As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 40-year-old parent to a one-year-old shares how she spends and saves.
Want to contribute? Email costofbeing@thespinoff.co.nz to receive the form.
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Ethnicity: Pākehā
Role: I’m a senior manager for a large corporate, my partner works in government (also in a management role) and we are parents to a one-year-old.
My living location is: Urban Wellington – we live a 10-minute drive from the central city (technically walkable… time doesn’t always allow for that though).
Rent/mortgage per week: $1,150 per week. We bought our current house as the prices were climbing and now the interest rates are adding significantly to the weekly payments.
Student loan or other debt payments per week: Very lucky to have no debts other than mortgage.
Typical weekly food costs
Groceries: This varies depending on the week. Some weeks we get My Food Bag, purely for the convenience and variance. We get a weekly Wonky Box delivery and then the rest is supermarket. I’d say on average it’s $250-$300 a week. Sometimes more for a big shop.
Eating out: Hardly ever.
Takeaways: Maybe once a week, $40.
Workday lunches: $30 – I work from the office a couple of days a week and despite my good intentions of bringing my lunch, I never do.
Cafe coffees/snacks: $6-$12 (a coffee and a cheese scone a week).
Savings: All up I probably save $1,000 a fortnight. Some of that is for house renovations, some for rainy day fund, some I put into Sharesies. Plus Kiwisaver – does that count as savings?
I worry about money: Sometimes – I’m aware that we are comfortable but I know how much is going in and out of my accounts and keep a close eye on it. I worry about spending on big-ticket items and leaving us with empty accounts.
Three words to describe my financial situation would be: Comfortable, anxious, frivolous.
In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: Included in the groceries but usually a bottle of wine a week (no more than $15).
In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: We have an EV so no petrol costs and the cost to charge the car is minimal. Bus is around $10 a week I guess. We are close enough to a lot of amenities so we can walk a lot.
I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: I try to buy as much as I can secondhand, both from a cost and a sustainability perspective. I probably spent about $1,000 in the past year to accommodate for changing body shape post pregnancy.
My most expensive clothing in the past year was: A leather jacket (secondhand) for $150.
My last pair of shoes cost: I got some secondhand boots from an Instagram reseller for $130.
My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year: I don’t wear much makeup and I only get my eyebrows and hair done so all up around $1,000 a year, including products etc.
My exercise expenditure in a year is about: This is my biggest personal expense and the one I refuse to compromise on. Without it, my mental health would be in the gutter. I spend around $3,700 a year – that includes gym membership $3,400 and shoes, workout gear etc $300. It’s expensive but worth it (for me).
My last Friday night cost: $0. I was in bed by 9pm with a cold.
Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: Plants that have died from neglect (mine).
Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: Our new car.
One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: Clothes.
Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Watchful, haphazard, experiences not things.
I grew up in a house where money was: Tight. My parents worked hard but that doesn’t always equate to money. I was very aware that we didn’t have a lot. It wasn’t much spoken about either, which is a trait I have adopted. Not a very healthy one.
The last time my eftpos card was declined was: A long time ago because I always check before I pay out of pure fear.
In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: I’d like to say more comfortable and sure of my position but I developed my career and financial position a bit later in life so I imagine I’ll still be a bit nervous.
I would love to have more money for: Family things like holidays and adventures.
Describe your financial low: Was given a credit card at university. Maxed it out and only paid it back under threat of debt collectors. I had no concept of how these things worked at all.
I give money away to: Variety Children’s Charity – $50 a month. It’s an incredibly worthy charity and given the tough situations many Kiwi kids are facing, I’m glad to be in the position to support someone who needs a hand up. I try to buy local wherever I can and support small businesses. I also have a Sharesies account for my son which I put money into every once in a while when there’s some spare.
Want to contribute? Send us an email briefly describing your situation at costofbeing@thespinoff.co.nz