Latest news with #TheCostofBeing
The Spinoff
2 days ago
- Business
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A junior lawyer saving up to move overseas
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a junior lawyer details where their money goes. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 24. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Junior lawyer. Salary/income/assets: $66,000 per year, plus a non-accessible managed investment fund. My living location is: Suburban. Rent/mortgage per week: $230 per week (plus utilities) in a shared flat. Student loan or other debt payments per week: $78,000 remaining on my student loan. Typical weekly food costs Groceries: $100, though this super varies depending on what I'm meal prepping that week. Eating out: $50 – probably one 'date night'/night out per week and/or a brunch with friends. Takeaways: $0 – I don't let myself have UberEats on my phone. Workday lunches: $12 – I treat myself to one bought lunch per week max. The rest of the time I have leftovers from the night before. Cafe coffees/snacks: $15 per week on a cheeky coffee. Other food costs: Probably spend an equivalent of $10 per week on protein powders, supplements etc. Savings: $2,500 currently, aiming for $10,000 by the end of the year so I can move overseas. I worry about money: Sometimes. Three words to describe my financial situation: Up and down. My biggest edible indulgence would be: Protein Greek yoghurt!!! The GOAT of my diet. In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $5-10 – not a big drinker and tend to bring gifted wine to BYOs, parties etc. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: I walk to and from work (approximately 30 minutes each way) but on a rainy day I will bus. So maybe $5 per week on public transport, and $10 per week towards my petrol. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: This is pretty embarrassing, but we are probably looking at the $1-2k range. I LOVE clothes (especially shoes). My most expensive clothing in the past year was: New Mi Piaci work shoes, around $250? My last pair of shoes cost: Around $200 for running shoes (On Running Cloudmonsters). My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: $1000 – haircuts, makeup and skincare is expensive omg! My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $14 per week on gym membership plus maybe $600 on general exercise wear (including the shoes)? My last Friday night cost: $0, went to the gym and had an early night with a much needed sleep in. Oh – I did treat myself to a mango. So $2.50. Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: A pair of jeans on sale that immediately stretched and now are too big. Should have looked at the material first! Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: My Kowtow black dress ($95 on sale plus used Kowtow voucher I had earned from previous purchases). Absolute staple in the work wardrobe. One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Alcohol. I love to party etc, but I would rather buy nice food over nice alcohol. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Frivolous with fashion, but fun. I grew up in a house where money was: Not really spoken about. I was lucky to never want for anything, but now look back and realise just how hard my parents were working behind the scenes to make that happen. Very grateful. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: A couple of days ago, had to switch money from my backup savings to buy my brother's birthday present. In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Hopefully overseas, earning way more money so I can travel more. I would love to have more money for: Travel. If I could I would be travelling every weekend! Describe your financial low: About a year ago I ran out of money completely after moving flats (and paying double bond), and had to ask my brother for a $30 loan to get me to the end of the week. But out of that now, thank goodness. I give money away to: I volunteer regularly, so I try to give my time more than my money. When I have more money, I will be able to donate regularly too.
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Business
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A (mostly) retired nurse living alone
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a mostly retired registered nurse explains where their money goes. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 73. Ethnicity: Tangata Tiriti. Role: Registered nurse, mostly retired, work about six hours one day a week in a private cardiology clinic. Salary/income/assets: Approximately $42,000 Super and salary – my home is mortgage-free. My living location is: Suburban. Rent/mortgage per week: None. I'm single and live alone. Student loan or other debt payments per week: None. And I pay my credit card in full every month! Typical weekly food costs Groceries: Average about $70-$80. Live alone. Eating out: Occasionally. Maybe $50 a month. Takeaways: About $30 a month. Workday lunches: None. Cafe coffees/snacks: $20 a month. Other food costs: I have a vegepod for growing herbs and a few veges such as lettuce, but I'm not great at it. I have several fruit trees, I bottle my fruit and make jam. Savings: I managed to save well while working full time, with KiwiSaver and an investment fund. Now I'm drawing from them, a set amount monthly, $1300. This is saved as much as possible for big expenses and travel. I worry about money: Rarely. Three words to describe my financial situation: Comfortable enough (mostly). My biggest edible indulgence would be: Whittaker's Dark Ghana – which I'm good at making last! In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: I buy wine by the carton, a week would be 2-3 bottles so about $30. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: Fares paid with SuperGold card! Petrol about $15 a week. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $500. My most expensive clothing in the past year was: $90 fabric to sew some tops. Haven't bought much this year, other years it could be more! My last pair of shoes cost: $12 sneakers from The Warehouse. My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Moisturiser, shampoo from the refill stand at the supermarket, 4-5 haircuts a year, sunblock. So about $220. My exercise expenditure in a year is about: Lately, nothing. I walk and tramp, and my boots, raincoat, poles etc are very durable. My last Friday night cost: Nothing. Not my scene at my age! Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: An e-bike. I didn't enjoy it, and then it got stolen! Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: Tour to Egypt and Jordan. Expensive but worth it! One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: So-called luxury foods. Can't see the point. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Careful, realistic, generous, content. I grew up in a house where money was: My father died when I was a child, and my mother was a child of the Depression, so it was a bit careful. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Never. In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Pretty much as I am now. I would love to have more money for: TRAVEL! Describe your financial low: This month, probably! But it was just a combination of several big expenses, and I'll be fine again by next week. If there was ever a serious one, it's so long ago I don't remember. I give money away to: Charities. Some monthly, some annually.
The Spinoff
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A political adviser finishing their master's degree
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a political adviser and master's student describes their financial situation. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 23. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: I work full time as a political adviser and am a master's student. Salary/income/assets: My salary is $75,000 a year. My living location is: Urban. Rent/mortgage per week: $240 per week, not including other expenses like power and wifi. I live with two other flatmates and we split everything equally. Student loan or other debt payments per week: My student loan is pretty high because I didn't work for most of my undergrad and have also added to it with the master's degree I'm currently finishing up – I get paid monthly so it's about $550 out of each pay check. Typical weekly food costs Groceries: I would say I spend about $100 a week on supermarket trips – I'm a terrible cook and get decision paralysis in the aisles, so it tends to be on snacky stuff and a lot of beverages. My shelf in the fridge is always empty! Eating out: I eat out quite a bit on weekends (mostly at cafes) – I would estimate I spend about $30 a week on that. Takeaways: I get takeaways during the week if I feel like I need a big dinner which I usually don't have the ingredients to cook – maybe $50 a week? Workday lunches: $30 a week. Usually lunch for me is just a protein bar from the supermarket, but sometimes I branch out and go to a café or out with co-workers. Cafe coffees/snacks: $15 per week (not counting my lunchtime protein bars as a snack – that's a meal!). Other food costs: None. Savings: I put anywhere from $500 to $1000 a month into my savings account (depending on outgoings). I would love to get more adept at investing, because my savings account is starting to have what feels like a useless amount of money to just be sitting there. I worry about money: Sometimes. Three words to describe my financial situation: Growing, impulsive, fortunate. My biggest edible indulgence would be: Trying new cafes at the weekend – and smoked Havarti cheese! In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: Unfortunately after a few weeks of sobriety I am back on the Courtenay Place grind. $50 a week. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: Nothing, because I walk everywhere. Even in winter. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: I think it would be about $1500, I got a new job last year so had to get some more professional office stuff, but I like to shop vintage/ second hand so a lot of my clothes are from Depop or stores along Cuba St. My most expensive clothing in the past year was: I think it was a pair of Doc Martens I bought a few weeks back for $360. Still mustering up the courage to break them in. My last pair of shoes cost: $280 for some nicer running shoes because my old ones hurt me. My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Probably about $2000 (embarrassing!): $300 a year on hair-related activities, I replace my (very simple) skincare routine every few months which costs about $50 dollars, don't get through makeup too quickly so probably about $100 a year on that, and get my nails done monthly for about $100. My exercise expenditure in a year is about: My gym costs $7 a week (so $364 a year?) – which I really make the most of and use almost every day. My last Friday night cost: Nothing, unless you include the cost of my degree because I was working on my thesis the whole evening. Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: A pair of shoes I made the mistake of buying online, which didn't fit and which I forgot to return. Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: New bedding. I love my bed. One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Socks. Hate buying socks. But other than that, I'm not sure I'm a tightwad at all – maybe with having people pay me back, but I feel like that's fair. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Fun, I could die tomorrow. I grew up in a house where money was: A frequent and stressful subject because my dad owned his own business and my mum always worked hard too. I felt a lot of anxiety about it growing up because of the negative ways it was discussed, but I was always fortunate to go to great schools and never had to worry about having food on the table. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: I don't think it has. I always know how much money is in my spending account. In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Student loan paid off (I hope I pray!), on a higher salary, renting somewhere nicer. It's not on my radar for the next while to even think about buying a house. I would love to have more money for: International travel! I want to do Euro summer at least once. Describe your financial low: Just last year, when I was doing an unpaid internship and tutoring at uni for extra money – I never felt like I had enough, had basically no savings, wouldn't eat much, and would have about $30 to my name some weeks after rent and bills. I give money away to: The SPCA.
The Spinoff
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A supermarket assistant on a working holiday visa
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a recent arrival from the UK talks us through their financial comings and goings. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 34. Ethnicity: European (moved to NZ in February 2025 on a three-year working holiday visa). Role: Supermarket assistant. Salary/income/assets: $25 an hour – hours vary but usually between 35-40 a week. I guess it'll be about $52k before tax a year overall. I bought a car for $3,700 when I moved here. I've got about $70k in savings back in the UK, mostly in a pension fund. As I'm not a Kiwi I can't sign up for KiwiSaver, and I can't contribute to a pension back in the UK so I'm trying to save as much as possible to put into a pension fund wherever I end up settling down. So far I've saved $2k for my future pension. I've also saved another $950 into an emergency fund, and $350 towards my next holiday exploring another part of New Zealand. My living location is: Rural. Rent/mortgage per week: $180 rent a week. Shared house with five others. Student loan or other debt payments per week: None. I paid off my student loan years ago. Typical weekly food costs Groceries: $80-$100 a week. We get a 10% discount on products not on offer, which adds up very quickly. Eating out: About $50 a fortnight. Dining is really different here, so I choose somewhere different to go twice a month. Takeaways: $0 – I cook at home to save for the restaurant experience. Workday lunches: We get first pick of expired food, so whatever's going! Cafe coffees/snacks: $20 a week. As with eating out, I try to go somewhere different every week. I'm not into adventure sports, which a lot of tourists come here for, but the memories I've got from the cafes and bakeries I've visited since moving here will be with me for life. Other food costs: None. Savings: I'm lucky enough to be able to save a lot of my salary up front. I split my savings into non-negotiables (pension savings of 16% a week of my gross salary), emergency fund, and sinking fund for fun things. I worry about money: Sometimes. Three words to describe my financial situation: Lucky but precarious. My biggest edible indulgence would be: The veggie pie from Ubake. It was love at first bite. In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: Zero. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: $50 a week on petrol. The lack of public transport here was a shock to the system. I moved here from a National Park in the UK, and have definitely been spoiled by £2 bus rides and hourly bus services… Luckily work's only a 20-minute walk each way, so I only need to use my car at the weekend when I'm off looking for a new bakery to visit. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $900 – it sounds a lot, but when I decided to come over to New Zealand, I realised that I would need some sturdy clothing for my life here. I brought two carry-on bags with a decent capsule wardrobe but wanted to replace my old winter coat. My most expensive clothing in the past year was: A Land's End winter jacket. It cost $300 on sale in the UK but it's been a godsend with the snow in my town this winter. Being warm is absolutely priceless. My last pair of shoes cost: $220 for Blundstone Rotoflex safety boots. I bought them as soon as I moved here. The steel toe has already saved my own toes at work. I love them and will wear them until they fall apart. My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Usually I spend $400 a year on makeup, moisturiser, and hair care. I cut my own hair, but use a lot of conditioner as I like to swim. Makeup is a lot more expensive here than in Europe, so I won't be buying replacements for my lipstick or mascara when they run out. It should decrease my grooming expenditure to about $300. My exercise expenditure in a year is about: I used to spend $60 a month on pool membership in the UK. Luckily I get free access to the local pool through work which is saving me a fair amount. I will need to get ice spikes so I can tramp more safely in the snow (I left mine in the UK). My last Friday night cost: $20. I bought some knitting yarn, and some popcorn and watched a film while making socks. Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: I bought the Lingodeer lifetime package for $160 because I thought the high price would guilt-trip me into studying Mandarin regularly. It turns out it's just made me feel guilty for spending a lot. Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: I put a $600 bid on an upgrade to premium economy with Air New Zealand for my flight over. I won, and had the most decadent flight of my life: a seat that I could sleep in without pulling any muscles, top notch service, and a delicious breakfast that set me up for the 6am arrival into Auckland. One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Makeup/ beauty/ grooming. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Trying to find [the] right balance. I grew up in a house where money was: The cause of a lot of problems. My dad had a gambling addiction, so my mum worked really hard to keep us afloat. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: February 2025, when I first arrived here – I hadn't told my bank that I was going abroad. Oops. In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Hopefully sitting on a decent pension fund, and still able to enjoy weekly bakery trips. I would love to have more money for: A house. More realistically: premium economy plane tickets so I could fly my mum over in style for a holiday here. Describe your financial low: In my 20s I was a stay-at-home partner. I left that relationship at 31 with no work experience, no money in my bank account, and negative self-esteem. I feel like I'm a decade behind my peers: taking a working holiday and saving my first $100k. But I'm really proud of myself for getting this far. I give money away to: I don't donate money to charity, but I do volunteer my time at least once a month for charity events/ fundraisers/ starting charity groups. I was part of a group that started a parkrun in my local area back in the UK. I love being part of communities that are free and accessible to everyone.
The Spinoff
12-06-2025
- General
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A public servant who took voluntary redundancy
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a public servant describes how gastric bypass surgery, a traumatic brain injury and taking voluntary redundancy have affected their finances. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 38. Ethnicity: Māori/NZ European. Role: Currently unemployed, on a sabbatical after taking voluntary redundancy from the public service. I'm also receiving weekly compensation for a workplace accident (TBI) I had in 2023. Before being made redundant I was able to work 30 hours per week with my injury, and i'm working towards being able to return to FTW (40 hours) soon. Salary/income/assets: Weekly accident compensation of $1450 in hand (80% of my previous earnings). Husband's annual income: $110,000. My KiwiSaver: $52,000. Husband's KiwiSaver: $42,000. Term deposit: $30,000. Shares: $10,500. Savings: $20,000. Most of the assets aside from KiwiSaver have come from my redundancy payout. My living location is: Suburban. Rent/mortgage per week: $800 per week between my husband and I for our mortgage. We purchased our three-bedroom Lower Hutt home in early 2018. Student loan or other debt payments per week: $150 per week. This is on our mortgage but not included in the above amount. This is repaying money borrowed for gastric bypass surgery (best investment I ever made) and some credit card debt. Typical weekly food costs Groceries: $350 per week for the two of us. We are pretty bougie with our food spend – meat is free range and often organic, we buy artisan bread and locally roasted coffee beans. We do a Moore Wilsons shop once a fortnight, but the bulk of groceries are split between New World and Woolworths – I shop them online and pick up and whatever I need, I get it at whichever one is cheaper. For products we use a lot and are regularly on special, I stock up when on special. Eating out: Maybe once a month, about $80 for us both. We ate out more before my brain injury, but loud restaurants aren't ideal while i'm recovering. Neither of us drink which saves lots, as does my gastric bypass surgery as I can't eat large amounts. Takeaways: One or two times per month, about $40 per time. It's normally either Indian, Malaysian or Chinese as my stomach doesn't tolerate many takeaways these days. My meals need to have a solid amount of protein, and lots of veges. Workday lunches: No workday for me! But while I was working, I'd take lunch most days. I'd maybe buy lunch once a fortnight, and spend about $12. Cafe coffees/snacks: Since finishing work, I treat myself to three bought coffees per week – one on a Wednesday morning when I drop my husband at work (he works from home the rest of the week) and then one each weekend day when my husband and I take the dog to the beach. The other days I drink plunger coffee at home using locally roasted beans. Other food costs: Not quite food, but related costs include a number of supplements I take because I've had gastric bypass surgery: protein powder, bariatric level multivitamin, iron, calcium and – to help my brain injury recover – creatine, fish oil and magnesium. Also the cost of our fur babies – we have a dog with multiple health issues which requires prescription diet and expensive monthly shots, as well as a cat. Our total animal spend is about $250 per week. Savings: We save about $200 per fortnight currently, to help with future bills mainly. Some of the assets we have will be used towards some work on our home. I worry about money: Rarely. Three words to describe my financial situation: Comfortable, privileged and learning (I've only started saving and investing in the last year). My biggest edible indulgence would be: Little Spoon Sourdough Crumpets. They're like $13 for a pack of six, but SO SO good – especially the chocolate ones! In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: Zero. I stopped drinking almost 18 months ago. My husband hasn't drunk in about six years. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: Our car is super economical so only about $20 between the two of us on petrol. I have my Snapper card for trips into Wellington when I don't want/need to drive, but it's pretty sporadic while i'm not working. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: So much. Clothing and fashion are one of my true loves. As I've got older, i'm all about being super comfortable while also looking great, and i'm super fussy about fabric, preferring only cotton and linen. I absolutely love Kowtow – the brand ethics align with mine, and the pieces make me happy. The girls in the Wellington store are amazing, and I love going in there (they also have the best changing rooms ever). I've recently discovered the NZ lingerie brand Ohen and am currently replacing all my bras and underwear with their glorious products. I also love second hand shopping – mostly online via Trade Me and Designer Wardrobe. I should probably sit down and calculate my spend because my guesstimates aren't known for their accuracy, but I'd say about $12,000. It's a lot, I know. But it's also my hobby, brings me joy, and unlike my prior habits, is entirely funded by money I already have, not credit cards and BNPL. My most expensive clothing in the past year was: Probably a Kowtow dress – specifically the striped Martha dress which sold out in record time. It looks amazing! I think it was $379. Back in 2022 I did the biggest splurge of my life and bought a full length, hot pink wool coat from Cue. I consider it an investment I will wear every winter for many years to come, and it gets so many compliments. It was just over $900 but I will never admit that to my husband! My last pair of shoes cost: $279 (including shipping from Germany) for a pair of Feelgrounds (barefoot sneakers). They are the most comfortable thing I have ever worn, and the rest of my shoes have barely got any wear since they arrived. They are white tennis style shoes with a gum sole. Most of my shoes are between $250 and $400, and are mainly sneakers and Dr Martens. I only buy high quality leather shoes because comfort is key, and non-leather shoes lead to smelly, sweaty feet. My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Two hairdressing trips per year, about $300 each for cut and colour. About $200 in haircare products (mostly Olaplex products, colour booster and dry shampoo!). Make-up about $100 per year – it used to be way higher, but post-pandemic I only wear mascara (Ilia Limitless), brow wax (Anastasia Beverly Hills), a bit of bronzer and blush and lipstick (MAC Lady Danger or Candy Yum Yum). Skin care is where my beauty spend is focused these days – I use a CeraVe cleanser and then splurge on Emma Lewisham products: Skin Reset Serum, Supernatural Face Creme and Supernatural Face Oil. I also use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant a couple of times per week. I'd estimate about $1400 on skin care, so that's looking about $2000 all up. Oh wait…. three-weekly manicures too, so that adds another $1500. My exercise expenditure in a year is about: About $1000 per year for my gym membership. I haven't had to replace any gear this year as i'm not exercising as much because of my injury. My last Friday night cost: Absolutely nothing. I stayed in and watched Netflix. Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: A bicycle. It was supposed to save on petrol money, but TBH riding on the road scares the shit out of me. Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: My outdoor egg chair which I bought for the sole purpose of sitting and reading on my deck. I've wanted one for almost five years, and I'm so happy with it. One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Paying full price on items that are regularly on special. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: I like nice things! I grew up in a house where money was: SPENT! My parents, mostly Mum, were big spenders and there was little in the way of savings. We had a pretty comfortable upbringing, and had everything we needed and most of the things we wanted, but I look at my parents now, getting close to retirement age, and wish they'd prepared themselves more for that. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Two days ago at the petrol station. I had the money but not in the right account. Whoops! In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Regularly saving and investing. Hopefully being in a position to sell our current home and buy in our dream beach suburb. I would love to have more money for: Honestly, buying loads of beautiful fresh flowers to keep around the house. I normally allow a spend on flowers of no more than $50 per month, but i'd love to be the type of rich that has regular, abundant florist deliveries (especially in peony season!). Also, my dream is to open a housing facility for street people with animals in Wellington. I want them to have a safe, warm space and in this housing market low income people with animals have a near impossible time finding housing. It would be called 'Harry and Misty House' after my friend Harry who lives on the street with his beautiful dog Misty. Describe your financial low: I had gastric bypass surgery in 2019. I didn't realise prior but I was addicted to food and after the surgery I couldn't consume food in the same way, so my addiction transferred to shopping. I amassed a lot of credit card debt throughout 2020 and 2021. I literally had a room in my house full of boxes of things i'd brought online. It was bad. Thank god I had a mortgage with equity so was able to consolidate it at a much lower interest rate and pay it off. Since then I've done a lot of financial education as well as therapy and while I still spend a lot, it's within my means, while still saving and investing. I give money away to: When I was working I used Payroll Giving to donate $50 per fortnight towards various charities – KidsCan, Women's Refuge and HUHA. I'll restart these when I start working again.
