Long, long ago, people did not use money like we do today. Instead, they would __________ things they had for things they needed. This was called the __________ system. If you had apples and wanted bread, you would swap your apples for someone's bread.

After a while, people started using special things as money. They used pretty __________, shiny stones, and even cattle! In some places, people used __________ and silver because they were rare and beautiful.

The first __________ were made about 2,500 years ago. They were small, round pieces of metal. This was much better than carrying around __________ things like big stones!

Much later, people invented __________ money. This was easier to carry than heavy metal coins. Today, we keep our money safe in __________ and can even use cards to pay for things!