Place to live? Check! New job? Check! And now for the best part: the paycheck! The long lines at the bank’s drive-thru will tell you that Friday is the traditional payday. But you can outsmart the people in line. Most companies offer direct deposit of paychecks. This means that your money is automatically transferred into your bank account on payday. Direct deposit has many advantages, but the best one is that you don’t have to wait in line to cash your check. Yay! (You’ve probably noticed that Americans don’t like to wait.) It also gives you extra time for yourself; you don’t have to add a trip to the bank to your list of errands.

Now that you’re bringing home the bacon, you know that American money takes some getting used to. The bills look very similar in size and color. The change comes in a lot of denominations.

You also need to learn the many common slang words that refer to money. Moolah, dough, bread, cabbage, and lettuce are not referring to a meal, but to the money that buys the meal! The slang descriptions of money may leave you thinking you’re learning a third language! One dollar bills are often called singles. Occasionally, a five-dollar bill is called a fin and a ten dollar bill is a ten-spot. The real fun, however, comes with the big bills. A C-note is a one hundred dollar bill. (We’d like several of those, please. ) Although some money nicknames seem to make no sense, this one is logical: the Roman numeral for 100 is C. American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin has made it into the slang world, too. A one hundred dollar bill (featuring Franklin’s picture) is also called a Benjamin. How are your math skills? Ten Benjamins equal a grand. We love those Gs. That’s a lot of smackers!

LIA: I really love my new job! It feels great to be bringing home the bacon!

ALAN: No kidding. Payday is my favorite day. Too bad it only comes twice a month.

LIA: Don’t you get paid every week?

ALAN: No, twice a month. In fact, I think most companies do payroll twice a month; usually on the 15th and the 30th.

LIA: Hey, I think you’re right. But I have direct deposit, so all I care about is that when I pay a bill, there’s money in the bank! And I’m saving for a car, so I like that the money is already in the bank.

ALAN: Wow—a car? Won’t that cost a fortune?

LIA: You’re not kidding. I was looking at used cars, and even they cost at least 5K. It’s crazy!

ALAN: Speaking of crazy . . . I’m still trying to figure out the crazy change here. I know that four quarters equal a dollar. But did you ever notice that a nickel is bigger than a dime? Does that make sense to you?

LIA: Ha! Now that you mention it, a penny is bigger than a dime, too.

ALAN: I learned an interesting fact the other day. Did you know it costs more to make a penny at the mint than it’s worth? Crazy!

LIA: I guess it’s fun to think about change, but I’m glad my paycheck is in big bills!

Fun Fact!