Describe a time when you saved money for something – Cue Card

In the IELTS Speaking section, one of the most common question types is the Cue Card Speaking prompt. The IELTS Cue Card topics will prompt you to formulate a response and speak on the given topic. To attempt this question, you must narrow down the essential questions on the given topic to answer within the given time. Consider the sample Cue Card below. Study the types of questions that have been formulated based on the cue card and how to go about with your response:

Describe a time when you saved money for something.

You should say:

• What did you save for?
• How you saved money?
• How long had you been saving money?
• and explain Are you happy what you saved for?

Sample Answer 1

(What did you save for?) I’m generally very conscious about expenditure. I’m sensible as regards buying things. I don’t get carried away by fancy items or try to grab anything that is pleasing to the eye. I joined work soon after college. Right from day one, I started to save money to buy a car. 

(How you saved money?) I watched my habits and worked on areas where I could cut down expenses. I found one or two. One of them was coffee addiction, and another was movies. I always buy a big cup of cappuccino every two hours. Though we were offered coffee at subsidized rates, it did cost me a considerable amount of money. So I reduced my coffee intake. I also watched movies in a high-class theatre whenever I got time. The tickets did cost me a lot. So I reduced it to once a month. 

(How long had you been saving money?) (and explain Are you happy what you saved for?) I did this for about two years and noticed that there was a significant amount of savings. When I bought my first car, I was lauded by my friends for watching out the little things that were indeed a great help. Infact, I was able to achieve my dream of buying a car and as well incorporate a healthy lifestyle.

Sample Audio

Click on the audio to listen to the sample answer above. Pay attention to the intonation and pronunciation of the words

Vocabulary

Conscious: aware of and responding to one’s surroundings.

Eg: Rita was not beauty conscious

Sensible: done or chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence; likely to be of benefit.

Eg: “ Can you be sensible?”

Carried away: to arouse to a high and often excessive degree of emotion or enthusiasm

Eg: He got carried away by the luxury of the house.

Lauded: highly praised or admired.

Eg: He was lauded by his teacher.

Sample Answer 2

To be honest, saving money has never been my forte as I am a shopaholic. For that reason, I have been scolded by almost everyone in my family. Initially, I was not worried about any financial hurdles, as my father and grandfather took care of it. However, when I entered college, I realized my mistake and decided to turn a new leaf. I became more conscious and started saving for some ventures.

One of the ventures I wanted to invest in was a business for my mother. My mother had been an all-rounder in school and continued to be so till she left university. She had a bright future ahead and lots of dreams to fulfill. Unfortunately, due to family constraints, she was forced to sacrifice her dreams. As I understood the importance of dreams and saw how my mother found happiness in small things, I made it one of my aims in life to enable her to start her own work. 

Since I have been a working professional for five years, I have invested a portion of my salary as a fixed deposit. In the future, when I will require capital for the enterprise, I will have more than enough. Till now, I have saved enough and have set my ground plan into action by delivering tiffins to my colleagues cooked by my mother. I still remember the look on my mother’s face when I surprised her with the news of the success of the cloud kitchen and that we had some consequential orders to prepare for. It was a mix of pride and excitement to see her dreams come true, and I have been so proud of myself.