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.
Most people know they should have an emergency fund. Hardly anyone actually has one. I get it. Money’s tight, rent or the mortgage comes first, and “start an emergency fund” sits on the to-do list next to “clean out the garage.” But an emergency fund is the one piece of your finances that decides whether … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered ‘Can money buy happiness?’, you’re not alone. That’s not just because you’re reading a blog formerly called Money Can Buy Me Happiness (rebranded to Mumsmoney in 2019). When I started this blog, I had some criticism. One person told me she associates the name of my site with the desire to “accumulate … Read more
Managing your money is easier than ever with these free budgeting printables. When you are ready to create a budget, free printables can be a smart tool to help visualise how your finances look now and how you want them to look in the future. We’ve compiled a list of 16 of the best money … Read more
While many banking services can now be accessed online or through mobile apps, there are still times when visiting a bank branch is necessary. Whether you need to open a new account, apply for a loan, or simply deposit a large sum of cash, having access to a nearby bank branch can be incredibly helpful. … Read more
Budgeting – the first step in your journey to financial freedom. No matter how much you earn, a custom-made plan of how to divide up your income can go a long way towards gaining control over how much you spend and save. People often go wrong when making a budget by accidentally leaving out … Read more
Have you ever logged in to check your retirement or investment accounts and felt a wave of panic? I know I have. One day, we saw our fund drop by over $800—more than we’d contributed that month. It’s unsettling, even when you know that market ups and downs are completely normal. We’re in this for … Read more
When your income is stretched, it’s easy to feel like your money disappears the moment it lands in your account. One minute it’s payday, the next you’re staring at your balance wondering what happened. That’s not a willpower problem. It’s a planning problem. A zero-sum budget fixes it — by giving every dollar a job … Read more
When I was 17 years old, I spent the summer before my final year of high school working in a cardboard box factory. The work was physically strenuous, receiving flattened cartons strapped in bundles of 5 or 10, which flew off the rollers at 2-second intervals. In that time, I was to stack them on … Read more
Have you ever wondered how to be good with money? Like someone who can pay for their groceries (or beer) in cash and not need to borrow money to go on holiday? Yeah? Me, too. There was a point in my life when I could not fathom how people who earned the same income (or … Read more
While many banking services can now be accessed online or through mobile apps, there are still times when visiting a bank branch is necessary. Whether you need to open a new account, apply for a loan, or simply deposit a large sum of cash, having access to a nearby bank branch can be incredibly helpful. … Read more