English Podcast for Beginners (A2–B1) | Let's Talk About Money 💰 Easy Ways to Save & Budget

[0:08]Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel where learning English is easy and fun I'm Emily hello Emily and hello to all our wonderful listeners it's so good to be here again it is how are you doing today Paul I'm feeling great thank you I had a very nice weekend how about you I'm doing very well thanks I'm excited for our new episode today me too you said we have a very useful topic for everyone I'm curious yes it's a topic for everyone today we are going to talk about money ah money yes that is a very important topic it's a part of life exactly Exactly we will learn some easy English words to talk about money and we will share some easy ways to save money and make a budget That sounds perfect many people think talking about money is difficult but we can make it simple that's the plan but wait before we start we have a small request for everyone listening yes we do if you like our podcast please take a moment to give us a like it really helps us and please subscribe to Mr. English Channel so you don't miss our new episodes and share this with your friends who are learning English yes please do your support is amazing okay Emily I'm ready let's talk about money me Let's do it So Paul we all use money every day we buy things yes yes we do I buy food I buy coffee in the morning I buy a ticket for the bus me too this is called spending money when you give money to get something you spend it ah so I spend money on coffee and I spend money on food I understand yes exactly Yes exactly Now in life we have needs and we have wants these are two very important words when we talk about money needs and wants hmm okay what is the difference Emily Good question a need is something you must have to live it is very important something I must have like what like food you need food you need water you need a home to live in these are needs ah okay that makes sense I need food every day so food is a need perfect Perfect Now a want is something you would like to have it's nice but you don't need it to live something I would like to have but I don't need it can you give me an example Sure a new video game is a want or maybe a very fancy expensive jacket it's nice but you don't need it I see so my old jacket is fine a new expensive jacket is a want exactly or think about coffee a simple coffee can be a daily habit but maybe going to a very expensive cafe five times a day is a want OK you have a point one coffee is OK maybe 5 expensive coffees is a want I get it yes Yes and understanding the difference between needs and wants is the first step to managing your money well That's a great start needs are important wants are extra I will remember that So what's next Next let's talk about a budget a budget I hear this word a lot it sounds a little serious haha it can sound serious but it's actually a very helpful friend a budget is just a plan for your money a plan for my money I like the sound of that how does it work it's simple a budget helps you see your money in and your money out money in and money out okay what is money in money in is all the money you receive for most people this is their salary from their job okay so the money I get from my work every month is my money in yes that's it and money out is all the money you spend that's it and money out is all the money you spend so my food my coffee my bus ticket my rent for my apartment this is all money out you got it you got it a budget is just a way to look at those two things together your money in and your money out so how do I make a budget do I need a computer No not at all you can start with something very simple a notebook and a pen a notebook I like that it's easy it is you can make two columns on one side of the page write money in on the other side write money out okay money in and money out I can do that great under money in you write your salary for the month done my salary is under money in now for the other side yes the money out side for 1 month try to write down everything you spend money on everything really even a small chocolate bar haha yes everything your rent your bills your food your coffee your chocolate bar everything wow that will be interesting I think I might be surprised where my money goes many people are the small things can add up that little coffee every day or that snack in the afternoon hmm yes if I buy a coffee for $3 every day in one month that is a lot of money Exactly a budget is like a map it shows you where your money is going it doesn't tell you what to do it just gives you information a map for my money I love that idea Emily it feels less scary now Good it's your tool to help you so after you have your budget for a month you can look at it you can see your needs and your wants ah so I can see how much I spend on needs like food and rent and how much I spend on wants like going to the movies yes exactly and this brings us to our next topic saving money saving money this is the best part I want to save money how can my budget help me your budget can show you where you can save you look at your wants list okay I'm looking at my list of wants my 5 expensive coffees Right maybe you can spend less on some wants for example instead of buying coffee every day you can make coffee at home on some days make coffee at home that's a good idea it is much cheaper It is and you can save a little money every day a little money saved every day becomes a lot of money over a month or year wow that's true it's a small change but it has a big result that's a great tip here is another one cooking at home cooking at home I like to cook that's great because eating at restaurants or buying takeout food can be very expensive it's a want yes it is sometimes after work I'm tired and I just buy dinner but it does cost more money it does if you cook your meals at home you can save a lot you can even cook extra for lunch the next day that's a super idea cook once eat twice and I can save money on lunch too see easy ideas it's about making small smart choices I like these smart choices what else Emily do you have more tips I do another good idea is to make a shopping list before you go to the supermarket a shopping list why is that important When you have a list you know exactly what you need to buy your needs like milk bread eggs okay I write my list milk bread eggs then at the store you only buy the things on your list you don't buy extra things that you want but don't need haha like that big bag of cookies or that extra ice cream I always see things I want Me too the supermarket is full of wants a list helps you stay focused and spend less that is so true a list is a plan for my shopping a budget is a plan for my money it's all about planning yes it is good job Paul now here is something to make saving more fun have a saving goal a saving goal What do you mean A goal is something you want to achieve in the future so a saving goal is a reason to save money why do you want to save hmm a reason to save Well I would love to go on a vacation next year perfect a vacation is a fantastic saving goal or maybe you want to buy something special like a new bicycle or a new phone oh I really want a new bicycle my old one is very very old There you go a new bicycle is your saving goal so how does a goal help me save it helps you stay motivated when you are at a cafe you can think hmm do I buy this expensive cake or do I put this money away for my new bicycle ah that is powerful I can see my bicycle in my mind the cake is nice now but the bicycle is a bigger dream exactly your goal makes the choice easier you are not just not spending money you are saving for your bicycle it feels positive that's a wonderful way to think about it it's not about losing something now it's about gaining something better later my new bicycle yes and you can make it visual you can put a picture of a bicycle on your wall or on your desk oh I love that idea so I can see my goal every day it reminds me why I am saving it does it keeps your dream alive This is great so I have my budget I am making small changes and I have a goal what is a good way to physically save the money where do I put it A great question you can open a separate bank account just for your savings a savings account a savings account so I have one account for spending and one for saving yes and every week or every month you can move a little money into your savings account so it's separate I won't spend it by accident correct and here is a fun old fashioned way to save small amounts of money oh I'm listening a piggy bank a piggy bank like the small pink pigs for children haha yes but it works for adults too it's for your coins my coins the small money I get back when I buy something the change Exactly at the end of every day you can take all the coins out of your pocket and put them in the piggy bank hmm it's only a little bit of money each day does it really help You will be so surprised you don't really miss the coins day by day but after a few months or maybe a year when you open the piggy bank there will be a lot of money inside wow that's like finding treasure It is it's a very easy and satisfying way to save without thinking too much about it I'm going to get a piggy bank or maybe just a big jar I'll call it my bicycle jar bicycle jar I love it that's a perfect name it connects to your goal yes so let's review the steps they are all very simple and use easy English words great idea Paul let's do a quick review Okay so step one was to understand the difference between needs and wants yes needs are what you must have wants are what you would like to have step two was to make a simple budget with a notebook money in and money out that's right That's right to see where your money goes step 3 was to find small ways to save money especially on wants like making coffee at home or using a shopping list perfect small changes make a big difference step 4 have a saving goal something exciting to save for like my new bicycle hahaha yes a goal keeps you motivated and step 5 a fun extra tip is to use a piggy bank or a jar for your coins you remembered everything good job Paul thank you Emily your tips are just so clear and easy to follow I feel like I can really do this that's the most important thing anyone can do it you just need to start and the English words are not so difficult money spend save budget cost price need want goal coins see you are already talking about money in English it's fantastic this is great I hope our listeners are feeling good about this too I hope so too it's about being in control of your money and that is a good feeling a very good feeling and it starts with a simple plan yes just a simple plan in a simple notebook wow Emily our time is flying by I can't believe it's almost the end of the episode I know talking about money was fun haha it really was and very helpful thank you for these great ideas I'm starting my bicycle jar tonight that is wonderful to hear we really hope these tips and English words help all of you at home yes remember everyone even a small step is a good start that's so true and now before we go we would love to hear from you we would please leave a comment for us let us know what is one tip you use to save money or you can tell us about your saving goal what are you saving for is it a trip a new phone a car we are excited to read your answers reading and writing in English is great practice too it is and please if you enjoyed this episode don't forget to subscribe to Mr. English Channel and share it with your friends and family let's help everyone learn English and manage their money in a fun and easy way thank you so much for listening today it was a pleasure Paul the pleasure was all mine Emily until next time everyone goodbye bye for now see you in the next episode