but I have a feeling that my idealistic, ‘pure’ world has been lost somewhere on the way to my adulthood.
I still believe that all the best things in life are free, but knowing that, I often repeat to myself, ‘Money cannot exactly buy you happiness, but at least it helps you suffer in comfort.’
Dominika Szmerdt, Poland.