节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-12-15
难易度:High
关键字:affordably, in check, homespun, scale something back, collectible
Welcome back from the break, everybody.
Now after weeks and weeks of shopping and spending money, that can become pretty
stressful.
One way to reduce that stress is by creating a holiday budget and having your
kids create one too.
So this holiday season, consider giving your kids a little lesson in budgeting
money.
That's a gift that will benefit them long into adulthood.
OK. We're going to wrap up our lesson now with this final reading starting on
line 5.
(Music).
A Lesson in Finance is a Great Gift for Kids.
Beacham suggests coming up with "homespun" gifts that don't cost anything but
are far more meaningful,
such as biweekly calls or a letter as a present to grandparents.
She has told her two daughters each year since they were in high school that all
she wants is a letter from both of them at Christmas.
And she gets and cherishes them.
Financial lessons for kids at the holidays don't have to spoil the spirit.
"Scale it back and define good boundaries," says Beacham.
"This is going to sound so cold for so many people, but the whole tone of the
house in January is going to be different.".
All right.
We are trying to now give you some tips on how you can actually teach your kids
wise money spending.
We see now you want to get kids of all ages involved in actually saving and
spending money.
And just before the break, we saw that you should actually get your kids
involved in deciding who to give gifts to themselves.
That's right.
We need to set good budgets.
Now one of those ways to set a budget is to decide who gets gift and maybe what
kind of gifts you can give them.
You don't have to spend a lot of money for a good gift.
That's right.
Kids don't just receive presents on Christmas.
Sorry, kids.
You also should give as well.
Now Beacham suggests coming up with "homespun" gifts that don't cost anything
but are far more meaningful.
That's right.
I think some of my favorite gifts have been gifts that didn't cost very much but
they were really meaningful, like pictures and letters.
These make good gifts.
Yeah. It's easy to forget those.
Those are actually very meaningful, which means they mean a lot to you.
They are actually really important.
And they're more homespun.
This word "homespun" means something that comes from your house and it's simple
or ordinary.
So it's not extremely expensive.
It's not based in technology.
It's simple.
But simple doesn't mean bad.
Exactly. It can be cheap.
It can be something you make.
It can even just be, like Kaylah said, a picture.
That's not very expensive but it still is very valuable.
That's right.
It is far more meaningful, such as, well, I suggested pictures, you can also do
biweekly calls or a letter as a present to grandparents.
Now what does it mean to be biweekly?
Something that happens biweekly means it happens every other week.
So every two weeks, you would maybe call someone in your family.
Now the section of the word biweekly - bi - means two.
OK. So you could send a letter or call grandparents.
Now this might not work for your teachers.
You dont want to do this for your teachers.
But for grandparents, this is a great idea because, well, grandparents want to
hear from you.
They don't want something you buy at a store.
They want to be involved in your life, so this is a good option.
Now she also tells us something she did with her own kids.
That's right.
She told her two daughters each year since they were in high school that all she
wants is a letter from both of them at Christmas.
Perfect! How easy is that!
Instead of... I always worry about what to get my mom.
I'm always thinking: Well, what does she need?
What would she want?
My mom is extremely hard to get a gift for.
But I also know that every Christmas, my mom writes me a letter.
Maybe she'd like this too.
Yeah. Actually, this is easy to do.
And your parents really value it, or maybe your grandparents do.
Other people in your family like to hear from you.
Maybe they don't care as much about something expensive.
That's right.
You know, your cell phone will die, and you'll eat the food that they give you,
or you... you'll run out of the perfume, or your... your clothes won't fit
anymore.
But a letter, a phone call, these are memories that you... you can get and you
can cherish.
And that's exactly what she does.
Exactly. She cherishes them.
If you cherish something, that means you keep it very close and you value it and
you think about it often.
That's right.
It's much more important to be building relationships, building good
relationships with your family instead of just spending money on useless things.
So friends, financial lessons for kids at the holidays don't have to spoil the
holiday spirit.
That's right.
Now to spoil something means to ruin it.
And you might think: Well, if I can't get gifts for my kids, they'll be unhappy;
and I won't seem like a good parent.
Well, it doesn't have to do that.
Exactly. Now Kaylah, I know I am enjoying the holiday spirit right now.
The spirit simply means the atmosphere, the way it feels.
That's right.
Especially in the United States and Western countries, the spirit of Christmas
kind of grows and fills.
And it's really exciting and happy, and you don't want to ruin it.
But you won't!
That's right.
Just remember, scale it back and define good boundaries.
Scale something back.
Now to "scale something back" means to reduce it in size, amount or production.
Here we're talking about amount for your budget, scale it back.
Don't spend as much.
Spend a less amount.
Exactly, so.
Don't worry about spending too much money to make other people happy.
Just spend a little bit less and set good boundaries.
Boundaries are the areas, the maximum and the minimum you're allowed... you're
allowed to spend.
Make it less.
That's right.
This is going to sound so cold for many people, but the whole tone of the house
in January will be very different.
"Cold" does not mean like the weather outside.
"Cold" means like you're not very giving or happy or you're ruining the
Christmas spirit.
But don't worry.
That's not what it is.
It's about a good lesson.
Exactly. And like we see here, it's not going to be that bad in December, but we
guarantee you, it will be much different in January.
There will be a better tone - which means, again - the atmosphere.
That's right.
Your house will be happier if you're not financially stressed.
I hope you've learned some great tips.
We have some more information for you.
So let's jump on over to the Information Station.
Bryan, this lesson in FINANCE article is key for families to understand.
I know, Bill.
It's important for kids to understand the value of money.
It reminds me of some valuable lessons I learned about money when I was 12 years
old.
OK, Billy.
Here's your allowance for the week, $10.
Wow! That's great, Dad.
Now I can buy that new Elton John album and a skateboard and...
Before you spend all your money, let's talk about being smart about money.
Well, OK, if you say so.
First, are you sending money to that charity that helps poor children?
Remember, you promised to sponsor one child.
You're right, Dad.
It's only a couple of dollars each month, and I can really help someone.
Good. Now how about that savings plan that I set up for you?
Yes. I told you I'd put $10 a month into it.
And I promise you that if you saved $100 this year, then I would add in a $25
bonus.
That's right.
And it's a good reminder to me to have long-term goals.
It's important to have goals.
And do you have a budget written down?
Yes, I do, Dad.
Here it is.
You can see I've written down what I've saved, what I've spent and what I've
given to charity.
Wow! This is really well done.
Now you can see where the money goes.
It's surprising to me how much money I spend on ice cream and baseball cards.
Well, it's OK if it fits into your budget.
How about saving money to buy gifts for your family?
Oh, I haven't thought about that yet.
And Christmas is coming, I guess I'd better not buy that Elton John album or
that skateboard.
Well, you can buy those later.
Just delay the purchases a couple of months.
But it's so hard to be patient, Dad, when I want to buy things.
I know. But if you do the right things, then you'll be successful.
And maybe someday, you may even be on...
Information Station.
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess we have to say goodbye now.
I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
OK. In our FINANCIAL feature this month, parents are reminded to do more than
just talk about how to wisely handle money to their kids,
they need to set a good example for them too.
This holiday season is a great time to help kids get started with a budget.
And speaking of budgets, if you're looking for a cool kids' gift that will break
the bank,
consider cash, downloadable apps for the family tablet or traditional toys.
Friends, make the rest of your weekend great.
And then join us Monday when we visit Santa Claus - the town.
Until then, take care.