📙 Part 2: Describe an item on which you spent more than expected

This episode's vocabulary

Stand out in my mind (idiom) – to be very memorable. → Example sentence: The day I graduated is one that will always stand out in my mind.

Pay over the odds (idiom) – to pay more than the usual or fair price for something. → Example sentence: We had to pay over the odds for the concert tickets because we bought them from a reseller.

Second-hand (adjective) – not new; owned by someone else before. → Example sentence: I prefer buying second-hand books because it's cheaper and more sustainable.

As it turned out (phrase) – used to say what happened in the end. → Example sentence: I was worried about the exam, but as it turned out, it was quite easy.

Pricey (adjective) – expensive. → Example sentence: The restaurants in the city center are a bit pricey for my budget.

Break the bank (idiom) – to use all of your money or to cost more than you can afford. → Example sentence: A simple lunch out won't break the bank.

Overspend (verb) – to spend more money than you planned or can afford. → Example sentence: It's easy to overspend during the holiday season if you don't make a budget.

Go ahead (phrasal verb) – to proceed with a course of action, especially after hesitation. → Example sentence: Even though it was expensive, I went ahead and bought the coat.

Shouldn't have (modal phrase) – used to express regret about a past action. → Example sentence: I ate the whole cake, but I really shouldn't have.

Pay through the nose (idiom) – to pay an excessive amount for something. → Example sentence: If you want a hotel room during the festival, you'll have to pay through the nose.

In a timely manner (phrase) – done quickly and without any delay. → Example sentence: It's important to complete all your assignments in a timely manner.

Postpone (verb) – to decide that something will not be done at the time it was planned, but at a later time. → Example sentence: They decided to postpone the wedding until next year.

Sustainable (adjective) – able to continue over a period of time without causing damage. → Example sentence: Buying fast fashion is not a sustainable practice.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Describe an item on which you spent more than expected. You should say what it is, how much you spent on it, why you bought it, and explain why you think you spent more than expected.

Rory: Well, normally I'm pretty good with money and anticipating the costs of things, but this one time that does stand out in my mind, it was when I paid over the odds for these books that I wanted. To tell you a bit more about what they were, I wanted to buy this trilogy of science fiction books from one of my favorite authors, and normally when I buy books, I get them second hand for a much lower price. Not only is it cheaper, it's also better for the environment, since they don't have to print new books and I can pass them on to my friends when I'm done with them. As it turned out, even second-hand copies were very expensive this time, and it was actually cheaper just to pay to have a whole new set of books. Even then, it was quite pricey compared to what I'm used to. Like a good five or ten pounds more as it happened. So when it came to how much I spent on them, well, it wasn't enough to break the bank. It certainly did feel like I had overspent quite a great deal. Although with that in mind, you might be wondering why I went ahead and bought them in the first place. And the truth is, I shouldn't have, but I really like the author. I liked him at the time, and I like him now. And I didn't want to wait to get a better price. So I just paid through the nose for them and tried to accept that this was the cost of getting what I wanted when I wanted them. I'm still glad I'd spent the money though. If I hadn't, I'm sure I'd have found something else to read, but I'm still happy that I managed to get the thing that I want and enjoy the story in a timely manner, rather than going to a library or something like this. But in the future, I think I will either just postpone buying them, or I'll go to the library and pick them up there because that's not sustainable just to keep spending lots of money on things when you don't have to.