As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an IT professional shares their approach to spending and saving.

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Gender: Male.

Age: 49.

Ethnicity: East Asian.

Role: ICT professional. Also a trustee in a not-for-profit organisation on a pro bono basis.

Salary/income/assets: $160,000 per annum from salary, plus $600-ish per week rental income (“-ish” because I pay water bills from the rent). Own the house I live in as well as a rental property in another town that I plan to renovate and move into for retirement in about 20 years’ time.

My living location is: Suburban.

Rent/mortgage per week: Still have a mortgage of about $630,000 between the two houses. I repay about $2,800 a fortnight. Mortgage rates have been falling recently but I maintain the original repayment amount so a higher proportion goes to the principal, which I aim at paying off in 13 years’ time.

Student loan or other debt payments per week: $1,700 credit card payment for an air ticket I have booked for a trip in September. It is at 0% interest rate thanks to a credit card promotion.

Typical weekly food costs

Groceries: About $120 per week on average, including food and household products. I order personal care products like shower gel and shampoo a couple of times per year, as I use specific brands that are cheaper to buy in bulk to enjoy free deliveries. It amounts to roughly $500 per year.

Eating out: $0. I very rarely go out for dining. I do so mostly when travelling.

Takeaways: $80 per week. Once per week. I always order a bit more and spread it out to enjoy over two or even three days.

Workday lunches: $0. I always bring leftover to office for lunch. I have some stylish Sistema containers and feel gratified using them to prepare and consume lunch.

Cafe coffees/snacks: $0. I drink tea so it saves me a bit by eliminating the need/motive/excuse to go to cafes buying coffee (or buying those fancy coffee machines). My friends seem to enjoy gathering at homes or at the waterfront, so even on weekends I rarely go to cafes.

Other food costs: I have a garden which includes a herb and veggie corner. Expense for gardening in total maybe $500 per annum.

Savings: Perhaps $500 per week? I actually don’t know exactly how much I save regularly because council rates, bills, insurance premiums, et cetera, come at different frequencies. Some weeks I feel like I’m saving more while other weeks I feel direct debits constantly draining my bank account balance. Whenever I see a bit of saving on my bank account, I tend to transfer them into my KiwiSaver or investment account trying to get better returns.

I worry about money: Sometimes.

Three words to describe my financial situation: Mas or menos.

My biggest edible indulgence would be: Not a specific food but my weekly takeaway. It is my indulgence because it gives me one evening that I need not work or do domestic work.

In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $0. I don’t drink alcohol (pretty boring, isn’t it?).

In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: $30 for petrol per month for the weekend trips to supermarkets, Bunnings, et cetera. I’m fortunate to be able to walk to office, about 30 minutes one way.

I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $450 for underpants, socks and two backpacks (one for a backpacking trip and one for running). I haven’t bought too many clothes last year as I bought a few a couple of years earlier.

My most expensive clothing in the past year was: Actually, maybe the sock collection? I have a thing about socks that I only like wearing socks of certain lengths from a couple of brands so I bought them in bulk when on specials. Around $200 last year.

My last pair of shoes cost: $180 for a pair of New Balance running shoes that I bought a couple of years ago. I found that their shoes seem to fit my feet more comfortably than the main brands I used to wear.

My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: $765 per annum for haircuts. It is probably a relatively large amount for a man. I like to keep my hair short so I have my hair trimmed every three weeks, and every six weeks my hairdresser helps colour my hair to hide the grey hair. My skin care expenditures are covered as part of grocery mentioned above.

My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $0. I walk in the bush or waterfront as exercises (in addition to walking to office). I am cogitating about joining a tennis and squash club near to my home to play squash. If it materialises, it will be $450 per annum, plus about $350 for mid-range equipment.

My last Friday night cost: $80 for a takeaway while preparing for a pro bono board of trustees meeting the week ahead.

Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: I spent $450 for a computer monitor for WFH use, but then found out that it occupied too much space on my desk so I couldn’t use it effectively.

Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: Do you consider the expenses on gardening and arborists as a “purchase”? I find a native garden with birds and insects quite pleasing. It is a different kind of indulgence.

One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: Emergency savings. I’m tempted to convert savings into my KiwiSaver or investment accounts whenever I see some savings on my normal bank account. I reckon that I need some discipline in building emergency savings.

Five words to describe my financial personality would be: What will future me think?

I grew up in a house where money was: Bare essential. My parents were cleaners, which probably summed up the situation.

The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Last Friday when I paid for a car mechanic but forgot to transfer the money onto the right Eftpos account.

In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: My home was built in 1929. I set a target to pay off the portion of the mortgage (about $98,500) for this house before 2029 at its 100th anniversary.

I would love to have more money for: Planning and trying different options for retirement to see which one will suit me.

Describe your financial low: The share investment I had when I was younger that didn’t do well at all. It wasn’t just the lost values that concerned me, but also the time lost to recover that made me feel sad.

I give money away to: Not-for-profit organisations raising awareness about the protection of birds, insects, animals and plants.