Time, Work and Money
Primary 2 · Social and Religious Studies
Time, Work and Money
Lesson 3 of 3
14 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe stands outside the shop with his nose almost touching the glass. Inside there is a football. The price says 1,000 Frw.
He puts his hand in his pocket. It is empty. He has 0 Frw.
“Where does money come from?” he asks. Today you will find out — and you will help Ishimwe get that football.
Uwase's mother grows tomatoes. Every Saturday she carries a basket of them to the market. People choose her tomatoes and hand her coins and notes. She walks home with 2,000 Frw in her pocket.
Where did that money come from? It came from her work. She grew the tomatoes, she carried them, she sold them. The money people gave her is what she earned.
That is the rule, and it is true for everyone:
Work first. Money after. A nurse earns money by caring for the sick. A driver earns money by driving. A shopkeeper earns money by selling. Nobody is handed money for nothing.
Gatete once said, “Money is easy. My father just puts a card in the machine in the wall, and money comes out.”
Gatete was wrong. That machine does not make new money. It only gives back money his father already earned and kept safely in the bank. If his father stopped working, the machine would give him nothing at all.
In Rwanda we count money in Rwandan francs. We write it as Frw.
Some of our money is coins, made of metal — like the 50 Frw coin and the 100 Frw coin. Some of our money is notes, made of paper — 500 Frw, 1,000 Frw, 2,000 Frw and 5,000 Frw.
The bigger the number, the more the money can buy. One 1,000 Frw note is worth the same as ten 100 Frw coins.
Question: Keza's father gives her a 1,000 Frw note and sends her to buy an exercise book. The exercise book costs 600 Frw. How much change should she bring home?
Step 1 What she has: 1,000 Frw.
Step 2 What she spends: 600 Frw.
Step 3 Change means what is left over, so we take away: 1,000 − 600 = 400.
Answer: Keza should bring home 400 Frw.
Always count your change. A good shopkeeper will not mind. Counting is not rude — it is careful.
Now Keza has 400 Frw in her hand, and there are sweets in the shop for exactly 400 Frw.
Before she spends, she should ask herself one question: is this a need or a want?
Wants are not bad. But needs come first. Buy the pen, then look at what is left.
Saving means you do not spend all your money today. You keep some of it for tomorrow.
Remember Ishimwe and his football? Here is how he does it. Every Saturday he helps his uncle carry water, and his uncle gives him 200 Frw. Ishimwe does not spend it. He drops it into a tin under his bed.
| Saturday | He adds | Total in the tin |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 200 Frw | 200 Frw |
| Week 2 | 200 Frw | 400 Frw |
| Week 3 | 200 Frw | 600 Frw |
| Week 4 | 200 Frw | 800 Frw |
| Week 5 | 200 Frw | 1,000 Frw |
Look at week 5. Ishimwe has 1,000 Frw — exactly the price of the football. He walks into the shop and buys it himself.
He never held 1,000 Frw all at once. He built it 200 Frw at a time. That is the power of saving: small amounts, added again and again, become a big amount.
A tin under the bed works for a little while, but money at home can be lost or stolen. When people save more, they take it to a bank. A bank keeps money safe, writes down exactly how much is yours, and gives it back whenever you ask for it.
Tip
The wise money order — say it out loud
Save first, spend last. If you spend first, there is never anything left to save.
Work each one out first, then tap Show answer to check.
Mugisha's mother is a tailor. She sews three school uniforms and is paid for them. Where did her money come from?
Answer: From her work. She earned it by sewing the uniforms.
Umutoni has 500 Frw. She buys a bar of soap for 300 Frw. How much change does she get?
Answer: 200 Frw. Take away: 500 − 300 = 200.
Byiringiro saves 100 Frw on Monday, 100 Frw on Tuesday and 100 Frw on Wednesday. How much has he saved in all?
Answer: 300 Frw. Add them up: 100 + 100 + 100 = 300.
Which one is a need, and which one is a want? (a) a bar of soap (b) a packet of sweets
Answer: (a) Soap is a need — you must wash to stay healthy. (b) Sweets are a want — they are nice, but you can live happily without them.
Keza is given 1,000 Frw. She needs an exercise book that costs 500 Frw. She also wants sweets that cost 500 Frw, but she is saving for new shoes. What is the wisest thing to do?
Answer: Buy the exercise book first, because it is a need. Then put the other 500 Frw into her savings for the shoes. The sweets can wait.
What you learned today
Quick check
