As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an events manager explains the ins and outs of their finances.
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Gender: Female
Age: 28
Ethnicity: NZ European
Role: Full-time as a community and events manager, and I have two part-time operations and client management roles. I volunteer on the board of a small charity, and voluntarily run two charitable trusts of my own.
Salary/income/assets: Around $90,000 total. $82,000 of that comes from my full-time role. I recently bought my first home, completely on my own, which was scary but exciting! I now have about $80,000 in savings, $10,000 in Sharesies, and $3,000 in KiwiSaver.
My living location is: Suburban
Rent/mortgage per week: $516 per week. I live alone, so it’s all on me! I moved into my home a few months ago. Before that, I spent four years renting a one-bedroom (it was a converted garage, was TINY, and had no oven or washing machine) at $450 per week. Definitely worth paying the difference to be in my own place!
Student loan or other debt payments per week: None – my student loan wasn’t too bad ($11,000), as a scholarship covered most uni expenses.
Typical weekly food costs
Groceries: I try (though don’t always succeed) to keep it under $130 per week. Buying and cooking for one is expensive – even after four years I haven’t found the balance of buying in bulk (cheaper but then I waste food!) or buying at a smaller quantity (which costs more!). I freeze a lot of food, which helps, but I’m trying to get better at planning my meals. I get my groceries delivered.
Eating out: I don’t eat out.
Takeaways: Maybe $10-$20 a month. I’ll occasionally order an $8.50 combo from Burger King via Uber Eats when I’ve had a long day and want to treat myself (though most of the time I cash out an Uber Eats voucher from Valued Opinions to cover that). My parents come over for dinner every week – most of the time I cook, but every now and then, I order us in a couple of pizzas.
Workday lunches: I work from home, so just grab some scrolls or bagels as part of my regular shop.
Cafe coffees/snacks: I don’t visit cafes.
Other food costs: Every now and then, I’ll order a Hello Fresh box – when they have a 40% discount available, it works out about the same cost as my regular shop, and I find it a great way to experiment with new meals and have a bit more fun in the kitchen.
Savings: Around $80,000 in my savings account. Buying my first home has been my main financial goal since I first started working at 15. I’ve found my relationship with saving has changed a little now that I’ve achieved that – where I would previously hold back on spending for the sake of that goal, I’m a little more inclined to treat myself and use my money for things I can enjoy right now! Having said that, I would also love to buy a second property and turn it into an Airbnb – a really funky one, though, with themed rooms and cool features so it can be a unique, fun experience for guests. I think that’ll be my next goal! I’d like to travel one day too (unlike most 20-somethings, I haven’t left the country since 2015, when I won a trip to Australia), but that isn’t on the cards right now for health reasons.
I worry about money: Always.
Three words to describe my financial situation: Stingy, conservative, figuring-it-out-as-I-go.
My biggest edible indulgence would be: I always have a couple of waffles in the pantry to enjoy on special occasions, I keep my fridge stocked with some Macs sodas for guests to have whenever they visit, and I make pancakes every Sunday morning. So nothing super indulgent – but a couple of little luxuries that I get a lot of enjoyment out of!
In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $0 – I don’t drink, and never have.
In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: $0 – I work from home, and don’t have a car currently.
I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: Ooh, more than $500, to be honest! I don’t normally spend anywhere close to that – but after a couple of years of feeling really uninspired by my wardrobe, I finally figured out my personal style and feel good in what I wear! I shop online, which I do find to be a bit pricey, as you just have to add to cart and hope it’ll fit/suit your body. I’m pretty bad at remembering to return items that don’t, so have taken a bit of a hit there …
My most expensive clothing in the past year was: $100 on a pair of jeans! I have never, ever spent that much on a single item of clothing. I’m a short gal, so finding jeans that fit is an absolute mission – but these are a petite fit (shout out to the Zoey jeans from Flo and Frankie) and have been worth every single dollar. I love how I feel in them!
My last pair of shoes cost: $50 on a pair of brown trainers from Zara. I bought them during their end-of-year sale last year, and wear them every day when I go for a walk. Prior to that, a $7 pair of black boots from Kmart – an absolute steal!
My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Just shampoo and conditioner, plus some basic skincare product refills as I need them, to be honest. This isn’t too much of a priority for me at the moment.
My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $0 – is that bad? I just go for a walk every day with my dog.
My last Friday night cost: I can’t think of the last time I went out for a Friday night. I fear I’m really starting to sound boring now, but I will always choose a cosy night in with a good book or movie – which is exactly what I did last Friday, so $0.
Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: I paid $300 to join an online networking group for women in the name of personal and professional development. I went to one online session and never made it a priority after that – I’m disappointed in myself for that, to be honest! I’d like to join again but don’t want to waste the money until I know I’ll commit.
Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: I paid almost $500 to work with a career coach. I’ve been really unhappy in my career for a long time and it’s destroying my mental health, so I decided to work with a professional for some fresh ideas on how I might pull off a career pivot. I haven’t actually managed to do that yet, but I’m trusting (manifesting?!) that it’ll all work out so I can feel a bit happier day-by-day.
One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: Literally everywhere! I’m so conscious of my spending – I spend at least 10 minutes before making any purchase Googling to find discount codes (which rarely works, by the way!).
Five words to describe my financial personality would be… Independent, considered, conservative, frugal, mindful.
I grew up in a house where money was: Not something we really talked about. I was aware that money was tight in our household, but my parents always (very kindly!) did what it took to make sure our house was welcome and open for others. When I had birthday parties or friends over, for example, there was never any extravagance, but they’d create fun activities for us, or pull together our favourite food. Similarly, we never went on big holidays, but went camping most years so we had some fun experiences to enjoy together as a family. Plus, my mum’s an incredible bargain hunter, so I picked that skill up from her pretty quick!
The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Last week, lol.
In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: I’d mainly like to have a higher base income! But with fewer hours (please!!) – I’m pretty exhausted from working 50-60 hours every week. I’d love to have some time back to myself but without the financial hit.
I would love to have more money for: So I can loosen my grip on my stingyness, mainly, and feel a bit more at-ease! I’m nervous about how quickly things could fall apart should something go wrong and I find myself, for example, out of work, given that I have no partner or anyone to support me.
I give money away to: I give away my time more so than my money.
