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http://www.moneyspot.heinle.com
My Money
In this week's Students Around the World, Min Young Kim
inteNiews an American university student, Lisa Conroy.
They talk about living on a student budget.
Min Young: Thanks for talking with me today, Lisa. Tell us
a little about yourself.
Lisa: Well, I'm 21, and I'm a junior1 at a university in
Chicago.
Min Young: How are you paying for your college
education?
Lisa: My expenses for every semester2 are almost
$15,000. At the start of each semester, I get $2,000 from
my college scholarship. My parents pay the rest of the
$10,000 tuition, and they give me $2,000 for personal
expenses. I have to pay the remaining $3,000 myself.
Min Young: How do you do that?
Lisa: I have a part-time job as a waitress. I work three nights a week, and I usually earn about
$400 a week. In a good week I can make $600, but in a bad week it can be less than $300.
Min Young: How do you spend that money?
Lisa: It helps to pay for my rent and meals at college. It also pays for things like my cell phone,
books, transportation, and clothes.
Min Young: You don't have much money for fun, do you?
Lisa: That's true! My mother advised me to stick to my budget carefully so I don't have to borrow.
I don't like to owe money. And I don't want to pay the bank any interest. I hardly ever go to the
movies. My roommates and I usually rent movies and split the cost. And, I don't go to restaurants
very often. My roommates and I usually cook our own food, so it's cheaper to eat.
Min Young: How else do you save money?
Lisa: I try to walk or ride my bicycle to college. Oh, and I buy a lot of my clothes at second-hand
stores. You can find some very cheap, nice clothes in those stores. I also try to borrow books and
magazines from the library, rather than buying them on my own. My roommates and I are also
very careful to save water and electricity, so we don't have to pay a lot for those things.
1 In four-year university programs in America, a first-year student is called a freshman, a second-year student is called a sophomore, a
third-year student is called a junior, and a fourth-year student is called a senior.
2 A semester is part of the school year, usually half.
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