unit 19 Money
2 Borrowing money
Have you got time for a coffee?
Yes,OK.Where do you want to go?
How about that place on the corner?
Yes,fine.Oh no!
What's the matter?
Oh,I've just realised I've left my wallet at home.
Don't worry.It's ok.I'll pay for the coffee.
Yes,thanks,but it's not just that I'm Meeting someone at two and I'll have to go back home and get it.
I can't spend the whole day without any Money.
Well,do you want me to lend you some?
Would you mind?
No,of course not.How much do you need?Is thirty euros enough?
That'd be great,if you can.
Yes,sure.No problem.I'll just have to go to the cash machine,though.
Do you want to meet me in the cafe?I'll be there in a minute.
OK.There you are.
Great that's briliant.I'll pay you back next week,when I see you.
Yes,fine.There's no hurry.Have you ordered?
No,I was walting for you to get here.I wasn't sure how you like your coffee.
1 They're rich
Maybe I'm just jealous,but I think banks are too rich.
The big banks in Britain made over 15 billion last year.
If you ask me,they shouldn't be allowed to make so much money.
2 They're mean
One reason they make so much money is that,like all rich people,
they are mean!
That's why they give us about 0.2% interest when we have money in the bank,
but when we borrow money from Them,
they charge us anything from 8% to 25% interest.
It's terrible!
3 Bank charges
Imagine you borrowed my car and I said,
'Listen,can you bring it back by six o'clock,because I need to go out somewhere?
You bring car back at 6.01 and I ask for 40,
because you brought it back late.
The following day,I write you a letter telling you that you gave me 40.
I then also charge you another 15 because I had to send you a letter.
On top of that,I ask for another 5,because my car is less valuable now,
because you drove it for two hours.
I then phone you to say you can borrow my car whenever you like.
It doesn't sound fair,does it?
But that's the kind of thing banks do if you spend 1 more than you should.
The only difference is,they don't ask you for the money,
they just take it from your account!
4 Changing banks
It's very difficult to change banks.
In fact,it's more difficult than getting divorced!
You have to write to so many people to tell them you've changed banks,
you get bored and you stop.
And anyway,you know it's a waste of time,because(unlike a new wife or husband!)
your new bank will be exactly the same as your old one!
5 Junk mail
asking me if I'd like to take out a loan or get a new credit card.
I always throw these letters in the bin.
I wish the banks would stop sending me them.
It's such a waste of paper.
6 They're bad for poor countries
One way banks make their money is by charging a lot of interest
to poor countries for loans they have made to their governments.
A lot of these countries now spend so much on the interest to the banks,
they can't afford to spend money on education,health and other basic services.
7 Banks abroad
I often hope that when I go abroad,banks will be better than they are here.
When I go to change money,there are almost no customers in the bank.
However,I still have to wait for hours to be served.
Then you have to fill in a form,
have proof of ID and sign your name about six times-just to change 50.
Then they charge you 3% commission for the service!
8 I need them!
Perhaps the thing I hate most about banks is the fact that I need one!
They're like men-you can't live with them,
but you can't live without them!
For a while,I tried to live without having a bank account,but it was impossible.
Everything just took a very long time.
It was difficult to get paid,it took a long time to pay bills,
and if people gave me cheques,I had to pay the bank to get them cashed.
And I worried about having lots of cash in the house
and carrying it around in the street.
I couldn't do it,and in the end,I opened a new account.
I was lucky,because millions of people can't open an account.
The bank won't let them,because they don't have enough money
which is another reason why I hate banks!
1 While you listen
Conversation 1
Can't you ask your mum and dad for some?
I have,but they just said I've had my pocket money already.
They only give me 15 a week.
I buy one CD and it's nearly all gone.
It's a pain.I can never afford to go out these days.
Won't they give you any more? Fifteen pounds is nothing.
No.I've asked them,but they just said I should get a job.
It's so unfair.You don't have a job.
Gino doesn't have a job.None of my friends have one.
I know,It's awful!
I don't want to spend my weekends filling shelves in a supermarket for 5 an hour.
I'm glad they're not my parents.
Conversation 2
So how's work?
Oh,dont ask! It's just the same old thing.I'm really fed up with it.
You know,I'm earning the same money as I was
when I first started there five years ago.
That's terrible.Haven't you had any pay rise in five years?
No,nothing.
So how much do you get?
Seven euros an hour.
Seven?That's awful.How do you survive?
Well,I have to live at home with my parents,I cycle to work,that kind of thing.
I manage,but it's terrible money.
I never have any money at the end of the month.
So why don't you get another job?
I can't afford to take time off work to go to interviews.
And there aren's that many jobs around at the moment,anyway.
That's awful.
Conversation 3
Did you see the new jeans Jenny was wearing?
Yes,they looked OK.I'm not sure I would wear them,though.
No,me neither.But you know how much they cost?
No.Were they expensive?
Two hundred and fifty pounds
Two hundred and fifty pounds for a pair of jeans!You're joking.
No,honestly,she told me herself.
She got them in some fancy designer shop on Saturday.
That's craxy.Is she really well off,then?
I don't think so.She's a nurse.She works at the Springfield card.
I went out with her the other day and she probably spent 150 then.
Honestly,she just spends money like water.
Maybe she's from a rich family.
I don't think so-
and she was complaining she couldn't afford to go on holiday in the summer,
because she's in debt!I'm not surprised.
Conversation 4
Did you get the bill?Yes.
How much was it?Fifteen pounds.
Really? Let me have a look..What? Two fifty for a coffee.I'm running out of money-fast!
That's terrible! No,that's quite normal,isn't it?
No way!Things like that are much cheaper in my country than they are here in London.
I mean,you probably only pay about a pund for a coffee
and a snack like this would only cost about six or seven.
Oh,in my country it's fairly similar to here.
The only thing which is cheaper there is public transport.
Buses and trains are much cheaper than they are here.
And they're nicer as well.
Yes,well,everything's cheaper in my country than it is here.
That's why I can't afford to stay here in the UK much longer.
I'm running out of money-fast!