Spend money means to use money to buy or pay for things. What you spend it on is introduced by on: spend money on books. Instead of money, you can give the amount: I spent £20 on lunch.
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spend money on + noun; spend + amount + on + noun; spend money + -ing
- I try not to spend money on taxis when the metro is still open.
- We spent about 300 euros on souvenirs in Lisbon.
- She spends a lot of money on online courses but rarely finishes them.
What changed
First versionLast month I spent too much money for clothes.
RevisionLast month I spent too much money on clothes.
For comes in from pay for: you do pay for things. But spend takes a different preposition: the money goes on a purchase, and that's on. Keep spend and pay apart, and the right preposition follows.
If the money went on something useless, use waste: I wasted money on a gym membership I never used. Spend is neutral, while waste sounds regretful. They share the same preposition: on.
Your turn
I ___ 2,000 roubles on a new phone case and broke it the next day.
Show the answer
spent — The amount is followed by on, and on goes with spend: spent 2,000 roubles on a case. Paid would need for, so it doesn't work with on.
Describe what you spent money on last weekend. Say how much you spent and what you bought.
Last weekend I spent 1,500 roubles on a board game for my nephew.
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