The topic for today’s episode is the expression you can use to talk about saving money.This is something that has been on my mind lately – saving money. Saving money is something that most people think it’s a good idea to do, but not everyone is good at doing it. Some people are better than others. So, we are going to learn an expression that you can talk about saving money.

to squirrel something away储藏，储存（尤指钱，供日后使用）

This expression is a very visual one. 「to squirrel something away」Usually that ‘something’ is money. Squirrel is the animal that live in the forest. I think most people know what a squirrel looks like. Squirrels are commonly known to bury food underground, so that they can eat it later in the winter when there is no food available. So squirrels will find nuts, walnuts, acorns and collect them, and then bury them in one spot, so that they can come back later and have enough food to survive the winter.

Just like squirrels, we will bury some food for the future and save resource for the future. When humans squirrel something away, that means we save money for the future. Anytime you are squirreling money away, it just means that you are saving money. We also say ‘put away money’, which has the same meaning as ‘squirrel money away’. Let’s have a look at some examples.

Example I

A: I was thinking that we should take a road trip soon. Get away for a few days and have some fun. What do you think?

B: I don’t know. Sounds expensive.

A: Expensive? You can afford it. You are always working.

B: Yeah, but I am just trying to be a bit frugal these day, and squirrel some money away for the future.

In this example, two friends are talking about taking a road trip. One of the friends decides not to go on a road trip because it’s kind of expensive to travel. He’s been frugal lately. Frugal(节俭的) means that you are careful of your money, and not spending money on things that are not necessary. So, he’s squirrelling some money away for the future, instead of going on a road trip with his friends. Let’s look at another example.

Example II

A: Wow, nice watch. Is that a Rolex?

B: Yeah, dude. I just got it. What do you think?

A: It’s red, but how did you afford it?

B: I’ve been squirrelling my money away for years, but I finally decided to leave a little, and buy something that I’ve always wanted.

In this example, one friend has bought a new watch, specifically a Rolex, which is a very expensive watch. Because he has squirrelled his money away for so long, he had enough money saved up to afford the Rolex.

But honestly, if I were his friend, I would say that he squanders that money away by buying this watch. The expression that has the opposite meaning with ‘to squirrel money away’ is ‘to squander money away’(浪费钱), which means to waste money.