英语播客EnglishPod 547

（单词翻译）

　　The Office - Preparing a Budget (C0173)
A: Welcome Mr and Mrs Carnwell, please take a
seat.
B: Thank you.
A: SoIunderstandthatyourfamilyspendinghassky
rocketed and you want to start budgeting.
C: Yes thats correct. Frankly¹ speaking our house-
hold income is relatively² high and we have never
had any money problems, but I think this isthe
mainreasonastowhyourspendinghasgoneout
of control.
B: We have two kids and with allowances, paying
their credit cards, ours and not to mention our
mortgageandcarpayments. Withtherecenteco-
nomic downturn, my husband’s business has suf-
fered and now we need some advice as to how
we can prepare a family budget.
A: I see. Well you have come tothe right place. First
what we need to do, is determine your cash flow.
Knowing how much money is coming in will help
us allocate³ spending to different categories such
as mortgage, education, groceries, etc.
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).c 2009 Praxis Language Ltd.
B: Yes that makes sense.
A: Secondly⁴, I need you to bring all of your receipts
forthe last two to three months. That way, we can
determine what your average expenditures⁵ are
and see which category you are spending money
onthe most. Usually, your fixed⁶ costs are higher
and we cant⁷ do much about that, but we can usu-
allytrimyourvariablecostssuchasentertainment
or clothing.
C: Great! We will do that then! Now how about we
treat you to a nice dinner?
A: That’s another thing. If you really want to stop
spendingsomuchmoney,throwawayatleasthalf
of your credit cards!