Value of Money Lesson Summary Notes and Explanation in English Class 8th

Introduction

Technology can be quite tempting and expensive. This chapter shares a more mature approach and teaches the value of money.

Working Hard

The narrator shares an episode from her teenage years when she was 14. It was the summer break and while she watched tv, there was this one ad that tickled her fancy. The latest Bell computer which claimed to have the fastest processor and tons of other features too, enticed her. Although she had a decent functioning desktop, now she wanted this new one just for the fun of it. She would read many articles on it and skim through all the reviews and finally asked her parents to buy her one.ย 

However, they refused and gave her an alternative. If she did chores, they would reward her with money and she could earn the computer by working for it. This encouraged her and she began working around the house tirelessly. She would wake up early and do every task she could, eventually, she became more efficient. A few months later, she had managed to save enough money and when it was the week before her birthday, she went to the Bell Center to place her order.ย 

When she asked the employee for the computer, he shared that a new model was soon launching. This newer model would be faster and better. Once again, she got excited but after learning the price of this new model, she realised that it would take her more months and money to be able to purchase it. She understood the importance of money and decided to not spend it on a computer that would soon be worthless. Instead, she invested all her money into a savings account.

Conclusion

It is the aim of advertisements to entice viewers and make them want things they do not require. However, one must learn the difference between wants and needs. Desires are impossible to satiate. When we finally attain that one thing we always craved for, we immediately move on to the next. We easily get bored with things and constantly want something new and better, but do we actually need it? That is the question that we must all ask ourselves before getting tempted.