Personal Finances > Maybe You Should Stop at the Bank

Discuss family budgeting, using should and have to.

Decide how much cash to get at the bank.

Maybe You Should Stop at the Bank

buy groceries for the weekend / see a movie tomorrow night / $80

Dialog
A: I'm going out to do a few errands.
B: Oh. You know what? (1) Maybe you should (2) stop at the bank and get some cash.
A: Okay. How much should I get?
B: Well, let's see. We have to (3) buy groceries for the weekend, and we're planning to see a movie tomorrow night. You should probably get about eighty dollars.
A: Eighty dollars? Do you think that'll be enough?
B: I think so.

Functions
(1) Initiating a Topic
You know what?
You know something?
You know?
(2) Advice-Suggestions
Maybe you should
Maybe you ought to
You should probably
It might be a good idea to
(3) Obligation
We have to
We've go to
We need to

Exercises
1) get more diapers / drive to Oakwood to see your parents / $65
2) give the kids allowance / go bowling tonight / $25
3) pick up some stationary supplies / take the staff out the lunch / $95
4) buy a wedding present for your sister / take the children for haircuts / $70
5) pay the gardener / fly to Honolulu for the weekend / $1500

Grammar
Modal Auxiliaries
Modal Auxiliares are helping verbs that express a wide range of meanings (ability, permission, possiblity, necessity, etc,). Most of the modals have more than one meaning.

Should
Maybe you should stop at the Bank.
How much should I get?
You should probably get about eighty dollars.

Ought to
Maybe you ought to stop at the bank.

Have to/Have got to
We have to buy groceries.
We've got to buy groceries.

Need to
We need to buy groceries.