Lesson 321--Money is tight

 

"money is tight"
 

Phrases that deal with money are always useful.  Today and Friday, I will present some useful ones dealing with your financial picture.

money is tight = you are worried about how much money you have and you are worried about spending it.

examples

When money was tight, Chris brought his lunch to work.

Paul wanted to go to the concert, but money was tight.

Money was always tight growing up, so Martha made sure to be generous to her daughter.

Lesson 264--Cut Your Losses

 

 

Idiom:  to cut one's losses

When things aren't going well, you might have to quit something and take a loss.   That loss might be in the form of money, reputation, territory or property.  You are going to lose something, but maybe if you wait, you will lose more.  Cutting your losses means limiting how much you will lose.

examples

 

The new product wasn't selling well, so the company decided to cut their losses and stop production.

Daniel was having trouble and decided to cut his losses and sell his house for less than he paid.

Lesson 212--Cost and Price

 

I have noticed that my students struggle with the difference in using price and cost.  I have listed correct and incorrect sentences to help you.

Correct:  What is the cost of that car?

Incorrect:  How much is the cost?

Correct:  How much does the car cost?

Incorrect:  How much is the price?

Correct:  What is the price?

Incorrect: The cost is expensive.

Correct:  The price is high.

Correct:  The cost is high.

Correct:  The car is expensive.

Collocations

high/low price

high/low cost

Lesson 170--Talking about Money

 

 

Let's face it, we all spend money.  Sometimes we spend too much money....okay, we probably always spend too much money.....Okay, some of us spend too much money, and some of you don't.  Did I cover everyone?  Whatever you do, you probably need some English expressions for this.

To blow money = to waste money, to spend money and regret it.

examples         I blew 100 dollars at the bar yesterday.

                        James blew all his money on lottery tickets.

                        Every week Melanie blows hundreds of dollars on spa treatments.

To go through money/To burn through money = spend it quickly

examples         Patricia goes through money faster than anyone I know.

                        Daniel burns through about $3000 a week gambling.

To sock away money = to save money at home or in the bank.

examples         After working all summer, Henry managed to sock away $6000.

                        Gina socks away all her money for her part time job.  She is buying a car.

Make a down payment = the first payment in a series of payments, usually to buy something expensive like a house/condominium or car.

examples         To buy a house in Canada, you need a 5% down payment.

                        Greg wanted to buy a car, but didn't have enough for a down payment.

 

Lesson 127--Using the verb pay

to pay

 

This is a useful verb, but seems to cause a lot of confusion amongst my students.  The meaning is clear, but some of the combinations are not.

He paid for dinner.  =  He bought dinner.

He paid for my dinner. = He paid for my dinner.

He paid me to do fix his computer. = I fixed his computer for a small fee.

He was paid to design a new logo. = He designed a new logo and charged the company some money.

He paid a high price.  =  This might mean is was expensive, or it might be an idiom indicating that the result required some sacrifice (He scored a goal, but was injured in the play.)