Long ago, people did not need money. They lived on wild animals, fruit and other plants.
As time passed, people learned to raise animals and crops. Sometimes, families produced more than they needed, so they started to trade with other families. Later, people began to use money as a means of exchange. However, it was not the kind of money we use today. They used shells, rice, salt, large stones, ete.
During the 660s BC, people began using coins as money. They soon found that coins were easier to carry than goods and lasted a longer time. Later, countries began to make their own coins.
The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably as early as the 11th century. The Italian traveler Marco Polo saw the Chinese using money when he visited China in the1200s. However, European countries did not start using paper money until the 1600s.
Today, we have many ways to pay for things. We do not use coins or paper money. Often, people prefer to pay for things by card. Paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of "real" money.
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