The UK is currently going through a cost-of-living crisis. This means that the prices of the things people need to live are going up, but people’s wages are not going up as fast. Everybody is talking about this, so here is some vocabulary to help you get involved in the conversation:
Utility bills
Money usually paid monthly for gas, electricity, water, Council Tax, phone etc.
Budget
- Budget (noun): how much money you have to spend
“We have a higher budget this year, so we can buy more books”.
- To be on a budget (idiom): Not have a lot of money to spend
“I’m on a budget, so let’s go out somewhere cheap”.
- Low-budget (adjective): cheap
“That film was really low-budget, they spent very little on special effects”.
Afford (verb)
- I can afford a car – I have enough money to buy a car.
- I can’t afford a car – I don’t have enough money to buy a car.
- This car is affordable (adjective) – This car is not too expensive
Pay for vs charge for (verbs)
- How much did you pay for the flowers?
- How much did the shop keeper charge you for the flowers?
- I don’t have to pay for parking.
- I was charged for parking, I thought it was free.
Around, about, more or less, approximately (adverbs)
These words mean “not exactly”. Examples:
- There are around 400 people in the building.
â‰
- There are exactly 400 people in the building.
- This will cost us about ÂŁ300.
- It’s approximately 150,000 dollars a year.
Included (adjective/past participle)
Included means that something is part of a whole. Examples:
- Rent is ÂŁ700 a month, and the bills are included.
(ÂŁ700 covers the rent and the bills altogether)
- Your total is ÂŁ50.65, the tip is not included.
(ÂŁ50.65 is the cost of the food only, you have to pay extra for the service, or the tip)
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