Cost of Living Crisis - Elementary News Lesson
Cost of Living Crisis - Elementary News Lesson
Cost of Living Crisis - Elementary News Lesson
1
Warmer
a. Which of these things would you give up to save money? Put them in order from 1–6: 1 is the
thing you would be most likely to give up and 6 is the least likely. Give reasons for your choice.
• mobile phone
• internet service
• washing machine
• car
• air conditioning
2
Key words
a. Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
extend outgoings pension reassess retired
6. Your are the amounts of money you have to spend regularly, for
example on your rent or fuel bills.
7. If a person is , they are no longer working because they are too old.
8. Your is the money you receive regularly after you have stopped
working because of your age.
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2 One area includes streaming services. Netflix 14 John now only joins and leaves services when
lost one million subscribers in the second there is a particular show he wants to watch.
quarter of 2022. 15 “We cancelled Netflix but recently re-joined to
watch a series and cancelled again after two
3 We spoke to four people about how the rising
months. We joined Disney+ to watch the Star
cost of living has changed their TV habits.
Wars films, but I’m thinking of cancelling it too.”
‘I haven’t watched it in ages’ 16 John and his wife were not using their
4 Kate says she has cancelled Netflix. “I haven’t subscriptions enough and they were costing
watched it for ages so what am I paying for?” nearly £50 a month. “We have work and two
young kids, so there’s no time to watch much
5 Kate says she decided to give up the streaming TV.”
services partly because of the cost. “I’ve been
trying to reduce my weekly spending. There’s © Guardian News and Media 2022
First published in The Guardian, 23/07/2022
no point if you’re not using the service.”
6 She adds that she might go back to
Netflix in the autumn, “if they have some
interesting shows.”
‘I’ve had to cut back on the things that
previously weren’t luxuries’
7 Jess has a disability and is unable to work.
“I’ve had to cut back on the things that weren’t
luxuries before but are now – streaming
services, for example.”
8 Jess’s monthly bills have increased – “and
that’s during summer; I don’t know what’s going
to happen in winter,” she says. She was paying
£40 a month for her streaming services.
‘My pension is not going up’
9 The cost of living crisis has made 72-year-old
Ted Cardwell check his monthly outgoings.
Cardwell, who is retired, has decided to cancel
Netflix and Amazon Prime to save money but
would return if they offered a discount rate
for pensioners.
10 Ted says the reason is financial and not
because services are getting worse.
11 “The cost of living is going up and my pension
is not going up with it.”
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3
Comprehension check
2. How many subscribers did Netflix lose in the second quarter of 2022?
4
Key language
4. discount d. something expensive that you enjoy but do not really need
5
Discussion
6
In your own words
a. Inflation is happening in a lot of countries around the world. How could people reduce their
expenses? Which things do people pay for that they do not really need? Search online to find
ways people could save money.
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