This is the Business English Podcast, episode 302.
How and why to show your budget awareness at work.
Welcome to the Business English Podcast from All Ears English.
Get the English skills you need to achieve your dreams in global business.
For a presentation, a meeting or your office party, this is Real Business English with your favorite American hosts, Lindsay and Michelle coming to you from New York City and Colorado USA.
The land down under has never been easier to reach.
United Airlines has more flights between the US and Australia than any other US airline, so you can fly nonstop to destinations like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Explore dazzling cities, savor the very best of Aussie cuisine and get up close and personal with the wildlife.
Who doesn't want to hold a koala?
Go to united.com slash Australia to book your adventure.
Hey, Michelle. How are you doing today?
Hey, Lindsay. Good. How are you?
Good question for you. You ready?
Yes. Yes. So how important do you think it is to save money for a business, for a company to have a lot of cash on hand?
I think it's very important.
You know, you want to be the be smart with your money and be prepared for any surprises.
What do you think, Lindsay?
Definitely. I mean, if you have a payroll, if your company has a payroll, you don't have to you don't want to have to be worried about making payroll, right?
And so it's definitely, especially if you're supporting your family with your business, your company depends on what size company we're talking about.
Yeah. But in general, it's good to have some cushion in there.
Right. I think. Yeah. Yeah.
Cushion. That's a good word.
So today we're going to talk about how to say something is a good price in English.
So this is good about a business, but it's also good for the real world.
So in episode 2193 of All Ears English, right, which is our other podcast, so go on over and hit follow on that one.
This was is it too pricey how to talk about your money, values and English.
And here we talked about how to say something was too expensive.
And now we're going to talk about something that's a fair price that could be useful for business.
Hmm. I like that. And that was that was a very useful episode because I think money is such a hot topic and there are certain aspects of money that you want to be able to share to show your values.
Yeah. Right. And we show you what you could share, what you may want to avoid.
Money is also a taboo topic in the US in a lot of ways, right?
So there's some nuances there.
So go over, check out that episode.
Yeah, that's right. That's right.
All right. You're two today, Michelle.
We're two. OK. Well, guys, this is going to be suitable for business meetings, for speaking with a co-worker, making decisions, even for fun.
So lots of ways that you could use this in the business world.
So what's the first one, Lindsay?
All right. So the phrase low cost.
Let's find a more low cost way to put on this event.
And in this case, when I say low cost way, that's going to be a compound adjective, right?
So low dash cost, low cost way.
Right. Yes. Exactly. And it's exactly what it sounds like.
A way to spend less money.
I like this next one. It's budget friendly.
I like that one too. Yeah.
For example. Yeah. I think you're going to like this option.
It's really budget friendly, but it doesn't sacrifice any quality.
Nice. Yeah. So let's just think of some examples if you wanted to put on a party for like your 20th anniversary, I don't know, for whatever, what would be some budget friendly ways to do it?
Michelle. Um, oh, for for your 20th anniversary for like a romantic anniversary?
Yeah, I think sometimes people have anniversary part or at least an anniversary part.
Yeah. When I was a kid, I feel like my parent, my friend's parents always had anniversary parties like to sell.
Maybe that's not a thing anymore.
Well, I mean, my in-laws, my know my in-laws had an in-laws.
Okay. Party, I think. No, it's still a thing for the big ones.
I yeah. Yeah. Not like for your like four year anniversary.
I mean, yeah. Or a random.
It's always on the five, 10, 15, 20.
Usually when you're older.
Yeah, for sure. Yes. So what would be some budget friendly options for that kind of party?
Well, I would say Costco has good good good good budget friendly food for large crowds.
I've done that for a party before.
So I yeah, I think I would start with not spending too much money on the food.
What do you think? Yeah, I think, you know, choosing to host at your home instead of at a restaurant, for example, or a ballroom or some rented space.
That would be number one.
Right. Yeah, that is number one.
That is number one. There are always ways to make things budget friendly if you just get a little creative.
Yeah, that's right. That's right.
Yeah. What's the next one?
Let's say reasonably priced.
And I like how a lot of these are two word phrases.
Yeah, that's interesting.
Yeah, it's very high level for a listener.
So here's an example. Oh, wow, this is reasonably priced.
Should we choose this option?
Nice. Love it. Does your mind go blank when you meet native English speakers at work or in your social life need more connection and confidence in your life?
Our B1 English fluency course is available at a special price this week only.
Save $99 off the normal price plus get a free bonus.
The offer expires September 1st at midnight.
Go to allearsenglish.com slash B1.
That's allearsenglish.com slash letter B number one.
All right. Next one is just one word.
Yeah, the next two are one word.
Yeah, inexpensive. So compared to our other options, this one is relatively inexpensive.
I think the team should give it a try.
So, yeah, you have to be aware of this stuff at work.
Great. But you never want to sacrifice quality.
And then how do you make that decision if you know the quality of the content?
You're trying to make money.
It's a tricky. It's tricky.
Every decision is tricky, is not easy, especially in the beginning.
It's hard. It's hard. And then economic.
So this one's interesting because I know in Spanish, there's kind of a direct translation.
I heard this, like the direct translation in Spanish of this word being used more than I find myself using this word economic in English.
That makes sense. So we're looking for a more economic option.
Do you have anything else to show us?
Do you use it a lot, though?
Maybe it's just a personal quirk that I just don't use it as much.
No, I wouldn't say that I use it.
I think if I were using it, I think in the workplace, if I worked in an office, I don't really.
But if I did, I would use it, but not in my personal life.
Yeah. And then you see different iterations of this, like you see in airlines, basic economy, right?
You see this word being taken and created with, used with tears of services.
Right. Right. Right. Right.
Right. Exactly. I always fly the cheapest seats on the airplane.
I guess I. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
That's for me. So, Linda, do you have a favorite of these?
Of these? Oh boy. I think in a company, I think I have a favorite of these.
Of these? Oh boy. I think inexpensive is fine for a professional setting.
It's nice and straightforward.
But I kind of like budget friendly because it kind of has an air of, hey, let's work together.
Let's kind of has a positive because it's a word friendly, isn't it?
That's why. That's why.
It sounds cute. And it's not like accusing anyone of having a low budget or being stingy.
Right. Right. Right. There's any budget friendly options.
I don't know. I don't like that one.
That one's my favorite too.
So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, notice we didn't teach the word cheap.
Yes. We could have. Yeah.
It's OK sometimes to say, oh, is there a cheaper option?
However, this is more about things being a fair price, not necessarily cheap.
Yeah. What do you think about the word cheap, Lindsay?
Well, I agree with you in theory, but in practice, the truth is I use this all the time.
Yeah. Right. Well. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Let's go with let's, you know, let's go with this place.
Oh, I know, for example.
So we are going, my partner and I are going back to Cambridge, where we used to live to visit my family at the end of July and we have this favorite.
It's actually a sports bar, but I don't watch the sports.
I just eat the food because it's really good food and was always very cheap.
It was always very inexpensive.
And we're thinking, oh, there's been all this inflation, especially in Boston.
They probably just put their prices way up, right?
Double, triple their prices.
We looked at the menu and we said, oh my gosh, it's still cheap.
This is amazing. So this is a really common word.
OK, it is very common. I think we just have to there.
Maybe we could do a whole episode on this because because yeah, OK, we're doing a whole episode on it.
Yeah, because the word cheap, it depends how you use it.
It can be a little bit tricky in their expressions like talk is cheap, right?
Like there's a lot we could do with this.
We should. We should. And also in the you know, maybe I wouldn't have had that conversation at work.
Right. You know, this still cheap.
But it really oh, there's a lot there, Michelle.
I think we need to come back to it.
Yeah, exactly. Because if you're making a decision at work and you're talking about options at work, it's a little bit different than talking about a restaurant.
So if you if you call something cheap that you're trying to buy for work, it could.
I don't know. It really depends.
Yeah, it's a very nuanced topic.
It's nuanced. We're going to have to get into that another day.
So guys, hit that follow button right now.
Right here on Business English to get those other episodes.
Michelle, any tips on prioritizing budget choices?
Do you have a budget? You have a spreadsheet.
Oh, I used to have a spreadsheet when I first got married.
I was very, you know, very nervous.
Interesting. Yeah. About money.
And I mean, of course, who was nervous about money?
But yeah, we did have a spreadsheet and I would try and write everything down.
But what about you? Um, I've never had a spreadsheet.
I kind of just more have like an inner sense of are we overspending?
Are we OK? We don't live outside of our means generally, you know, and prioritize things like traveling and experiences.
And I think as long as I stay within those guardrails, I'm probably OK.
But maybe one day I will have a spreadsheet.
Maybe one day. We'll see.
All right, guys, let's do a role play.
Yes. All right. So we're in a team meeting at work.
OK. So I said, OK, so I found a few great options for the Gala.
Oh, good. Are any of them reasonably priced?
Yes, I have some more expensive options, but there are also several budget friendly options as well.
OK, great. We also need to look into the catering.
It's tough to find low cost catering these days.
Oh, never fear. I got this.
I know we need to find economic options.
Exactly. It doesn't have to be super inexpensive, but nothing over the top.
Understood. And that's true.
We've talked about wedding planning on the show quite a bit and over on All Airs English and that was for our wedding was by far probably the second most expensive thing was the catering, the food second to the venue.
It's just catering is expensive.
Yes, it really is. It's frightening.
Completely. So there's a lot of conversations you'll be having around price at work and outside of work.
So it's a good episode today.
Yeah. All right. So what did I say first?
OK, so you said are any of them reasonably priced?
So I'm talking about the places for the gala.
Yeah. And then you said, yes, I have some more expensive options, but there are also several budget friendly options as well.
And then you said it's tough to find low cost catering.
Right. Yeah. And then you came back and you said, oh, I need I know we need to find economic options.
Yes, I love that. And you said it doesn't have to be super inexpensive, but nothing over the top.
Yeah. There's a lot that there's a lot that goes into this.
I think if you work for a small company, especially, it's really good if you can show an awareness that there's not unlimited budgets to buy unlimited software plans or this and that.
And if you can come to your manager with ideas on how to even save money, that's really, really great.
Yeah. So that awareness.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Being aware that nothing is free.
Yeah, for sure. Huge. And then on the social side, we're going to have these conversations, maybe even with our co-workers.
But I think also coming like I said, coming to your boss with different plans, different tier levels of things, if you're charged with planning some kind of event, that's great too.
Yeah. Excellent. All right.
Well, this was good. And Lindsay, I hope you can enjoy the, when you go to Cambridge, you can enjoy the restaurant and everything.
Budget friendly restaurant.
Yes. Budget friendly restaurant.
OK. Amazing. Thanks for chatting today and I'll see you next time.
All right. Take care, Michelle.
Talk soon. Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
Want more from All Ears English?
Don't miss our biggest and best podcast with eight million monthly downloads.
Just search for the All Ears English podcast and hit follow to get four new episodes per week on fluency, American culture, grammar, and so much more.
Or tap the link in the show notes.
Remember, we believe in connection, not perfection when it comes to learning English.
Follow the All Ears English podcast now.
Every purchase helps fuel Lisa's work with shelters and those in need.
Visit Lisa.com to learn more.
That's L E E S A dot com. See how they're scoring on us?
Shots left and right. I know they know our next play before we even make it.
We got to tighten up off the court, too.
Businesses track and sell our personal information.
They dunk on us all the time with that data.
Wait, what do you mean? You have to exercise your privacy rights.
If you don't opt out of the sale and sharing of your information, businesses will always have the upper hand.
The ball is in your court.
Get your digital privacy game plan at privacy.ca.gov.
