We are Consumers

Every time you use money to get something you want or need, you are a consumer. A consumer is a person who buys goods or services.

Goods are things you can touch and hold, like a toy car, a yummy snack, or a new pair of shoes. Services are things people do for you, like a barber cutting your hair or a bus driver taking you to school. Whether you are buying a physical object or paying for someone's help, you are acting as a consumer!

In the world of money, it takes two people to make a trade. The buyer is the consumer who has the money and wants to get something. The seller is the person or the store that has the goods or provides the service.

Think of it like a team: the buyer brings the money, and the seller brings the items. For example, if a pencil costs $\$1.00$, the buyer gives the seller$\$1.00$, and the seller gives the buyer the pencil. This exchange is how we get the things we need every day.

You don't have to be an adult to be a consumer! You act as a consumer when you pick out a book at a book fair or when you use your allowance to buy a game. Even when your parents buy groceries for dinner, they are acting as consumers to provide for the family.

Understanding that we are all consumers helps us make choices. Since we usually have a limited amount of money, like $\$10.00$, we have to decide which goods or services are most important to us.