The Money Questionnaire

Have you ever…?

(waste) money on something you've never used

(sell) anything on the Internet

(lose) a credit card or your wallet

(save) for something for a long time

(win) any money (e.g. in a lottery)

(be) robbed

(lend) money to someone who didn't pay you back

Have you…recently?

(buy) anything on the Internet

(be) to a shopping mall or a shopping centre

(buy) anyone a present

(use) a credit card

(take) money out of a cash machine

(borrow) money from someone in your family

4. British students spend their money on different things. Here are three of them: Susanne, Charlie and Matthew. Read the information and conduct a survey among your friends to see what Belarusian students spend their money on.

Susanne has been getting £10 every week from pocket money, presents a small weekend job. Charlie's been getting £12 - most of it from a weekend job. Matthew has been getting £4 pocket money.

Susanne: I don't spend anything on alcohol or cigarettes because I don't smoke or drink. I usually spend about £1.00 on make up and I put £2.50 toward to holiday. I love horse-riding and I go on a riding holiday each summer with a friend, go on holiday with my family too but they pay for it. The riding is an extra holiday so I pay for it myself. I spend about £3.50 when I go out to the cinema or the sport center. It's difficult to find something cheap to do at the weekend! I buy a CD every two weeks - they cost £6.00.

Charlie: My holiday is football - I play in a team and I go to watch big football matches; it costs about £2.50 a week. I usually spend something on clothes about £3.00 and I like to buy a CD every week. If I'm lucky I save something usually about 50p a week!

Matthew: I don't save anything. I spend everything on going out. My parents buy my clothes and pay for holidays and everything like that. I don't smoke or drink.

5. Think and share your impressions with your partner:

• Why are goods actually more expensive if the means of payment are different from the units of account?

• What measures can a seller take if money does not fulfill its function as a store of value properly?

WRITING

1. You have received a letter from your foreign friend. Write a reply to him answering all his questions.

1. What do you spend your money on?

2. How much does a doctor (teacher) earn in your country?

3. Do you save any money? If so, how (in a bank, cash)?

4. Is it easy to open a bank account in your country? How much do you need to start?

5. Do you owe money? Who to? When will you pay back the money?

6. Is there anything you want to do but can't afford doing?

7. Do you often lend money? Who do you lend it to?

8. Do you often borrow money? Who do you borrow it from?

9. Are you in debt/broke/hard-up/ or well-off?

10. How much do you need to make ends meet?

11. Do people in your country receive a state pension when they are old?

12. What bills do you have to pay?

13. How much pocket money did you receive when you were a pupil?

14. In your country, what percentage of a person's income is taken in taxes?

2. Write an essay on the topic ‘My attitude to money’. Which of these sentences best describe your attitude to money?

• All I want is enough money to enjoy life.

• Money is very important to me. I’d like to earn as much as possible.

• I would be happy to live with less money and fewer possessions.