e one({{)) english ieguardian 2" i BR lations for Enslish Teaching My year of no spending Level 1 @ Pre-intermediate / Intermediate @ Warmer Put these items in order from 1 (the thing you spend least money on each month) to 5 (the thing you spend ‘most money on each month). + food + going out + clothes: + travel + technology — phone, computer ete @ Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers will help you. groceries mindless consumerism challenge essentials 1A {is something that requires a lot of determination to achieve, especially something you have never done before. (para 1) 2 are basic things that are needed for life. (para 1) aA actity does not need any thought or intligence, (para 1) 4 isthe idea that itis good fr a county if people buy and use alot of goods and services. (para2) 5. _________are food and other goods forthe home that you buy regulary. (para 3) retail therapy empty-handed toiletries adventurous splurge 6 are things such as soap, deodorant and tothpaste that you use to keep yoursel clean. (para 4) 1 isthe activity of shopping in order to make yours fee! happier. (para), 8. Ifyou go somewhere. you don’t take a present. (para 7) 9. you are . YoU are keen to ty new oF excing things, (para €) 10.8 ‘sa situation when you spend alt of money, especialy on someting special asa way of making yourself feel good. (para 9) © Find the information Find the folowing information in the text as quickly as possible, 1. The author reduced her weekly shopping bill How much dd she spend each week? Wihat did she do on holiday? SSho says she had bad times. What did she miss? Whats her job? When aid she star the challeng? Where does she live? ‘© Macmillan Polishers L42017 NEWS LESSONS /My year fo spending /Peitemedit needaone({{)) english com lutions for English Teaching theguardian My year of no spending Level 1 @ Pre-intermediate / Intermediate My year of no spending is over— here's how | got through it Michelle MeGagh 26 November, 2016 4 Just over 12 months ago, | gave myself a ‘challenge: to stop buying everything except the ‘essentias fr a whole year. | started on Friday, 27 November, 2015. It hasn't aways been easy but. year later, |am richer and wiser. | have also realized just how much money 've wasted in the ub, in restaurants and on mindless shopping. 2 ama personal finance journalist so people thought | was good with money but | wasn. | thought that, because | eared a good salary and didnt have any debts, | didn't need to worry ‘about how much money | was spending. Iwas ‘stuck in a cycle of consumerism - eaming money to ouy stuf I didn't realy need, which wasnt making me happy. 3. The aim of giving up spending fora year was to lve cheaply and change my spending habit. | could continue to pay my bils, including ‘lectriity, broadband, ohone bil ie insurance, money to help mi family and basic groceries. 4 Ive learned to shop for food in a better way than | did before ~ | have planned meals and improved my awful cooking sls litle, My husband agreed to help withthe gracery part of the challenge and we reduced our weekly shop (which covered three meals each a day, toletries ‘and house cleaning products) to £31.60 a week 5. Imm not going to say it was easy, especially in the first few months when I tried to live my old life without money and found it wasn't working, ‘There were plenty of times | wanted to stop the ‘challange and get some retail therapy, buy a drinkin the pub or even just buy a bus ticket instead of getting on my bike again. 5 But | realized | just had to find new ways to have {un tht didn't include spending money and going to the pub. Living in London, | have a lot of fee ‘cultural activities near my home and Ive been to mare art exhibitions this year than ever before. | ‘even had a free holiday, cyeling along the coast and ‘camping on beaches. I's samathing 'd nevar done before and now, I cant wait to go again next year. ‘© Macmillan Polishers L42017 of no spending Poe-inemediate 7 There were bad times, such as when | missed ‘concerts and new films. And Ive not been able to join friends when they have gane out fora nice meal. There have also been some dificut moments when Ive gone toa friend's house for dinner empty-nanded because | couldn't buy ‘a bottle of wine asa thank you. Idi alot of washing up at my friends’ houses this year as @ way of saying “thanks for feeding me" 8 Despite the dificult moments and missing concerts and fms, this year has encouraged ‘me to try new things. The best thing about the ‘challenge is that I've been willing to say "yes" ‘more and that I've become more adventurous. | have also begun to realize that consumerism keeps us chained to our desks, working to earn ‘money to spend on stuff we think wll make our lives better. And when the stuf doesn’t make us happy, we go back to work to eam more money to buy something else. 8 Many people have said to me, "I bet you can't wait to get down the shops and have a splurge" but Im nat interested in going shopping. Ihave ‘one more day of no spending and, after that, there are just two things | will buy this weekend ‘rinks for my fiends and family to say thanks {or their help anda fight to see my grandad in Ireland. A year of no spending has taught me ‘what things | realy need and it relly isn't that much, © Guardan News ard Maa 2018 Fis pubsshed in The Guran, 291716e one({{)) english guardian “= e : lations for Enslish Teaching My year of no spending Level 1 @ Pre-intermediate / Intermediate © Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make statements about the text. 41. She found the first few months of he challenge a... she only plans to buy two things. dificult because 2. Inthe eycle of consumerism, people 'b._.. learned to shop for food ina better way. 3. Because of the challenge, she ©. to lyf Ireland to visit her grandad. 4. She went o dinner ata friend's house dd... She tied to lve her old fe without money and it empty-handed didn’t work, 5. When the challenge is over, 2... because she couldn't buy a bottle of wine as a thank you 8. She wants {. eam money to buy stuff they don't need, which doesn't make them happy. © Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text 1. hasnt easy been always spending giving year for up a few inthe months frst the moments dificult despite ‘money go work back to more to eam shopping notin going interested @ Phrases with prepositions ‘Complete the phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. good money 2. eysing the coast 3. chained our desks 4. interested going shopping 5. thanks. theirhelp 6. spend stut oe © Macmillan Polishers Ltd 2017 Se : z KS NEWS LESSONS My year of sending Pe-intemediatenemedate Seguardian """" My year of no spending Level 1 @ Pre-intermediate / Intermediate @ Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups according tothe word stress. challenge include mindless reduce improve concert except product des oe + Would you be able to give up shopping for a year? Why? Why not? iscus: ‘© Macmillan Polishers L42017 NEWS LESSONS /My ea of to pening /Pe-temediat Intermediate