Master of Time and Pocket Money
FoundationMake a timetable and do important things first; tell needs from wants; save before you spend — be the master of your time and money.
- Manage both time and money; be your own master.
- Make a timetable: important things first, then play with ease.
- Tell needs from wants and think before spending.
文體小知識：說明文把一件事講得清清楚楚。這一篇教你管理時間和零用錢：分清需要與想要，先儲蓄、後消費。
§Text Passage
1In Primary Two there is more homework, plus revision, music practice, sport and play. Children who manage their time well finish the important things first and then play with a light heart. Time is invisible and cannot be chased back once wasted, so we must learn from young to be masters of our time and make every day full.
2A timetable is a great helper. After school, rest a while and have a snack, then follow the timetable: do homework, revise, pack your schoolbag, and only then enjoy free play. Go to bed on time so you can wake early and stay fresh in class. Put things in order: important tasks first, and your favourite pastimes lose nothing.
3Parents give us pocket money every week, say twenty dollars. Once it is spent, we must wait for the next week, so we need to plan before buying. Before you buy, ask: is this a need or a want? A need is necessary for life, such as stationery and bus fares; a want makes us happy but is not necessary, such as stickers, toys and snacks.
4The clever way with money is to save first and spend later. When pocket money arrives, put part of it into a money box or a children's bank account; small amounts grow, and in a few weeks you can buy something you love — the satisfaction is far greater. Compare prices before buying and think whether you truly need it; be a smart and restrained little consumer.
5Time, like money, is a precious resource to manage well. Set yourself small goals, such as finishing homework on time this week or saving twenty dollars in four weeks to buy a book, and give yourself a little reward when you succeed. Building habits of planning and self-control from young will make you an organised person as you grow.
1Summary 重點摘要
Make a timetable and do important things first; tell needs from wants; save before you spend — be the master of your time and money.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
A chart of what to do at what time; it helps us plan the day.
Which tasks come first; important ones go first.
A small sum parents give us regularly to manage ourselves.
Something necessary for living, such as stationery, food and fares.
Something we enjoy but do not have to have, such as toys and stickers.
To keep money instead of spending it, so it grows.
Holding back from doing what we should not, such as spending wildly.
Something we want to achieve; write it down and work for it.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Make an after-school timetablePrimary Two brings more homework, revision and play; without a plan the hours slip away. After school you might rest for half an hour with a snack and a wash, then do homework attentively for an hour, then revise the passage for tomorrow's dictation, and only then enjoy free play. Draw the plan as a timetable and stick it above your desk, ticking off each item when done. With a timetable your day is orderly, play is worry-free, and your parents will praise you for growing up.
- Step 2: Do important things firstTasks have an order: important and urgent things go first, such as homework due tomorrow; important but not urgent next, such as revising a little each day for dictation in three days; play comes after the work. Some pupils watch two hours of television after school and rush their homework at night — tired, careless, and possibly late the next day. Remember: work first, enjoy later. Finish the important things and play with a free and happy heart, and your parents rest easy too — two benefits at once.
- Step 3: Keep regular hours and avoid delayTime management also means sleeping and rising on time. Primary pupils need about ten hours of sleep; bed by half past nine lets you wake easily and stay fresh in lessons. Some things we always promise to do later, and the delay just grows — this is procrastination. Fight it by cutting the task into small steps and trying five minutes first; once started, it is easy to go on, and family members can remind you or work alongside you. Punctual habits formed young earn trust at school and at work in later life.
- Step 4: Tell needs from wantsParents give pocket money weekly, say twenty dollars, and when it is gone we wait for the next week, so think before spending. Ask yourself: is this a need or a want? A need is necessary — a new pen when the old one runs out, bus fares for school; a want pleases us but is not necessary — stickers, dolls, snacks. Needs come first; wants only as money allows. Think clearly before paying, and you will not regret your purchases; used wisely, money goes a long way, and you become a smart little consumer.
- Step 5: Save first, spend laterThe clever way is to save before spending. When pocket money arrives, put part into a money box at once — say five or ten dollars out of twenty; small sums add up, and in a few weeks you can afford a dearer treasure, a satisfaction far greater than snacks bought on a whim. You may also ask your parents to open a children's bank account and watch the numbers on the passbook grow — a real sense of achievement. Remember the rhyme: save first, spend later. Saving is a gift to your future self.
- Step 6: Set goals and be a little managerSmall goals help you manage time and money better. A time goal: finish homework by half past eight every day this week. A money goal: save forty dollars in four weeks to buy that dinosaur book. Write the goals where you can see them, and give yourself a small reward when you succeed, such as an hour at the park on the weekend. If you slip and spend or waste time, do not lose heart — recall your goal and start again. Managing time and money well means learning responsibility earlier than most.
5Worked example Example
Example: You get twenty dollars of pocket money a week. This week you want a thirty-dollar storybook and also five-dollar fish balls at the school gate every day. What is the right plan?
- Tell needs from wants: fish balls are snacks, a want; the storybook builds knowledge — also a want, but more meaningful.
- Do the sums: fish balls every day cost five dollars times five days — all twenty dollars gone, and the book can never be bought.
- Make a saving plan: skip fish balls this week, or have them once, and save all the rest.
- Count again: saving fifteen dollars this week, plus the fifteen saved before, is just enough for the book.
- Answer: I will cut fish balls from every day to none or once, putting the more important goal first; I save fifteen dollars this week, and with the fifteen saved before, I can buy the thirty-dollar storybook. Remember: save first, spend later, and think carefully about needs and wants.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What should we do first after school?
Q2What is the difference between a need and a want?
Q3What is the best way to buy something dearer?
Q4Why should we sleep on time?
Q5What question should we ask before spending?
8Recap Recap
- Manage both time and money; be your own master.
- Make a timetable: important things first, then play with ease.
- Tell needs from wants and think before spending.
- Save first, spend later; buying with savings feels greater.
- Set small goals and build habits of planning and self-control.