Step 60: Money Matters
Personal finance — Banking and saving vocabulary
📖 Read — Tom's Bike Fund
Tom wants a new bike, but it costs $300. His father smiles: “Money doesn't grow on trees, son. Make a plan!” So Tom opens a savings account at the bank. Every week, he puts $20 from his grocery-store job into the account.
“Can I borrow $50 from you, Dad?” he asks. “I'll lend it to you,” Dad says, “but you must pay it back in two months — and keep saving.” Tom also stops buying snacks at school. After three months, he counts his cash: $310! He buys the bike — and a strong lock. His first ride is to the bank, to say thank you!
🧩 Grammar — Money Verbs — Borrow, Lend, Save, Spend
Money verbs have directions — learn them in pairs! Borrow = take money and give it back later (borrow FROM someone). Lend = give money that will come back (lend TO someone). Save = keep money for later. Spend = use money (spend ON a thing) — and spend also works for time. Plus: earn (get money for work), pay back (return borrowed money), cost (the price of a thing).
- Can I borrow $10 from you?
- I'll lend you $10 — pay me back on Friday.
- She's saving for a car.
- He spent $50 on shoes.
🏗️ Key structures
- I'm saving for ___ — I'm saving for a laptop.
- Can I borrow ___ from ___? — Can I borrow five dollars from you?
- It costs ___ / I'll pay you back on ___ — It costs $300. / I'll pay you back on Friday.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
You want another game? Money doesn't grow on trees!
🔤 New words
your place at a bank where your money is kept
She opened a savings account.
money in paper bills and coins (not a card)
I paid in cash.
a round metal piece of money
A quarter is a coin worth 25 cents.
a piece of paper money (a ten-dollar bill); also a paper asking for payment
He paid with a twenty-dollar bill.
an American coin worth 25 cents
Four quarters make a dollar.
an American coin worth 10 cents
A dime is smaller than a nickel.
take something for a time and give it back later
Can I borrow your pen?
give something for a time, expecting it back (lent / lent)
I'll lend you my bike for the weekend.
🎧 Say it with me
Money doesn’t grow on trees! I’m saving for a bike. Can I borrow twenty dollars from you? I’ll pay you back on Friday.
🎤 Your turn to speak
Talk about a money goal: what you're saving for, how much it costs, and practice one borrow/lend exchange politely.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write 5 sentences about saving for something you want. Use saving for, costs, borrow, lend or pay back, and cash or account.
See a model answer
I want a guitar. It costs $200. I'm saving $25 every week in my bank account. Last month, my sister lent me $10 for strings, and I paid her back in two weeks. Soon, my cash will be enough — and the guitar will be mine!
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
🎉 Saved in your progress!