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The cost of being

The cost of being: an insurance rep who tracks all their expenses in a spreadsheet

The cost of being: an insurance rep who tracks all their expenses in a spreadsheet

'I would only consider homeownership if housing costs remained below 30% of my gross income and still allowed me to maintain consistent retirement investing.'
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By The Cost of Being | 17th March, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: an early retiree who ‘goes budget’ wherever possible

The cost of being: an early retiree who ‘goes budget’ wherever possible

'I watch lots of travel YouTubes and do envy those staying in five-star hotels .... I don't think I'd ever want that to be my lifestyle, but wouldn't mind trying it out.'
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By The Cost of Being | 10th March, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: a retiree who watches grocery prices ‘like a hawk’

The cost of being: a retiree who watches grocery prices ‘like a hawk’

'I don’t take my eye off the till display at the checkout and always get a receipt.'
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By The Cost of Being | 6th March, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: a London-based New Zealander ‘slumming it on terrible espressos’

The cost of being: a London-based New Zealander ‘slumming it on terrible espressos’

'A decent flat white costs $9-10 here, and even then is but a pale memory of Coffee Supreme or People’s.'
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By The Cost of Being | 3rd March, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A ‘healthcare-adjacent’ worker who hates to waste

The cost of being: A ‘healthcare-adjacent’ worker who hates to waste

'I also despise paying for free services. My partner took over my Spotify one day to get rid of the ads because I was determined not to pay.'
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By The Cost of Being | 27th February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A first-time flatter ‘scraping by’ on a student loan

The cost of being: A first-time flatter ‘scraping by’ on a student loan

'Five words to describe my financial personality: Blindly fumbling in the dark.'
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By The Cost of Being | 24th February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A government worker with a ‘support local’ mindset

The cost of being: A government worker with a ‘support local’ mindset

'I'm not sure if the pension will still be around when I retire in 20+ years time, so I would like to build up a reasonable nest egg.'
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By The Cost of Being | 20th February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A lawyer whose New Year’s resolution is off to a rocky start

The cost of being: A lawyer whose New Year’s resolution is off to a rocky start

'I promised myself this was going to be the year I finally committed to cooking. Hasn’t gone well so far.'
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By The Cost of Being | 17th February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A government worker ‘righting what was once a sinking ship’

The cost of being: A government worker ‘righting what was once a sinking ship’

'It took getting to my 30s to start getting on track and building my income and savings. Now I’m trying to catch up.'
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By The Cost of Being | 13th February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A charity worker back in New Zealand after a year off in Europe

The cost of being: A charity worker back in New Zealand after a year off in Europe

'We had the most incredible year that I will never regret – but it was financially very stressful.'
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By The Cost of Being | 10th February, 2026
Guest writer
An image of Rob Machado circa. 1995, which the author wishes he took, but didn’t. (Photo: Getty)

The cost of being: A single homeowner with a ‘moderately terrifying’ mortgage

'Three words to describe my financial situation: Challenging but improving.'
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By The Cost of Being | 3rd February, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A ‘formerly reckless, currently penny-pinching’ music writer

The cost of being: A ‘formerly reckless, currently penny-pinching’ music writer

'I'm not living the high life right now, and I earn less than I did in my 20s, but I'm very happy with my lot in life.'
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By The Cost of Being | 30th January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A small-town teacher whose savings ‘find a way of disappearing’

The cost of being: A small-town teacher whose savings ‘find a way of disappearing’

'I would love to have more money for: Buying back my own time.'
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By The Cost of Being | 27th January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A ‘thrifty but fun’ lawyer who loves talking about money

The cost of being: A ‘thrifty but fun’ lawyer who loves talking about money

'It doesn't benefit anyone to be whakamā about how we earn, spend and save our pūtea.'
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By The Cost of Being | 23rd January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A local council worker with a ‘never ending’ list of things to save for

The cost of being: A local council worker with a ‘never ending’ list of things to save for

'We both put 8% into KiwiSaver for retirement, because we believe superannuation will be long gone by the time we hit 65.'
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By The Cost of Being | 20th January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A chef whose UK working visa is about to run out

The cost of being: A chef whose UK working visa is about to run out

'I’ve been in London for seven years ... generally all my savings have been spent on my rights to stay in the UK.'
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By The Cost of Being | 16th January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A therapist with ‘a very high income but extremely high expenses’

The cost of being: A therapist with ‘a very high income but extremely high expenses’

'Finally paying off my student loan has freed up a chunk of cash each week – which instantly got absorbed into our living costs.'
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By The Cost of Being | 13th January, 2026
Guest writer
The cost of being: A self-employed couple ‘getting very close to retirement’

The cost of being: A self-employed couple ‘getting very close to retirement’

'Three words to describe my financial situation: Secure for now. However, retirement could be another question.'
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By The Cost of Being | 16th December, 2025
Guest writer
The cost of being: A government worker saving for gender-affirming surgery

The cost of being: A government worker saving for gender-affirming surgery

'Surgery is looking like it will be around $40,000, so that's where most of it is going for the next few years.'
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By The Cost of Being | 12th December, 2025
Guest writer
The cost of being: A screen industry worker saving for their ‘unemployment fund’

The cost of being: A screen industry worker saving for their ‘unemployment fund’

'Work can be incredibly unstable so I make sure I'm always prepared in case I have to go weeks (or even months) without any income.'
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By The Cost of Being | 9th December, 2025
Guest writer

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