As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a writer with ‘no assets aside from a decent sense of humour and a positive attitude’ explains their financial outlook.

Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.

Gender: Male.

Age: 54.

Ethnicity: Pākehā.

Role: Music journalist, currently writing a book. One son, who’s out flatting and is about to finish uni. I live with my partner, who is the primary wage earner in our household.

Salary/income/assets: I personally earn around $5200 a year plus whatever I can sell on Trade Me. I have no assets aside from a decent sense of humour and a positive attitude, which I definitely need nowadays. My partner earns a lot more than I do, but we are not living la vida loca.

My living location is: Urban.

Rent/mortgage per week: $620 weekly for a South Wellington two-bedroom flat. Our landlord is very kind and cares about us as tenants, so our place is cosy and well-maintained. I realise how lucky we are in this regard.

Student loan or other debt payments per week: I have paid off my student loan, and I have no other debts. I also don’t have a credit card, which is a sensible decision for someone like me. I also know I am very lucky to be debt-free.

Typical weekly food costs

Groceries: Around $250-ish a week. We do pay to get our groceries delivered. We don’t own a car, and I have osteoarthritis, so delivery helps with both. I do most of the cooking in our house, so I pay fairly close attention to what we buy.

Eating out: I can’t even remember the last time I ate out. We eat out maybe twice a year?

Takeaways: Oh, yeah – Basin Noodle House is King! Roughly twice a month, we’ll get Uber Eats.

Workday lunches: Leftovers and scraps at home. Always delicious, though.

Cafe coffees/snacks: Almost never. I don’t drink coffee, so I don’t visit cafes very often. I do love a cheap and nasty custard square, though.

Other food costs: We spend a ridiculous amount on soy milk, which is expensive but necessary. On the plus side, we have a bunch of trees in our backyard that provide apples, lemons, peaches, and figs.

Savings: I have an addiction – records – so I do save for those. I pretty much sell records on Trade Me to buy records elsewhere. It’s a closed system that doesn’t impact our household budget. Sometimes I can’t buy anything for months, but I always appreciate how lucky I am to have any discretionary spending at all. I also have a minuscule amount in my KiwiSaver that’d last me about five minutes if I needed it. I worry constantly about my future.

I worry about money: Always.

Three words to describe my financial situation: Broke, anxious, lucky.

My biggest edible indulgence would be: I have a fairly unhealthy relationship with Whittaker’s Fruit & Nut.

In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $0.00. I am a former addict – 25 years clean and sober, cuz – so booze or any other recreational goodies don’t feature in my world. That said, don’t ever step in between me and a lemon-flavoured Lo Bros Not Soda.

In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: I LOVE walking, so my transport fees are very low. I’ve never owned a car, so I’ve used public transport most of my life when needed. If my partner and I desperately need a car, we have hired a Mevo in the past. It’s never really been a problem not owning a car. I probably spend $20 a month on my Snapper card.

I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: I generally buy all the new clothes I need at once, every few years, from the same store. I am not a dedicated follower of fashion. I pretty much base my entire wardrobe off one guy, Ian MacKaye, who will no doubt be familiar to about three readers. Punk rock’s values have ruined my sartorial elegance.

My most expensive clothing in the past year was: Nothing to report, really. Although I did buy two pairs of brightly coloured socks from AS Colour recently, which I love.

My last pair of shoes cost: Listen, we all reach an age where a pair of New Balance 860s enters the frame. I think I got my last pair on special, so maybe $180. Expensive, for sure, but with arthritic knees and ankles, I don’t have much of a choice when it comes to footwear. It has to be sensible rather than stylish nowadays.

My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: $0.00. I trim my own Santa-like beard. Luckily, all my hair fell out years ago, so a quick home trim sorts out the few remaining stragglers. I do buy a fancier-than-average moisturiser because I am covered head to toe in eczema. #sexy

My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $0.00. I walk everywhere and do weights and stretches at home. I have diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis, so exercise is super important for all those conditions. I’m motivated enough to get out the door and exercise daily. This does mean having to buy new trainers more regularly than I’d like.

My last Friday night cost: $0.00 home-cooked meal, watched Taskmaster on the laptop, did the usual New York Times puzzles, and then my dearest and I cuddled on the couch while we read our respective books. Low-cost and pretty much perfect.

Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: Underwear. New underwear is the bane of my existence. Trying to find a pair of undies to fit a 54-year-old man who’s fat but fit is a nightmare. They’re either too tight, too chaffing, too loose, or they only last a month or two with all the walking I do. I regret every single pair of boxers I buy. Please send help.

Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: This is a big one! My partner and I had been saving for 18 years to buy a house, but we gave up on that dream last year after realising it just wasn’t going to happen for us. So we went to Japan for three months instead! We spent a ton of our savings, and it was totally worth it. We’d never travelled farther than Auckland before, and I never thought we’d travel overseas at all, so it was a very big deal for us to spend so much money. Back home now, and broke again, but it was such a privilege to travel so far and experience a different culture for so long.

One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: I mean, everywhere. Our budget is quite tight, but from my lounge window, I can see people sleeping in cars. I have experienced homelessness in the past, and I know I am fortunate to have a roof over my head. I’m not going to complain about not being able to afford an avocado.

Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Formerly reckless, currently penny-pinching.

I grew up in a house where money was: I was raised by my dad, mostly, and we had a lower-middle-class, suburban lifestyle until my early teens, when my dad lost everything in a bitter divorce. He never discussed it with me, which wasn’t good for my long-term financial literacy, but it was obviously a stressful time for Dad, and it affected my life in myriad ways. My dad was able to crawl out of the poverty pit, but he died far too young, financial stress having played a major role.

The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Last week. I didn’t check how much we’d spent on the big shop, and our grocery account was empty when I went to buy some eggs. Not a disaster at all, but it was a reminder of how expensive groceries have become and how it’s probably time to go over the budget again.

In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: In the exact same position. I’ve found it impossible to find work, and I don’t want to go on a benefit again, because I’ve had such appalling experiences with Work and Income in the past. My partner and I live a very low-key life, so while it’s not ideal, it’s fine to live on one wage. I would love to contribute more to our household so we could live much fuller and less stressful lives. As a survivor of abuse and addiction, I’ve tried really hard to find work in the mental health sector. But with the funding drying up – or being paid out to basically a single provider nowadays – it’s proven pointless trying to find a peer support role. I don’t see my financial situation improving at all. I’ll still be renting, which is worrying, given retirement age isn’t too far away.

I would love to have more money for: Everything! I’d love to help my son out more, travel more, and buy every single one of the rare Japanese punk releases I covet. Mainly, though, I’d just like to feel more secure about my future. We don’t currently panic about bills, which is great, but having a little more money to plan further ahead would be lovely, too.

Describe your financial low: I’ve been homeless, unemployed, and desperately poor before, so those times were technically the worst. That said, I’ve also found the week-to-week grind of juggling bills to be extremely stressful and often crushingly depressing. 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.

I give money away to: I donate to the Wellington City Mission and Women’s Refuge. I also donate to people on the street.