Shopping, Money, and Mail Vocabulary

Habits of Rational Consumption

Rational consumption is the habit of first checking whether something is really necessary before buying it, and spending money according to a plan. If you buy something just because it is cheap, items you never use pile up at home, so checking necessity first is the starting point of a spending plan.

• 충동구매(impulse buying) — Buying something on impulse without a plan, when you suddenly feel drawn to it. Ex) 광고를 보고 충동구매를 하면 돈이 금방 줄어든다.
• 불필요한 소비(unnecessary spending) — Spending money on something you do not really need. Ex) 사기 전에 목록을 만들면 불필요한 소비를 줄일 수 있다.
• 중고(used, secondhand) — A word for an item that has already been used once. It is cheaper than a new item, and many used items are still useful. Ex) 중고 가게에서 깨끗한 책을 샀다.

Using things carefully saves money and also reduces waste. '-기를 권하다'(to recommend doing) is an expression for recommending that someone do a certain action. Ex) 중고 물건을 이용해 보기를 권한다.

'그래서'(so, therefore) is used to connect the result of the previous content. Ex) 물건을 자주 샀다. 그래서 돈이 부족해졌다. It sounds natural when used in a relationship that connects cause and effect like this. '그러나'(however) and '하지만'(but) are used to connect facts that contrast with the previous content. Discounts are a way to save money, but '그러나' can be used to state the limitation that buying a lot leads you to buy items you do not need. '그러면'(then, in that case) is used to state the result that arises when the previous action is carried out. Ex) 계획을 세우고 사면 쓸데없는 지출이 줄어든다.

'-아서/어서'(because) is used to state a reason, and attaching '-지 않다'(not) after it can express an action that was not done. '대신'(instead) is used to state another method in place of the action one originally intended. Ex) 가격이 비싸서 사지 않았고, 대신 빌려서 썼다.

'-았/었다'(past tense ending) expresses an action done in the past, and '-지 않았다'(did not) expresses an action not done during that period. You need to read the past purchase quantity and the current purchase status separately. Ex) 지난달에 책을 두 권 샀고, 이번 달에는 책을 사지 않았다.

Expressions for Discount Shopping

Like the conjugated form '사서' of '사다'(to buy), the form is used when the next action follows after buying an item. Ex) 우산을 사서 집에 가져왔다.

• 사다(to buy) — To pay money and take possession of an item. Ex) 할인 기간에 옷을 샀다.
• 팔다(to sell) — To give an item and receive money in return. Ex) 쓰지 않는 책을 중고 서점에 팔았다.
• 빌리다(to borrow) — To use someone else's item and agree to return it later. Ex) 도서관에서 책을 빌려 읽었다.

Adverbs that express the degree of change come before '내려가다'(to go down) and '올라가다'(to go up). '크게 내려가다' means it dropped a lot. '자주'(often) indicates frequency, '높이'(high) indicates an upward direction, and '빨리'(quickly) indicates speed, so they do not fit when talking about price changes.

In a discount notice, '단, ~은 제외'(except ~) means the items excluded from the discount. So even if it says '전 품목 할인'(discount on all items), excluded items cannot receive the discount. Ex) 전 메뉴 할인, 단 음료는 제외.

'불가'(impossible) means cannot be done. '사용 불가'(cannot be used) means it cannot be used, and '교환 불가'(no exchange) means it cannot be exchanged. If '~ 불가' is written on a notice, that method cannot be used.

'원래 가격'(original price) is the value before the discount, and '할인 가격'(discounted price) is the value after the discount. You need to distinguish the two values to know how much you saved. When stating the value after receiving a discount, use a form such as '-을/를 받아서 -에 샀다'(bought it for ~ after receiving ~).

'추가로'(additionally) means receiving something on top of existing benefits. Ex) 회원 카드를 쓰면 할인을 추가로 받을 수 있다.

Expressions for Calculation and Payment

'계산하다'(to pay, to settle a bill) means paying for goods or food, and '주문하다'(to order) means choosing and stating what you will eat or buy. In situations where you pay after finishing a meal, use '계산하다'. Ex) 음식을 먹고 계산대에서 계산했다. '계산은 친구가 했다'(My friend paid the bill) shows that using '계산' as the subject with '하다' can indicate the person who paid.