From budgeting and getting out of debt to saving money on school costs and ideas for slashing your grocery bill, we cover everything you need to know about managing your money in New Zealand.
I didn’t have a name for it back then — there was no “life hack,” no plan, nothing clever. But looking back, it was the first time I ever got a real taste of time freedom, years before I knew that was even a thing worth going after. I was in my early twenties, freshly … Read more
Years ago, my husband and I packed up our little family and took off overseas. One kid, one suitcase each, and a vague plan to be gone for eight months or so. We ended up travelling for over a year. We lived in tiny Airbnbs across Mexico, Ireland, the UK, and Spain. We hauled too … Read more
I burst into tears in my accountant’s office at 23. I was filling out a loan application to pay a $5,000 tax bill I hadn’t saved for, and it was the first time I’d ever seen my whole financial mess written down in one place. Credit card debt, store cards, a personal loan, and nothing … Read more
One of the best (and easiest) ways to save money is by making it happen automatically. Remove the human from the process, and things happen a lot more smoothly. When I first started automating our savings, I didn’t trust it – I was convinced I’d “forget” and overspend without noticing. Six months later, I barely … Read more
A while back, I wrote a big rambling post about all the things I want my boys to know about money by the time they’re grown. Twenty-four lessons, all the way from “save 20% of every paycheck” to “marry someone with similar money views.” It felt good to get it out of my head. But … Read more
Let’s be honest — most of us have made a few money mistakes. I know I have. The problem isn’t the mistakes themselves. It’s when they become habits, doing damage in the background while life carries on. The good news is that recognising these patterns is genuinely half the battle. Once you can see what’s … Read more
If you’ve ever Googled “how to budget”, you’ll know there’s no shortage of money advice out there. Everyone has the system. The one that’ll magically fix your finances without you having to think too hard or change your behaviour (spoiler: that one does not exist). Over the years, I’ve tried just about every popular budgeting … Read more
Ever get to the end of the week and wonder where your money actually went? The truth is, most of us aren’t out here buying yachts – we’re just getting caught in sneaky little spending traps that nibble away at our hard-earned cash.The good news? You don’t need to live on noodles or delete your … Read more
Ever looked at your pay and thought, “I earn good money… so why do I feel broke all the time?” You’re not lazy. You’re not bad with money. And you definitely don’t “just need to earn more”. For a lot of people, the problem isn’t income – it’s what’s quietly happening around that income. Here … Read more
Being in debt sucks. You try to make progress, but between the credit cards, the car loan, and that random personal loan from ages ago, it can feel like you’re just treading water. Where do you even start? A few years back, we were right there too – juggling multiple debts, trying to make ends … Read more