September: A Costly Month for Families' Budgets
Listen to the story
September is a hard month for many families. Children go back to school. Parents must buy new school things. This costs a lot of money. Many parents feel worried about their budget.
A new report looked at shops. It checked supermarkets, big supermarkets, and special shops for school things. The report shows where families can pay less money for school items. This can help families save money in September.
The report also asked parents about school supplies. Almost nine out of ten parents said school supplies help their child feel good about themselves. Parents think good school things give children more confidence. This shows school shopping is not only about money. It is also about how children feel.
Vocabulary15 words
- budget
- the money you have to spend
- supermarket
- a big shop that sells food and other things
- confidence
- feeling good about yourself
- back to school
- when children start school again
- report
- a paper with information about something
- specialized shop
- a shop that sells only one type of thing
- save money
- to spend less money
- school supplies
- things you need for school, like pens or bags
- worried
- feeling stress about something
- cost
- the money you must pay
- family
- parents and children together
- cheap
- not costing much money
- item
- a thing you can buy
- afford
- to have enough money for something
- shop
- a place where you buy things
Quiz
Answer key
1. Because of school shopping costs 2. Where school supplies cost less 3. They help children feel confident
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
September is a hard month for many _____. Children go back to school. Parents must buy new school _____. This costs a lot of money. Many parents feel worried about their _____.
A new report looked at _____. It checked supermarkets, big supermarkets, and special shops for school things. The report shows where families can pay less money for school _____.
The report also asked parents about school supplies. Almost nine out of ten parents said school supplies help their child feel good about themselves. Parents think good school things give children more _____.