Some words are used frequently with money expressions. Let’s take a look at them and their meaning with some picture examples:
‘cheap’ idioms
Everybody loves a bargain, don’t they? ‘Cheap’ refers to the price of a product or service. If something is cheap, it’s not very expensive/costs very little compared to similar products/services.
HOP TIP – The ‘ch’ is pronounced like ‘chuh’. Here’s a link to a video of the different ways you can pronounce ‘ch’.
![cheap cheap idioms and sayings](https://mingle-ish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cheap-300x212.jpg)
‘cost’ phrases
The cost of something is the amount of money that needs to be paid to acquire a product or service. These idioms are all about the cost/amount of something.
HOT TIP – When talking about the cost of something, it’s always in the third person ‘it’ (present tense). So, don’t forget to add the ‘s’ onto cost. For example
- It costs £4 for a pint in my local.
- My therapist costs $50 an hour.
![cost cost idioms and phrases](https://mingle-ish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cost-300x212.jpg)
‘earn’ idioms
‘Earn’ is to obtain money by doing some work or providing a service. For example:
- My boss gave me an extra £500 this month, he said I earnt it
- If I do 1 hour overtime every day, I’ll earn an extra £350.
Earn is an irregular verb in British English but regular in American English.
HOT TIP – There’s a difference between ‘earn’ and ‘win’. To win means to gain something by luck such as entering a competition and receiving a prize. For example:
- I won £300,000 on the lottery.
- If I win the race, I’ll get a trophy.
Spanish speakers if you’re reading, this is for you, de nada.
There are many phrases we use to talk about ‘earning money’. Let’s take a look.
![earn earn idioms and expressions](https://mingle-ish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/earn-300x212.jpg)
‘pay’ idioms
‘To pay’ is to hand over your hard-earned cash in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I paid £20 for a wash, cut and blow dry.
- If you ruin my white coat, you’ll have to pay for the dry cleaning.
![pay idioms and phrases with pay](https://mingle-ish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pay-300x212.jpg)
‘spend’ idioms
Once you’ve earnt it, it’s time to spend it! ‘To spend’ is to hand over money in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I spent all my money down the boozer, now i can’t afford to buy groceries.
- If you spend all week revising, you’ll be prepared for the exam
HOT TIP – ‘Spend’; is also used to describe the way we use our time. For example: I’ve spent the whole weekend binge-watching Netflix.
![spend sayings about spending money](https://mingle-ish.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/spend-300x212.jpg)