Class 4

Review of last week: personality

Listening/lyrics

Song

Reading and phrasal verbs Grammar

Money, percentages, decimals, fractions Text

Listening: Saying numbers 2.3 Listening

Money, percentages, decimals, fractions  Listening

Listen to a news bulletin Listening

Study shows money makes us worry (17th March, 2013)

A new study from the BBC shows that looking after money isn't easy. Over 109,000 people took part in the BBC's Big Money Test. It was one of the biggest ever studies on the psychology of money. One of the biggest findings is that money makes many people feel bad. Researchers say over 40 per cent of us always worry about spending money; a third of us constantly worry about money; and the same percentage feel guilty when spending money on themselves. The study found that women like to go shopping to make themselves feel better about life, while men are more likely to save their cash. Women are more generous with their money and are also more likely to suffer from money problems.

 The researchers also looked at ways shops try and make us spend our money. It showed how stores are continually looking at new ways to make us buy things on impulse. It asks why candies and chocolate are always by the checkout in supermarkets; why "everyday essentials like bread and milk are at the back of shop so you have to walk through as many aisles as possible to reach them;" and why the perfume and jewellery sections are always at the front of a department store. The test says that buying things on impulse can be bad for our finances: "People who bought goods impulsively were three times more likely to go bankrupt, and four times more likely to run out of money by the end of the week."

MONEY WORRIES: What do you worry about most? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

retirement paying bills food shopping saving

the economy rising prices the size of your salary bankruptcy Homework: What are common monthly expenses for a student living on their own? How about a family of four? Write a list of your expenses, figure out how much money you spend on each area, and what percentage of your income pays for each.