As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an American in New Zealand on a temporary visa explains when and where they spend and save.
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Gender: Female
Age: 27
Ethnicity: White American
Role: Software developer
Salary/income/assets: $75,000 NZD salary, $2,000 NZD checking, $90,000 USD Roth IRA, $5,000 USD checking.
My living location is: Small town
Rent/mortgage per week: $350 for a granny flat sublet with a bit of a mould problem. Moving in with a flatmate to cut my rent to $270 a week. I’m in Wānaka so it’s hard to get much cheaper.
Student loan or other debt payments per week: None
Typical weekly food costs
Groceries: $250
Eating out: $0-$50
Takeaways: $100
Workday lunches: $60
Cafe coffees/snacks: $30
Savings: Not really working on saving right now. I’m on a temporary visa and I expect to be back to earning in USD or CAD when my visa is up.
I worry about money: Sometimes.
Three words to describe my financial situation: Lucky, comfortable, anxious.
My biggest edible indulgence would be: A brie sandwich and a macaron at my local cafe on Saturday mornings.
In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $20-$50. A couple craft beers.
In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: $200 for petrol (I have a long commute on weekdays and drive up to the ski field or to go hiking on the weekend). I bought an inefficient car right before petrol prices soared, and it’s dropped in value enough it’s not worth trying to swap it for a hybrid. $40 for one week’s car insurance.
I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $2,500.
My most expensive clothing in the past year was: A light blue Patagonia raincoat for $300.
My last pair of shoes cost: $280. New Balance road running shoes. I’m running 25km a week and just signed up for the Queenstown Marathon.
My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Haircut quarterly, professional waxing every six weeks, no makeup. Annual cost about $1000 if you include skincare products.
Not grooming and beauty, but because of my visa status I don’t qualify for public healthcare here outside of ACC. I’ve taken out insurance for emergencies but it doesn’t cover some ongoing mild health concerns I have. I pay $200 out of pocket to see a GP every quarter to get a three-month script of a couple medications, and then it’s $400 or so to pay for them at the pharmacy. I also maintain a (for America) cheap healthcare plan in the States for visits and in case I have any serious issues where I’d want support from family. That plan costs me $400 USD a month.
My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $7000. Road running shoes, trail running shoes, sauna, Cardrona saver ski pass, skis, helmet, boots, the occasional ski lesson, aerial circus classes, climbing equipment, the occasional climbing guide, camping gear if that counts, DOC hut fees.
My last Friday night cost: $50. I jogged to a brewery with a friend and got chicken satay and two craft beers.
Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: A Macpac raincoat that was not waterproof, and a deeply discounted Macpac tent that was poorly constructed and also not waterproof.
Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: I paid for flights to visit family for a month this September. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it, but a close relative recently had a medical scare and it really struck home how far away I am from family.
One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: I don’t buy meat to cook at home. I’ll get it sometimes if I eat out, but my home cooking is a lot of pasta and beans.
Five words to describe my financial personality would be… Indulgent, splurge, anxious, athletic, unfocused.
I grew up in a house where money was: Rarely talked about, but there was financial support through uni. I recently found out when my parents were working on their will, that they had a lot more money than I thought they did. I grew up in a very well off county, so as a child I thought we were poor because we didn’t have a vacation house.
The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: I wasn’t able to make a bank transfer when I first started working in NZ because I hadn’t transferred enough over to my kiwi bank account to cover me until my first paycheck hit.
In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Owning a condo in a midsize city in America, with a retirement fund that is a bit behind my peers.
I would love to have more money for: To be able to work four-day weeks and have more time to enjoy the outdoors.
Describe your financial low: Before I lined up my current job I was running out of money and if I didn’t find something in a month or two I would’ve had to sell my car, use the money for plane tickets home, and move back in with my parents.
