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| [ESL/ EFL Podcast] Personal Finances |
| Fifteenth in a series of English language lessons from Jennifer Lebedev |
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Jennifer Lebedev (jenesl)  |
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Published 2008-11-19 11:36 (KST) |
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EXPRESSION No.1: TOO RICH FOR MY BLOOD
It's not always easy to remember the difference between what we want and what we need. Some products or services can have an incredible appeal, but if the cost of an item makes you gasp in surprise or wince in pain, then it's simply out of your price range, that is, beyond what you can afford. You need to admit: "THAT'S TOO RICH FOR MY BLOOD."
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TODAY'S TOP STORIES |
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FROM THE SECTION |
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| EXPRESSION No.2: FEEL THE PINCH
What can be really hard to accept is the fact that what you once used to buy is now too rich for your blood. Perhaps you used to have a gym membership and go out to nightclubs, for example. But if you changed jobs and get paid less, you'll start to FEEL THE PINCH and you may have to give up your workouts and your weekend fun. To FEEL THE PINCH is to be affected by financial hardship. You have less money than you're used to, so you have to pinch or tighten your budget.
EXPRESSION No.3: SHELL OUT
Even if you're not feeling the pinch of an economic crisis, high costs can be upsetting. For instance, if you spilled coffee all over your laptop, you may have to SHELL OUT a thousand dollars on a new computer. This expression means to pay money for something, and you can use it when you're not quite happy with the amount of money you have to spend. SHELLING OUT money means you have to dig deep into your pockets and give more than you're really comfortable giving.
EXPRESSION No.4: RAINY DAY
Shelling out a large sum of money isn't as bad as having no money to spend at all. In everyone's future there will be a time of emergency, and having some extra money saved will help you handle the given problem. Will it be an illness, a loss of a job, or a car accident? It's always wise to SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY. Not having extra money on hand can turn the rainy day into a true storm that will be difficult to weather.
EXPRESSION No.5: NEST EGG
Similar to saving for a rainy day is having a NEST EGG. Most adults recognize the wisdom of not spending every last penny they have. A NEST EGG is an amount of money saved for something in the future such as a child's college education, a dream vacation, or retirement. A NEST EGG can also be money saved for unforeseen financial difficulties.
EXPRESSION No.6: MAKE ENDS MEET
Having a nest egg is ideal, but sometimes it's enough to MAKE ENDS MEET. If you do this, you are managing financially. If you can't MAKE ENDS MEET, you're unable to live on the money you earn.
Now let's do a quick review. Listen to how I use the expressions from this lesson:
The contrast between the rich and the poor is sometimes shocking. There are those who SHELL OUT hundreds of dollars on beauty products and the latest BlackBerry phones, and there are those who can barely MAKE ENDS MEET. Perhaps the current economic difficulties will make the average spender FEEL THE PINCH, and this may actually lead to healthier spending habits. Not spending so freely and learning to recognize what is TOO RICH FOR ONE'S BLOOD can teach the value of saving for a RAINY DAY. Beauty products are nice and BlackBerry phones are cool, but a NEST EGG is what can save a person or an entire family from financial crisis.
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| An original podcast for OMNI |
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©2008 OhmyNews
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Jennifer Lebedev is a teacher of English as a second and foreign language with 12 years experience. She has additional experience in teacher training and administration of an IEP and is a published author. Find more of her online English instruction on YouTube under the name "JenniferESL". |
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