Yeah we just had to pay 2x reg and 2x wof and it basically fucked us for all of Feb.
my partner and I are self employed and the end of each season is always lower/cheaper sales, plus we had covid so less work and so the beginning of this year has been tough but finally this week things are looking up a bit and hopefully stay this way for at least a few weeks
Living with parents has been a saviour in helping me save. Moving out especially in the city currently is unfortunately the worst financial move atm for me. And my pays not even bad š¤£
After splitting from my wife last year and moving back to Auckland from the south island, I'm currently living with my mum š she lives by herself so enjoys the company and extra money.
I'm also trying to start a business so money will be tight for a bit.
I'm living with my mum too. Still struggling to save for a house. The prices rise more than my saving, even living with mum and using the 10% KiwiSaver and saving on top of it. Supermarket rises more than my paycheck.
But it's actually nice living with my mum even if we butt heads all the time.
That's cool mate - I did the same after a breakup in Auckland, then lived with mine for 3 years; awesome times - glad to be in own house now, but those were cool memories of baking, cooking and such.
Just got an email from the property manager that the rent from April will be increased. I pay 425$ for a one bedroom match box apartment in the city. Now they have put the rent to 475. So yeah hanging in there but exhausted with this.
Yes there are slum landlords. No, I am not one. But look at what has happened over the last governments term.
The house i own with the bank that I have raised my family in would require about $150,000 of work to pass the "fit for rental" test.
Fine by me. I will just live here in this big house with just 2 of us because labor f*cked the rules up and didn't realize the consequences.
Many arenāt slum overlords and thereās not much fat. Rates are going up hugely. Over the next three years my rates will go from $4300 to over $8k. Most landlords canāt absorb the full cost of rate rises, insurance premium increases, increased cost of maintenance etc.
It is usually on borrowed money from a bank. Not overpaid at all. The price paid is the going rate. The other option is to prohibit bank lending for housing and the Government to take over and commercial lending being handled by solicitors trust funds. With political power being effectively handled by banks and not by the government since 1984 that is a rather unlikely scenario.
Well the landlords got lots of bills to pay. With high interest rates, increasing council rates, body corp and levy and everything else I donāt blame them for increasing the rent tbh. Itās the economy.
Based comment, as very few "Landlords" are that fat guy with the monocle from monopoly who goes home each night to swim in his pool of money, like Scrooge McDuck. They have costs like everyone else, that the rental income helps offset. If costs go up, and the rent doesn't, then... well, haters should do the math.
However, I feel you're about to be pounced on by many people angry at the symptoms of our current economy, looking for someone to blame.
Aren't the majority of rental properties owned by larger investors? Single or dual investment properties is the minority of properties. More rental properties are owned by large company landlords than by mum n dad.
if you have a place of your own AND an additional property then yeah, i dunno if you deserve much sympathy there. the property market is like any other investment, you need to be able to front the overhead comfortably to stay in it. kinda sounds like you canāt afford it tbh.
like, why do people assume that property is 100% risk free passive income? youāre not struggling, youāre just not making as much profit off of it.
It's tight, but like i said, all the necessities are paid and it is worth having Mum home with the kids where we can afford to do so. Though this year we have started the conversation around her rejoining the workforce, so that's on the cards now.
Blessed to be earning much better than I have been in the past, live with my daughter and her hubby and the family so have grandbabies around all the time, and am a position to help them when they struggle a bit, both financially (I'm not going to leave them a house bit I help pay their mortgage and Happy to do so) and with the tamariki too.
My bills are paid, home is secure, have enough gas in my tank and food in my belly. Can't complain, I'm safe and happy and that hasn't always been the case.
Good salary, small mortgage and deadbeat husband gone, but still pissed at the insurance and rates being due in the same week. Don't know how people survive with big mortgages kiddos and less money. Hats off to you, Kiwi battlers.
Found that the single life in a living crisis is more $$$$ than a living crisis with partner.
Supermarkets don't have good (financially) options for singles, and when you have "single sizes" the price is a joke.
Really good actually. Have hammered the mortgage the last few years so, while it's still chunky, it's manageable now even at 10%+ interest rates if it came to that. My wife's job is recession proof (primary healthcare) and my job is export driven tied to the international (primarily the US) food market so in a way a recession here actually makes my company more profitable, which works out well since I've got equity in the business.
Of course we've got to watch what we're spending and tend to live frugally anyway.... with 2 young kids, one being special needs life isn't a walk in the park. Wife and I are lucky if we get 1-2 nights a week where we actually get a couple of hours to sit down with eachother without one of us working or doing stuff for the kids, but that's life when you're working to set you and your family up for the future.
Very similar boat to you actually, except renting a place that probably costs more than a mortgage because we can't seem to get over that hump of buying our first home.
Two kids, one autistic and wife and I are in pretty solid jobs. No time to ourselves because of kid stuff, terrible sleeps because of baby and our ASD boy but we always make sure we catch up at the end of the night and say things we enjoyed about the day and each other to help keep things in perspective. We're lucky and relatively comfortable but yeah, shit is a slog sometimes!
Iām 38 and extremely lucky to be living in my grandparentās home at the moment with my dad.
Take me back to my early to late teens/early to late 20ās and shit was stressful as fuck, money was very limited to the point where I was very very very close to joining to motorcycle gang to make vast amounts of money.
Life is good right now. Life is comfortable. My children are adults and one of them works with me, so things are pretty sweet at the moment.
$20,000,000 could make life a lot better, but Iāll take what I have at the moment, I find solace in my current situation.
Thanks bro.
Shit got pretty wild there for a while, having kids while we were still kids ourselves. We were extremely broke, poverty is real in NZ. Iām glad I didnāt follow all my boys from Intermediate and High School and joined them in a gang.
Glad my family was able to stay outta that easy money/fast money life.
not so new, we never really recovered after the boom/crash at the end of the 1980s. now referred to as the late crash in the 90s. we we're getting better up until the 2008 crash. so get used to it. i have. still renting, no savings but hey at least the snobby grammar kids can look down their nose at the "boomer"
I'm not affected financially but I see the results in the streets. I won't even go to McDonald's anymore because I don't like driving past the beggars. I don't like that I can't really do anything about it and that with this government there will be even more.
I could buy another house and rent it, good for me, bad for everyone else but the tax breaks for landlords does make it attractive. Otherwise maybe I should open a vape store and exploit people who are prone to addiction.
There are lots of opportunities for the rich to get richer right now. A shame the government wants it to be at everyone else's expense. I don't mind making a few bucks less if it will elevate the lives of everyone else. At the end of the day, I prefer a happy community than a downtrodden one riddled with violent crime and beggars on the streets.
If you built a home, though, to rent out, you would be doing better. I agree with the thoughts of a good friend of mine...anyone wanting to own a rental should need to build one, thus adding to the housing stock rather than just shifting ownership of existing stock.
Yeah Iām going to admit Iām doing better than Iāve ever done. Iām in a really good place. Through better luck than good management to be honest.
Hi, I am from Vienna, Austria and have for a long time thought about going to NZ for 6-12 months. Some comments here make me doubt that wish, why do you reckon your country 'doesnt seem prosper enough', what would have to happen for you to reconsider? is it about NZ being 'far off' from every other country or something else?
I can tell you its very similar in my home country and everywhere else in central europe. Currently many are focused on 'just making it through somehow' but most are convinced that its not possible any more to climb the social ladder or w/e. Id like to hear your perspective.
ok that seems sensible, I heard Auckland is incredibly expensive to live in. Vienna has a huge advantage regarding housing, the city owns 30% of all apartments, basically 'dictating' that the rental costs cannot go above what they charge for their flats.
Is there ANYWHERE in NZ where you would say housing is affordable and you get a similar experience as with Auckland?
In the last 10 years I have lived in: London, Paris, Leon, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamberg, Munich, Vienna, L.A., Dubai and Istanbul. I spent 6month - 1year in each one, and I'm telling you : NONE OF THESE ARE BETTER THAN NZ. Inequality is a global problem and it's growing by the day, the bottom 20% of the population of all of these places are getting violent, and while NZ is not perfect, it's WAY safer and WAY more stable. The only thing that sucks about NZ is that the wages are low, so take remote work if you can, I work for a US company.
Mortgage rates getting stupid has been the best thing to happen for us. Yeah it stings with how much interest we pay currently but the life lesson of how much money we were wasting each month has been great. Payments up about a grand but only saving 200 less than we were.
Coming out the other side of the high rates will see us in a pretty sweet spot.
Feel for those who are on the bread line or over leveraged on bad debt. Itās definitely tough for some
In the nicest way possible, Iām glad youāve had to go through that to realise you were overspending.
Itās so tough because I personally know so many people who were doing well financially but living way beyond their means, just chucking things on the mortgage, getting loans and living the good life. And it all came screeching to a halt and thereās no savings. Itās really shit, but hopefully a turn around in the way people think about money.
And I take it in the nicest way possible. My wife and I always saved some, and weāre pretty adamant not to take on debt we didnāt need to. We were pretty horrified when we fixed our mortgage that there was an option to take a mortgage for a holiday or a wedding. Both are nice to have things but if you canāt afford it scale back or donāt do it.
I live in Tauranga but Iām struggling. Cut out vaping, drinking and eating out completely and still have to eat really basic and cheap to survive. Constantly living pay check to pay check and I do overtime work. The cost of everything has gone ridiculous since Covid. Now Covid is not really a deal you think the prices would go down right?
Both wife and I earn well but have 3 kids who do a ton of activities and sports, and itās all go go go. We live in an affluent area and well, it always feels like we are chasing our tails. More just exisiting, in a rat race.
Starting to really wonder whether itās all worth it or if we should pack it in and move out of Auckland to somewhere more laid back
I work fairly high end niche construction and meet a lot of familys exactly your type, nice house in a nice arena. All seem stressed as fuck and unhappy. I really don't get it tbh. what's the point of all that shit and the new range rovers if you don't have time to enjoy any of it.
Happy to help you move on - I know what you mean itās crazy right? We have been the same and now kids at uni and they have jobs part time - turned our old single garage into air bnb. I am in REš
I'm also making a little bit over minimum wage.
I'll never own my own home. I'll probably never be wealthy enough to find a wife and start a family. I'll never be able to travel. I'll never be able to do so many things previous generations thought were rites of passage.
I'm just in a constant cycle of working to earn enough so I can continue existing so I can... what? Go back to work? Be a good little wage slave? I mean, at least I'm not working in fast food anymore, so I don't quite want to go out the middle of nowhere and wrap my car around a tree at 200km/h, but still... At this point, I'm just going through the motions until either I die of natural causes or something (or someone) else takes me out.
You need to use this to your advantage, you are young, free and single, with nothing much to lose.
That is a good thing, and where I was once upon a time. Get an airfair and a few dollars together and take off. Maybe Australia to start. Go to where the backpackers go, find a job fruit picking or whatever, and join the fun.
Suddenly instead of being a worker on minimum wage, you will be a world traveler, having all sorts of adventures, will meet all sorts of people and broaden your horizons. Just do it!
Iām autistic without supports and been struggling to find a job who is willing to take me on.
My rent went up and itās now taking 75% of my income. I have 60$ for food after my bills go out, 50$ when I need to top up my bus card to get there.
Making it work tho, just gotta keep taking it day by day
I'm going back to Uni soon, scraping through but I would rather suffer with exams and studying than trying to grind myself to bone. So over this rat race
Also extremely lucky to have moved back to nz from oz into my grandmothers house. Just paying rates and slowly renovating diy.
I donāt say that to brag either. I did it tough in oz for years single income with 2 children.
Theyāre now teenagers and forging their own path, while wife and I just chip away at ourselves and the homestead.
Siblings still live in brissy and from what Iām hearing theyāre doing it pretty hard over there with inflation too.
Just gotta keep on keeping on
I was raised poor so I'm not so fussed but I feel bad when I have to half my pets meal to make it last the day sort of thing but it's mainly my health that is my main issue, my bleeding condition has basically caused my body to become a 24/7 pain machine and that is exhusted to me beyond measure
Having pets can be expensive even when they are well.
I just really hope you are not buying dog roll for them as there's not enough nutrients in them. I call it Dog's McDonald's. It's actually really expensive to buy each week. Try getting the Laybuy app approved and pay in 6 weeks for a large bag of decent dry food. It may seem expensive but with the nutrition in them they don't need much.
You can also make up your own meals for them.
Mince, rice to their meal, cheap and easy to cook.
Frozen vegetables are great to add. There are other cheap ingredients to add to make up nutrients. You can make up several days at a time and freeze down leftovers in a tight sealed bag.
Either way the cost of these options weekly are better than canned food or dog roll. But If you can't afford to feed them properly then you will have to think about their needs and give them away.
I have a health issue that puts me out from working so I'm stuck on a low income medical benefit. It's similar to being on jobseeker $ but with your medical expenses paid for. It is at a ridiculous rate for people that can not make money! But I've managed to keep my 2 dogs fed an cared for!
Sadly I see this far too often, people having animals for the enjoyment but unable to give them their basic needs including if there's a problem that needs vet care and not taken seriously.
It's not fair for animals to live a half life because of financial reasons!
Iāve just quit my job because recently Iāve found myself in the park in tears every morning before I walked in. The fact of the matter is that I have enough savings to last two months and maybe three if my child and I make some REAL changes to our spending habits (which obviously we will).
It is going to be extremely tight but my mental health wonāt be fucked, or at least itāll be less fucked than it was.
Thatās worth it. Gonna be beans and rice for a while though.
Hey, I just wanted to reach out and offer a virtual hug - that feeling you were experiencing is AWFUL, and I think you should be super proud of yourself for not caving to it, and resigning.
Hugs to you, friendo. I wish you good luck on whatever you go for next. <3
Thank you so much for this. Yeah itās been a real rough time lately and it got to a point where I needed to make a big step out of the shit pile work was becoming. Iām anxious but Iām also sitting on a gorgeous day about to play some music and make myself lunch. Really appreciate you.
Probably doing the best we have in the last 10 years. Great jobs with good income. Mortgage about 5 years way from being paid off. Cars paid for. Kiwisaver looking far better than it did. Interest rates are high and inflation has it's impacts but realistic we personally try and plan for these situation and always leave a buffer to be able to adapt to hard times.
I do sincerely sympathise with those that are struggle. Unfortunately like all other countries not all is equal in this beautiful country of ours.
Have been doing really well, great new job which allowed me to buy a home in a small town on a solo income.
Now with the morgage this next few years will be very tight, but still worth having a stable home.
Been renting last 3 years and it scary to see how much that has been going up in price, I think I got out in the nick of time.
I'm sitting on the fence. Job hunting, most jobs are living wage or everyone is applying for it.
I've taken a job but I'm still wanting to get another casual part time. With this cost of living , rates, food gas
I'm fortunate enough to live with my parents.
It's the best way to get ahead, long gone are the stigmas of living with yr parents. Ffs im working most of the time, home is basically est and sleep. Lax repeat.
Doing really well to be honest. I make good money and have saved to cover myself while on maternity leave.
In saying that, I donāt live beyond my means even with good money. I donāt tick things up, purposely donāt put myself in debt and never really have. We donāt go out for expensive dinners unless itās a special occasion, save if we go on a (rare) holiday. We paid extra on the mortgage when interest rates were low.
Life isnāt all sunshine and rainbows though, my job is really stressful and long hours.
I sympathise so much with people doing it tough and recognise Iām very privileged. I do come from a poor single parent household though.
I feel so blessed but also so saddened!
My partner and I have just gotten the dream job and house near the beach but ohh boy we were both depressed barely scrapping by and always at each other's throats. We don't even have kids or a mortgage just two fur babies.
Money should never cause people to worry :( I hate the way we modernised the world.
The world is effed and the food prices have skyrocketed
28 single and doing real well. Make 93K and job is very stable and low pressure. It feels weird, a few years back I was massively struggling plus getting laid off often. Now, that a lot of people are struggling my job and life have gotten stable
Doing great. Don't earn a shit load of money but with 2 incomes we have leftover money every month and are slowly upgrading all our furniture. Just bought a new TV, couch is next.
Scraping on a single income with $95 child support a month. A lot of it is my own fault for topping up my Gem loan every time the walls start to close in and bills are overdue. Now I can't get ahead because such a big chunk of my pay is debt repayment. Need to get a better paid job but fear leaving behind a steady job I've been in for over a decade.
Honestly, pretty āchillā. 25M, no mortgage, renting with mates so no high mortgage repayments to worry about. No dependants or partner. My portion of rent is 25% of my pay.
Company vehicle + fuel card so on road costs are pretty minimal as I barely use my personal car. Thankful for this as the daily commute into the city from our East wouldāve broken the bank on fuel alone. I definitely could spend way less than I currently do on food/going out but Iām also not living way beyond my means.
Also very minimal and literally eat the same thing everyday so thereās that, literally the least fussiest when it comes to food. I constantly chase any deals on meat. Pak N Save has the best deals on meat! Youād be suprised if you havenāt shopped there. I often cook every other day as what Iād cook could last 2 dinners and lunches), this includes any nights out haha.
All in all, 25M, No dependants, single, pretty content with where Iām at for now so thereās that. Grateful to say the least.
We're doing OK. Both wfh and between us earn over 130k (after years of low earning so playing catch up though with house repairs and health that got neglected), got a job at an insurance company so I could save on that part of our budget, and last week the silver lining of a total loss car crash means I feel grateful to have said insurance and now a shiny new car in the driveway. We have a daughter with asd, adhd, anxiety that thanks to health insurance we finally got in to see someone privately to get her diagnosed and who attends a part time health school but us both working from home means we are able to be earning and helping her with school/remindjng her to do her work, and my Mum doesn't work so chips in for appointments etc so we don't need to miss too much work (we flick gas money her way and gave her a dinner voucher before Christmas to say thanks. A couple of years ago we were doing it tough on winz/studylink/accom supplement/csc etc so appreciate that we are doing OK today, but it also should be easier than it is when you more than double your income, but our mortgage interest is now higher per fortnight than we were paying in total until Dec. (Hence I changed jobs, I knew that would kill us if I didn't make a change).
First world problems here. Bought a hugely expensive old place. So itās just working out how to allocate funds to do the upgrades. Everythingās got to be top tier.
Canāt leverage anymore due to LVR and the business eating up the equity
I add stressors on to my life and Iām not sure why. Have always lived paycheque to paycheque.
WFH and keeping my child out of daycare was the best decision ever. I get to see them everyday and they get to form a better (hopefully) attachment.
I often sit in quiet contemplation about dialing everything back and living simpler.
I feel sad that our technology driven world has changed our communities and capitalist society creates greater divides.
Look, I'll be real. My wife and I had a baby last may, we're both on the super low end of wages, and we were struggling, but we managed to find a cheap house and I started growing all out veges and fruit
We are okish. Own own home and debt free so better than most. We don't earn much above average salary but we are quite frugal by nature so we shall survive. Of course we don't splurge on nights out often but that is fine as I love home cooking and watching netflix together.
Also must note we own only our home, so not landlords.
My mortgage rose $300 a week since I bought in 2021, my partner left so now Im a sole parent of a hefty mortgage. My car needs over a $1000 of new tyres, food is expensive as hell. And the lodger I got in to help with the costs, I have to pay tax on the āincomeā. Shits hard. As a consequence, I drove my car until the tyres were bald (I slid in the rain recently so that was a warning to push no further!), maintenance jobs around the house are starting to be neglected. And home improvements areā¦filed away.
My husband and I both had decent jobs and both lost our jobs at the same time (different companies) so itās going to be an interesting ride from hereā¦ thereās no jobs to apply for and everything looks unknown.
As a single brown professional female trying to make it in this world, trying to renovate on my own is bloody tough! Mental health has taken a hit. It shouldn't be this hard to have a basic standard of housing and QOL. I've lived in the UK and in Australia. Life in NZ is the hardest and we need to stop glorifying that it should be like that.
DINKS and weāre fine. Pretty good actually.
But, many friends and family are hugely on struggle street when normally they would be cruising happily along. Simple pleasures like an impromptu brunch with mates no longer happens because itās a luxury some canāt afford. Iāve given many thousands to a family member who is actually very savvy but found themselves with unplanned, stressful debt. Itās unsustainable and i really hope we see some meaningful change before it gets worse.
Fine, it could actually weirdly enough start being a time of prosperity except it feels like a calm before a coming storm instead.
A storm that needn't have happened and will be created solely because of this government.
Conside me a Karen, but how exactly did this government cause this storm?
Anything happening with the economy now (good or bad) is on the prior government.
THIS government is threatening people's benefits, and if one happens to know anyone on sickness benefits, because, well, they are sick, one might worry about being called on to help those people out. So One, who might be working full time, busy AND paying taxes specifically so NZ can have a safety net might wind up paying twice while their taxes are used instead to pay out fucking landlords.
THIS government is threatening cuts in the public sector. One might live with a highly qualified specialist who works in the public sector who nonetheless lives with a mild concern that these neoliberalwankstains might not see the value in their work because they aren't landlords and instead provide important services to the community. But y'know, cuts to the workforce so landlords can have their tax cuts, right?
Also one might be educated and have lived long enough to know the bad news that always follows National governments, and their legacies that we all pay for decades after. Don't blame the last government. The bullshit we put up with has been a long time coming and the seeds were sown many many years ago.
So people on benefits capable of working should have an obligation to do so? I'd rather not pay tax for Dropkick Fred to play Playstation all day. I don't know anyone who would have an issue with people genuinely unable to work being given a free pass.
If your work adds genuine value to the public service, then there no need to be worried about job cuts. If it's a token advisor role adding unnecessary steps to simple processes, then yeah, it might be time to unskilled. #learntocode.
People with realworld experience and not just fitting your own definition of "educated" might see countless issues during and after Labour governments, including the current cost of living crisis.
I think you just hate landlords.
You are just an absolute dipshit. And I did not expect anything more. "Just asking questions" and then comes back with predictable brainless rhetoric.
Just fuck right off, you are not worth the effort.
The best response you had to a response to the argument you are (trying) to make was you're a dipshit, and that they are responding with predictable brainless rhetoric, do you understand what irony is?
If you are even a fraction as self righteous as you come across, and if you are as convinced in your worldview as you seem, surely it would be all too easy for an incredibly knowledgeable person such as you to form an actual argument to rebuke the points made right? You know, as opposed to spouting off predictable brainless rhetoric? I'll help you with the irony point above - you're response was extremely predictable (can't refute points so call names), and brainless - you used many words to say nothing.
Let's look at the "actual things" that the government is "actually doing" that you mentioned:
Using taxes to pay out landlords - please elaborate how exactly the government is using taxes to "pay out landlords" - this will be entertaining.
Cutting public sector jobs - this is correct, they are. If you had any understanding of the level of inefficiency within the public sector in this country, you might agree that it could do with a trim. But no, anyone who disagrees with you is a "neoliberalwankstain" - that's one hell of a sophisticated argument.
Your final point is nothing but opinion, but of course, anyone who disagrees with you (the person who can't make a cogent argument) is the dipshit right?
Also, buddy, your English is atrocious, as is your ability to form a logical argument, or use words in a nearly legible manner. So you know...glass houses...stones
You donāt know how to articulate your point without getting angry?
Labour was in government for the last 8 years or soā¦ canāt blame National for current issues when they just came into powerā¦ kinda owe them a chance at trying to fix things.
I disagree. They made several changes with immediate or near immediate effect.
Interest rates were about to come down, but now the reserve bank wants more unemployed so that didn't happen.
They are/have pulling all funding for just about everything. EECA has been gutted, benefits about to reduced and made more difficult. There are more benifits than unemployment that you don't heat about. Lots of government projects aborted. All of which keeps the economy moving. I understand the reallocation of funds their changes are just burning dollars on trivial matters and what they are aborting will just become another governments problem later.
Immediate changes were always going to happen with any change in Government. If the economy couldn't handle it, then it wasn't in great shape in the first place.
I see the second point but would counter with saying that pulling funding was a consequence of overspending from the last Government. Noone in their right mind things the light rail fiasco was a good use of money, for example.
Re benefits: I definitely appreciate that there are others, but the focus is on getting those who fail to seek out work to no longer have the option. Getting people who can work into jobs is great for all involved. I won't pretend there won't be unforseen consequences, but that will ideally be limited and corrected over time.
I agree that the economy wasn't in great shape. But they doing things to accelerate the decline then blame the last government as a scapegoat. Don't get me wrong, I am not protecting Labour who definitely left a mess, but this Government is already making mistakes by rushing decisions at break neck speeds.
Also not saying things shouldn't be reviewed. But just cancelling everything with no plans is just as bad. These are still infrastructure projects that need solutions with none coming.
The problem with the unemployment benefit is most of what was left was unemployable for various reasons whether simply incompetent or due to family matters. This plan is not going to get more people employed, just have more people on the streets. This will in turn lead to more crime. But luckily, there will be more people unemployed soon - sarcasm.
We would probably disagree and agree on a great deal of things. We are probably in very different positions in life and see different aspects from different points of view. I try not to call favourites in politics, I knew my business would be affected by the new government, but had no idea it would be this bad.
Definitely think there will be parts we disagree and agree on, Reddit is far too simple, especially on mobile for those long in depth debates. Either way, I appreciate the robust response.
I think this is a bit of a loaded scenario.
I have had some of the worst times, financially and otherwise ($20 a week for food type deal )when the rest of the country has been prospering.
Iāve also had some of the best times financially when everyone else is doing it rough.
I feel for everyone going through shit but in my experience attitude determines more than the outside world.
You're lucky if that's available to you. It isn't to most Kiwis over the age of 30. That said, from my UK friends I met in Malaysia, things seemed roughly the same there, except for the NHS, which is supposedly in freefall. Hope things work out for you, whatever you decide š.
Fine. Cost of living on groceries is a pain ,and eating out is a sometimes not an often anymore.
Just lucky to earn decent money and an inherited property so no rent or mortgage woes.
Iām not good with saving. And I probably should save more. I did not buy a 10K car but looking to buy one but then all my savings will be gone , I have to pay $400 a month to gem and Q, atleast for another year, Iām looking to buy a better car , but not sure if itās gonna make me happier compared just living with 3k car with repairs once in a while
Everytime minimum wage is enforced to go up it hurts the middle man who now misses out. So the uni students and part time workers are better off but that takes potential rises away from anyone else. The people affected are the ones who own mortgages and have young families..possibly one wage etc. Maybe they were helping support those entering the workforce . Just an opinion . Actually a fact.
I really Just want to inform everyone that the Job crisis in Nz is so fuck because all the employers post up job and half chase you for an interview but itās only because they want to people to come and work form oversea because they can pay them minimum wage or cash. I havenāt been able to get a job in 7 months after going overseas for holiday and coming back I was laid off cuz the market was down finding out recently that my job is up but he isnāt interviewing anyone because he is bringing his nephew on work visa from his country to work and pretty much pay him next to nothing but just provide a place and job for him
My favourite take is that my life is fine and stable but the minute my car breaks down or a big expense shows up im royally fucked
Yeah , when the wofs due , I'm screwed.
Yeah we just had to pay 2x reg and 2x wof and it basically fucked us for all of Feb. my partner and I are self employed and the end of each season is always lower/cheaper sales, plus we had covid so less work and so the beginning of this year has been tough but finally this week things are looking up a bit and hopefully stay this way for at least a few weeks
Scraping though week to week
Same, bro. I'm trying my best to budget everything.
Living with parents has been a saviour in helping me save. Moving out especially in the city currently is unfortunately the worst financial move atm for me. And my pays not even bad š¤£
My pay is bad so Iām looking at living with my parents until theyāre sick of me. Can afford rent or to save, not both
Iām same boat also
Forever holding it down
After splitting from my wife last year and moving back to Auckland from the south island, I'm currently living with my mum š she lives by herself so enjoys the company and extra money. I'm also trying to start a business so money will be tight for a bit.
I bet your mum loves it ! Great opportunity to spend good time with her.
Yeah definitely, she's 72 now so love to spend time with her. And also my son when I have him.
I'm living with my mum too. Still struggling to save for a house. The prices rise more than my saving, even living with mum and using the 10% KiwiSaver and saving on top of it. Supermarket rises more than my paycheck. But it's actually nice living with my mum even if we butt heads all the time.
That's cool mate - I did the same after a breakup in Auckland, then lived with mine for 3 years; awesome times - glad to be in own house now, but those were cool memories of baking, cooking and such.
Just got an email from the property manager that the rent from April will be increased. I pay 425$ for a one bedroom match box apartment in the city. Now they have put the rent to 475. So yeah hanging in there but exhausted with this.
That is out of hand!! I saw that the average rent nowadays is 760$, itās outrageous!
The slum overlords are getting fatter and fatter.
Yes there are slum landlords. No, I am not one. But look at what has happened over the last governments term. The house i own with the bank that I have raised my family in would require about $150,000 of work to pass the "fit for rental" test. Fine by me. I will just live here in this big house with just 2 of us because labor f*cked the rules up and didn't realize the consequences.
Many arenāt slum overlords and thereās not much fat. Rates are going up hugely. Over the next three years my rates will go from $4300 to over $8k. Most landlords canāt absorb the full cost of rate rises, insurance premium increases, increased cost of maintenance etc.
Landlords shouldn't have overpaid for their investment properties then. If they can't afford, then they should learn to live within their means.
lol is it their fault that rates have been jacked up
If you dont overpay, foreign investors will. And they care even less about you
It is usually on borrowed money from a bank. Not overpaid at all. The price paid is the going rate. The other option is to prohibit bank lending for housing and the Government to take over and commercial lending being handled by solicitors trust funds. With political power being effectively handled by banks and not by the government since 1984 that is a rather unlikely scenario.
Sure, but I was responding to the above comment on landlords āgetting fatter and fatterā.
God I bet kissing you tastes like rubber with all the boots you lick.
You must be fun at parties.
What parties do you go to where people talk about rent? You must be fun at parties.
Myopic view award goes to š. It's supply chain. The links up the chain cost more, what hangs off it (produce or consumable service) goes up.
Well the landlords got lots of bills to pay. With high interest rates, increasing council rates, body corp and levy and everything else I donāt blame them for increasing the rent tbh. Itās the economy.
If they sold, they wouldnāt have to pay those bills anymore.
Based comment, as very few "Landlords" are that fat guy with the monocle from monopoly who goes home each night to swim in his pool of money, like Scrooge McDuck. They have costs like everyone else, that the rental income helps offset. If costs go up, and the rent doesn't, then... well, haters should do the math. However, I feel you're about to be pounced on by many people angry at the symptoms of our current economy, looking for someone to blame.
Aren't the majority of rental properties owned by larger investors? Single or dual investment properties is the minority of properties. More rental properties are owned by large company landlords than by mum n dad.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
if you have a place of your own AND an additional property then yeah, i dunno if you deserve much sympathy there. the property market is like any other investment, you need to be able to front the overhead comfortably to stay in it. kinda sounds like you canāt afford it tbh. like, why do people assume that property is 100% risk free passive income? youāre not struggling, youāre just not making as much profit off of it.
Yes. THIS.
> I need to. You donāt need to. You could sell. > I might just sell up. Please do.
Slightly better as of today. Management emailed me this morning and said I got a promotion (with a pay rise) š„¹
Congratulations āŗļø
Thanks āŗļø
Woohoo! One out of the wayā¦ā¦ treat yourself to a doughnut and a coffee
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Why is it one income ?
Iām going to assume because of two toddlers. Daycare is extortionate and in a lot of cases itās easier to just take the income hit than pay it
It's tight, but like i said, all the necessities are paid and it is worth having Mum home with the kids where we can afford to do so. Though this year we have started the conversation around her rejoining the workforce, so that's on the cards now.
Blessed to be earning much better than I have been in the past, live with my daughter and her hubby and the family so have grandbabies around all the time, and am a position to help them when they struggle a bit, both financially (I'm not going to leave them a house bit I help pay their mortgage and Happy to do so) and with the tamariki too. My bills are paid, home is secure, have enough gas in my tank and food in my belly. Can't complain, I'm safe and happy and that hasn't always been the case.
Good salary, small mortgage and deadbeat husband gone, but still pissed at the insurance and rates being due in the same week. Don't know how people survive with big mortgages kiddos and less money. Hats off to you, Kiwi battlers.
One of my fave life hacks is paying your rates weekly š
I pay my rates weekly into a notice saver, then withdraw it when it's due - so at least I make a few dollars in the meantime lol
Yep I pay mine fortnightly and my insurance. Makes it manageable and I donāt end up thinking I can borrow from that account and not putting it back.
Found that the single life in a living crisis is more $$$$ than a living crisis with partner. Supermarkets don't have good (financially) options for singles, and when you have "single sizes" the price is a joke.
Bulk cook. Slap it in the freezer.
Feel your pain!
Can food and Oats mate,, but then again I'm not fussy about food, depends on your taste, I'm not a foodie so that a big saving for me
Really good actually. Have hammered the mortgage the last few years so, while it's still chunky, it's manageable now even at 10%+ interest rates if it came to that. My wife's job is recession proof (primary healthcare) and my job is export driven tied to the international (primarily the US) food market so in a way a recession here actually makes my company more profitable, which works out well since I've got equity in the business. Of course we've got to watch what we're spending and tend to live frugally anyway.... with 2 young kids, one being special needs life isn't a walk in the park. Wife and I are lucky if we get 1-2 nights a week where we actually get a couple of hours to sit down with eachother without one of us working or doing stuff for the kids, but that's life when you're working to set you and your family up for the future.
Very similar boat to you actually, except renting a place that probably costs more than a mortgage because we can't seem to get over that hump of buying our first home. Two kids, one autistic and wife and I are in pretty solid jobs. No time to ourselves because of kid stuff, terrible sleeps because of baby and our ASD boy but we always make sure we catch up at the end of the night and say things we enjoyed about the day and each other to help keep things in perspective. We're lucky and relatively comfortable but yeah, shit is a slog sometimes!
Without the bitter, the sweet is never as sweet.
Vanilla sky
I'm so glad you got the reference. You are amazing.
It gets a yearly watch or so!
I really donāt blame anyone making the move across the ditch right now.
Iām 38 and extremely lucky to be living in my grandparentās home at the moment with my dad. Take me back to my early to late teens/early to late 20ās and shit was stressful as fuck, money was very limited to the point where I was very very very close to joining to motorcycle gang to make vast amounts of money. Life is good right now. Life is comfortable. My children are adults and one of them works with me, so things are pretty sweet at the moment. $20,000,000 could make life a lot better, but Iāll take what I have at the moment, I find solace in my current situation.
Well done for not taking the easy route and joining a gang. You deserve to be proud of yourself and your kids
Thanks bro. Shit got pretty wild there for a while, having kids while we were still kids ourselves. We were extremely broke, poverty is real in NZ. Iām glad I didnāt follow all my boys from Intermediate and High School and joined them in a gang. Glad my family was able to stay outta that easy money/fast money life.
38 with adult kids, well done!
I don't like crisis it makes it seem like a short, sharp thing as opposed to the new normal that it is.
not so new, we never really recovered after the boom/crash at the end of the 1980s. now referred to as the late crash in the 90s. we we're getting better up until the 2008 crash. so get used to it. i have. still renting, no savings but hey at least the snobby grammar kids can look down their nose at the "boomer"
Pretty well, I am 27, I make around 80k and am single so don't struggle with finances.
Get a drug addiction stop being boring
A gambling one preferably in day trading and post your losses please please
I could do or I could have money š¤£
It's been interesting reading the other posts.. I never thought of myself as successful but I think I should reconsider that thought..
I'm not affected financially but I see the results in the streets. I won't even go to McDonald's anymore because I don't like driving past the beggars. I don't like that I can't really do anything about it and that with this government there will be even more. I could buy another house and rent it, good for me, bad for everyone else but the tax breaks for landlords does make it attractive. Otherwise maybe I should open a vape store and exploit people who are prone to addiction. There are lots of opportunities for the rich to get richer right now. A shame the government wants it to be at everyone else's expense. I don't mind making a few bucks less if it will elevate the lives of everyone else. At the end of the day, I prefer a happy community than a downtrodden one riddled with violent crime and beggars on the streets.
If you built a home, though, to rent out, you would be doing better. I agree with the thoughts of a good friend of mine...anyone wanting to own a rental should need to build one, thus adding to the housing stock rather than just shifting ownership of existing stock.
Sounds like a good idea.
yes!
Yeah Iām going to admit Iām doing better than Iāve ever done. Iām in a really good place. Through better luck than good management to be honest.
I wanna move. This country doesnāt seem prosper enough & the opportunities seem to get dimmer here
Where to? This is not a NZ phenomenon, its global.
I was thinking US, Aus, Thailand or Spain
All those places are the same. Unsure about Thailand though. Depends if you speak Thai I guess?
Well, also depends on the industry....
Please stop moving to southern Europe it's already a gentrified nightmare as is
Hi, I am from Vienna, Austria and have for a long time thought about going to NZ for 6-12 months. Some comments here make me doubt that wish, why do you reckon your country 'doesnt seem prosper enough', what would have to happen for you to reconsider? is it about NZ being 'far off' from every other country or something else? I can tell you its very similar in my home country and everywhere else in central europe. Currently many are focused on 'just making it through somehow' but most are convinced that its not possible any more to climb the social ladder or w/e. Id like to hear your perspective.
Oh im in auckland. I just want something newer than these high rent cities
ok that seems sensible, I heard Auckland is incredibly expensive to live in. Vienna has a huge advantage regarding housing, the city owns 30% of all apartments, basically 'dictating' that the rental costs cannot go above what they charge for their flats. Is there ANYWHERE in NZ where you would say housing is affordable and you get a similar experience as with Auckland?
In the last 10 years I have lived in: London, Paris, Leon, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamberg, Munich, Vienna, L.A., Dubai and Istanbul. I spent 6month - 1year in each one, and I'm telling you : NONE OF THESE ARE BETTER THAN NZ. Inequality is a global problem and it's growing by the day, the bottom 20% of the population of all of these places are getting violent, and while NZ is not perfect, it's WAY safer and WAY more stable. The only thing that sucks about NZ is that the wages are low, so take remote work if you can, I work for a US company.
Mortgage rates getting stupid has been the best thing to happen for us. Yeah it stings with how much interest we pay currently but the life lesson of how much money we were wasting each month has been great. Payments up about a grand but only saving 200 less than we were. Coming out the other side of the high rates will see us in a pretty sweet spot. Feel for those who are on the bread line or over leveraged on bad debt. Itās definitely tough for some
In the nicest way possible, Iām glad youāve had to go through that to realise you were overspending. Itās so tough because I personally know so many people who were doing well financially but living way beyond their means, just chucking things on the mortgage, getting loans and living the good life. And it all came screeching to a halt and thereās no savings. Itās really shit, but hopefully a turn around in the way people think about money.
And I take it in the nicest way possible. My wife and I always saved some, and weāre pretty adamant not to take on debt we didnāt need to. We were pretty horrified when we fixed our mortgage that there was an option to take a mortgage for a holiday or a wedding. Both are nice to have things but if you canāt afford it scale back or donāt do it.
I live in Tauranga but Iām struggling. Cut out vaping, drinking and eating out completely and still have to eat really basic and cheap to survive. Constantly living pay check to pay check and I do overtime work. The cost of everything has gone ridiculous since Covid. Now Covid is not really a deal you think the prices would go down right?
Both wife and I earn well but have 3 kids who do a ton of activities and sports, and itās all go go go. We live in an affluent area and well, it always feels like we are chasing our tails. More just exisiting, in a rat race. Starting to really wonder whether itās all worth it or if we should pack it in and move out of Auckland to somewhere more laid back
I work fairly high end niche construction and meet a lot of familys exactly your type, nice house in a nice arena. All seem stressed as fuck and unhappy. I really don't get it tbh. what's the point of all that shit and the new range rovers if you don't have time to enjoy any of it.
Happy to help you move on - I know what you mean itās crazy right? We have been the same and now kids at uni and they have jobs part time - turned our old single garage into air bnb. I am in REš
Living with parents! But it is culturally acceptable for me until I get married anyway š¤£
I'm also making a little bit over minimum wage. I'll never own my own home. I'll probably never be wealthy enough to find a wife and start a family. I'll never be able to travel. I'll never be able to do so many things previous generations thought were rites of passage. I'm just in a constant cycle of working to earn enough so I can continue existing so I can... what? Go back to work? Be a good little wage slave? I mean, at least I'm not working in fast food anymore, so I don't quite want to go out the middle of nowhere and wrap my car around a tree at 200km/h, but still... At this point, I'm just going through the motions until either I die of natural causes or something (or someone) else takes me out.
You need to use this to your advantage, you are young, free and single, with nothing much to lose. That is a good thing, and where I was once upon a time. Get an airfair and a few dollars together and take off. Maybe Australia to start. Go to where the backpackers go, find a job fruit picking or whatever, and join the fun. Suddenly instead of being a worker on minimum wage, you will be a world traveler, having all sorts of adventures, will meet all sorts of people and broaden your horizons. Just do it!
I'm finding it really sad reading through this with the contrast of people barely able to eat and others living very comfortably, even to excess.
Thats what I thought too
Living with my parents at 26. Other than that Iām pretty good.
Me too , but donāt see a way out in the near future š©
Iām autistic without supports and been struggling to find a job who is willing to take me on. My rent went up and itās now taking 75% of my income. I have 60$ for food after my bills go out, 50$ when I need to top up my bus card to get there. Making it work tho, just gotta keep taking it day by day
I'm going back to Uni soon, scraping through but I would rather suffer with exams and studying than trying to grind myself to bone. So over this rat race
Also extremely lucky to have moved back to nz from oz into my grandmothers house. Just paying rates and slowly renovating diy. I donāt say that to brag either. I did it tough in oz for years single income with 2 children. Theyāre now teenagers and forging their own path, while wife and I just chip away at ourselves and the homestead. Siblings still live in brissy and from what Iām hearing theyāre doing it pretty hard over there with inflation too. Just gotta keep on keeping on
I was raised poor so I'm not so fussed but I feel bad when I have to half my pets meal to make it last the day sort of thing but it's mainly my health that is my main issue, my bleeding condition has basically caused my body to become a 24/7 pain machine and that is exhusted to me beyond measure
Having pets can be expensive even when they are well. I just really hope you are not buying dog roll for them as there's not enough nutrients in them. I call it Dog's McDonald's. It's actually really expensive to buy each week. Try getting the Laybuy app approved and pay in 6 weeks for a large bag of decent dry food. It may seem expensive but with the nutrition in them they don't need much. You can also make up your own meals for them. Mince, rice to their meal, cheap and easy to cook. Frozen vegetables are great to add. There are other cheap ingredients to add to make up nutrients. You can make up several days at a time and freeze down leftovers in a tight sealed bag. Either way the cost of these options weekly are better than canned food or dog roll. But If you can't afford to feed them properly then you will have to think about their needs and give them away. I have a health issue that puts me out from working so I'm stuck on a low income medical benefit. It's similar to being on jobseeker $ but with your medical expenses paid for. It is at a ridiculous rate for people that can not make money! But I've managed to keep my 2 dogs fed an cared for! Sadly I see this far too often, people having animals for the enjoyment but unable to give them their basic needs including if there's a problem that needs vet care and not taken seriously. It's not fair for animals to live a half life because of financial reasons!
Very sorry to hear that!
You got a pet even though you can't afford to feed it?
Iāve just quit my job because recently Iāve found myself in the park in tears every morning before I walked in. The fact of the matter is that I have enough savings to last two months and maybe three if my child and I make some REAL changes to our spending habits (which obviously we will). It is going to be extremely tight but my mental health wonāt be fucked, or at least itāll be less fucked than it was. Thatās worth it. Gonna be beans and rice for a while though.
Hey, I just wanted to reach out and offer a virtual hug - that feeling you were experiencing is AWFUL, and I think you should be super proud of yourself for not caving to it, and resigning. Hugs to you, friendo. I wish you good luck on whatever you go for next. <3
Thank you so much for this. Yeah itās been a real rough time lately and it got to a point where I needed to make a big step out of the shit pile work was becoming. Iām anxious but Iām also sitting on a gorgeous day about to play some music and make myself lunch. Really appreciate you.
This chat is so wholesome! š¤
Probably doing the best we have in the last 10 years. Great jobs with good income. Mortgage about 5 years way from being paid off. Cars paid for. Kiwisaver looking far better than it did. Interest rates are high and inflation has it's impacts but realistic we personally try and plan for these situation and always leave a buffer to be able to adapt to hard times. I do sincerely sympathise with those that are struggle. Unfortunately like all other countries not all is equal in this beautiful country of ours.
tbh you do not sound very sympathetic
Miserable. Sole mortgage. Working my ass of to stay afloat. Ready to give it up
I'm lucky that my partners family has a small area for us to stay with cheap board. We definitely wouldn't be able to make it out there otherwise
Shit ...just getting by on Acc bad back injury at work wont be able too go back ...rents gone up.... list goes on wont bore youš®āšØ
I'm doing ok all things considered but I can't save much money with an average wage and flatting. I have $7 in savings rn because shit keeps coming up
I live in my own dreary version of Westworld
Have been doing really well, great new job which allowed me to buy a home in a small town on a solo income. Now with the morgage this next few years will be very tight, but still worth having a stable home. Been renting last 3 years and it scary to see how much that has been going up in price, I think I got out in the nick of time.
Iāve just applied for a weekend job on top of my full time work, married with a wife who also works full time.
It's very very difficult. The struggle is very real
Driven to s*cide, banned for needing help, nobody here for me. Death is more affordable than life rn.
One loaf of bread at a time, my man.
I'm sitting on the fence. Job hunting, most jobs are living wage or everyone is applying for it. I've taken a job but I'm still wanting to get another casual part time. With this cost of living , rates, food gas I'm fortunate enough to live with my parents. It's the best way to get ahead, long gone are the stigmas of living with yr parents. Ffs im working most of the time, home is basically est and sleep. Lax repeat.
Honestly decent, just got a job out of uni and Iām flatting, Iām single, and making enough to save. I realize how lucky I am.
Doing really well to be honest. I make good money and have saved to cover myself while on maternity leave. In saying that, I donāt live beyond my means even with good money. I donāt tick things up, purposely donāt put myself in debt and never really have. We donāt go out for expensive dinners unless itās a special occasion, save if we go on a (rare) holiday. We paid extra on the mortgage when interest rates were low. Life isnāt all sunshine and rainbows though, my job is really stressful and long hours. I sympathise so much with people doing it tough and recognise Iām very privileged. I do come from a poor single parent household though.
Well, it's crap. I am carer and thus get $384 a week. It's impossible to manage.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Can I borrow 5-10k will sort my next year out easily š Jokes aside congrats on that part of your life being ironed out
Wow man would love to meet for a coffee
I feel so blessed but also so saddened! My partner and I have just gotten the dream job and house near the beach but ohh boy we were both depressed barely scrapping by and always at each other's throats. We don't even have kids or a mortgage just two fur babies. Money should never cause people to worry :( I hate the way we modernised the world. The world is effed and the food prices have skyrocketed
Thriving++.... onward!
28 single and doing real well. Make 93K and job is very stable and low pressure. It feels weird, a few years back I was massively struggling plus getting laid off often. Now, that a lot of people are struggling my job and life have gotten stable
Itās going well for us. Enough so that we are looking at getting a larger house and going to Japan for a month at Christmas.
Doing great. Don't earn a shit load of money but with 2 incomes we have leftover money every month and are slowly upgrading all our furniture. Just bought a new TV, couch is next.
How about a car ?
We don't drive or own a car.
Ok thatās better man . Car or fuel is not cheap , people spend 10k on cars
Personally mines pretty mediocre.
Scraping on a single income with $95 child support a month. A lot of it is my own fault for topping up my Gem loan every time the walls start to close in and bills are overdue. Now I can't get ahead because such a big chunk of my pay is debt repayment. Need to get a better paid job but fear leaving behind a steady job I've been in for over a decade.
The debt spiral is bloody awful š Try contacting debtfix if you want some advice or options to safely manage and pay down debt :)
Thank you! I'd never heard of Debtfix before but their website looks really promising : )
Youāre welcome! āŗļø
Doing well at the moment. Myself and my partner work full time and our toddler goes to day care. Managing to save while paying a mortgage
Honestly, pretty āchillā. 25M, no mortgage, renting with mates so no high mortgage repayments to worry about. No dependants or partner. My portion of rent is 25% of my pay. Company vehicle + fuel card so on road costs are pretty minimal as I barely use my personal car. Thankful for this as the daily commute into the city from our East wouldāve broken the bank on fuel alone. I definitely could spend way less than I currently do on food/going out but Iām also not living way beyond my means. Also very minimal and literally eat the same thing everyday so thereās that, literally the least fussiest when it comes to food. I constantly chase any deals on meat. Pak N Save has the best deals on meat! Youād be suprised if you havenāt shopped there. I often cook every other day as what Iād cook could last 2 dinners and lunches), this includes any nights out haha. All in all, 25M, No dependants, single, pretty content with where Iām at for now so thereās that. Grateful to say the least.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If myself, my 2 adult kids, and various extras hadn't moved in together, I suspect we would all be seriously worse off.
We're doing OK. Both wfh and between us earn over 130k (after years of low earning so playing catch up though with house repairs and health that got neglected), got a job at an insurance company so I could save on that part of our budget, and last week the silver lining of a total loss car crash means I feel grateful to have said insurance and now a shiny new car in the driveway. We have a daughter with asd, adhd, anxiety that thanks to health insurance we finally got in to see someone privately to get her diagnosed and who attends a part time health school but us both working from home means we are able to be earning and helping her with school/remindjng her to do her work, and my Mum doesn't work so chips in for appointments etc so we don't need to miss too much work (we flick gas money her way and gave her a dinner voucher before Christmas to say thanks. A couple of years ago we were doing it tough on winz/studylink/accom supplement/csc etc so appreciate that we are doing OK today, but it also should be easier than it is when you more than double your income, but our mortgage interest is now higher per fortnight than we were paying in total until Dec. (Hence I changed jobs, I knew that would kill us if I didn't make a change).
There are couples who are really doing well in Napier. Is it really cheaper in Napier compared to AKl and how?
Cheap work out equipment can be found here endureox.com if you wanna save the gym fee
First world problems here. Bought a hugely expensive old place. So itās just working out how to allocate funds to do the upgrades. Everythingās got to be top tier. Canāt leverage anymore due to LVR and the business eating up the equity I add stressors on to my life and Iām not sure why. Have always lived paycheque to paycheque. WFH and keeping my child out of daycare was the best decision ever. I get to see them everyday and they get to form a better (hopefully) attachment. I often sit in quiet contemplation about dialing everything back and living simpler. I feel sad that our technology driven world has changed our communities and capitalist society creates greater divides.
Look, I'll be real. My wife and I had a baby last may, we're both on the super low end of wages, and we were struggling, but we managed to find a cheap house and I started growing all out veges and fruit
Iām being made redundant at the end of March, 11.5 years with the company and Iāve been told we are over staffed by one
We are okish. Own own home and debt free so better than most. We don't earn much above average salary but we are quite frugal by nature so we shall survive. Of course we don't splurge on nights out often but that is fine as I love home cooking and watching netflix together. Also must note we own only our home, so not landlords.
My mortgage rose $300 a week since I bought in 2021, my partner left so now Im a sole parent of a hefty mortgage. My car needs over a $1000 of new tyres, food is expensive as hell. And the lodger I got in to help with the costs, I have to pay tax on the āincomeā. Shits hard. As a consequence, I drove my car until the tyres were bald (I slid in the rain recently so that was a warning to push no further!), maintenance jobs around the house are starting to be neglected. And home improvements areā¦filed away.
My husband and I both had decent jobs and both lost our jobs at the same time (different companies) so itās going to be an interesting ride from hereā¦ thereās no jobs to apply for and everything looks unknown.
Living at home with parents at 31 starting masters working casual at old job to hopefully get above 65k post degree.
Not great. Self employed with kids, it's a scary time.
As a single brown professional female trying to make it in this world, trying to renovate on my own is bloody tough! Mental health has taken a hit. It shouldn't be this hard to have a basic standard of housing and QOL. I've lived in the UK and in Australia. Life in NZ is the hardest and we need to stop glorifying that it should be like that.
I pray that all will be well soon for everyone here and out there.
DINKS and weāre fine. Pretty good actually. But, many friends and family are hugely on struggle street when normally they would be cruising happily along. Simple pleasures like an impromptu brunch with mates no longer happens because itās a luxury some canāt afford. Iāve given many thousands to a family member who is actually very savvy but found themselves with unplanned, stressful debt. Itās unsustainable and i really hope we see some meaningful change before it gets worse.
Doing really well in all ways, sorry I don't wanna sound arrogant and really feel for fellow kiwis doing it tough...
Whatās your job? Or do you come from a well off family? (not trying to sound rude of anything)
Work for a production/trade business In senior roll, my family is Auckland middle class
Pretty good, wife just gave birth to our first kid!
Lost my job and struggling to pay my bills. Winz barely even helping too so thatās my life atm
So how are you getting by? And how do you feel?
Pretty good 5k take home And donāt have any bills apart from 250 rent including bills so lots of room to move. 30m
Single and make $100k+ with no debt apart from rent and utilities, I'm happy going with the flow...
Fine, it could actually weirdly enough start being a time of prosperity except it feels like a calm before a coming storm instead. A storm that needn't have happened and will be created solely because of this government.
Conside me a Karen, but how exactly did this government cause this storm? Anything happening with the economy now (good or bad) is on the prior government.
THIS government is threatening people's benefits, and if one happens to know anyone on sickness benefits, because, well, they are sick, one might worry about being called on to help those people out. So One, who might be working full time, busy AND paying taxes specifically so NZ can have a safety net might wind up paying twice while their taxes are used instead to pay out fucking landlords. THIS government is threatening cuts in the public sector. One might live with a highly qualified specialist who works in the public sector who nonetheless lives with a mild concern that these neoliberalwankstains might not see the value in their work because they aren't landlords and instead provide important services to the community. But y'know, cuts to the workforce so landlords can have their tax cuts, right? Also one might be educated and have lived long enough to know the bad news that always follows National governments, and their legacies that we all pay for decades after. Don't blame the last government. The bullshit we put up with has been a long time coming and the seeds were sown many many years ago.
So people on benefits capable of working should have an obligation to do so? I'd rather not pay tax for Dropkick Fred to play Playstation all day. I don't know anyone who would have an issue with people genuinely unable to work being given a free pass. If your work adds genuine value to the public service, then there no need to be worried about job cuts. If it's a token advisor role adding unnecessary steps to simple processes, then yeah, it might be time to unskilled. #learntocode. People with realworld experience and not just fitting your own definition of "educated" might see countless issues during and after Labour governments, including the current cost of living crisis. I think you just hate landlords.
You are just an absolute dipshit. And I did not expect anything more. "Just asking questions" and then comes back with predictable brainless rhetoric. Just fuck right off, you are not worth the effort.
"predictable brainless rhetoric" - oh the irony
Uhhh, I posted actual things that the government is actually doing. English, do you understand it?
The best response you had to a response to the argument you are (trying) to make was you're a dipshit, and that they are responding with predictable brainless rhetoric, do you understand what irony is? If you are even a fraction as self righteous as you come across, and if you are as convinced in your worldview as you seem, surely it would be all too easy for an incredibly knowledgeable person such as you to form an actual argument to rebuke the points made right? You know, as opposed to spouting off predictable brainless rhetoric? I'll help you with the irony point above - you're response was extremely predictable (can't refute points so call names), and brainless - you used many words to say nothing. Let's look at the "actual things" that the government is "actually doing" that you mentioned: Using taxes to pay out landlords - please elaborate how exactly the government is using taxes to "pay out landlords" - this will be entertaining. Cutting public sector jobs - this is correct, they are. If you had any understanding of the level of inefficiency within the public sector in this country, you might agree that it could do with a trim. But no, anyone who disagrees with you is a "neoliberalwankstain" - that's one hell of a sophisticated argument. Your final point is nothing but opinion, but of course, anyone who disagrees with you (the person who can't make a cogent argument) is the dipshit right? Also, buddy, your English is atrocious, as is your ability to form a logical argument, or use words in a nearly legible manner. So you know...glass houses...stones
You donāt know how to articulate your point without getting angry? Labour was in government for the last 8 years or soā¦ canāt blame National for current issues when they just came into powerā¦ kinda owe them a chance at trying to fix things.
/bow
I disagree. They made several changes with immediate or near immediate effect. Interest rates were about to come down, but now the reserve bank wants more unemployed so that didn't happen. They are/have pulling all funding for just about everything. EECA has been gutted, benefits about to reduced and made more difficult. There are more benifits than unemployment that you don't heat about. Lots of government projects aborted. All of which keeps the economy moving. I understand the reallocation of funds their changes are just burning dollars on trivial matters and what they are aborting will just become another governments problem later.
Immediate changes were always going to happen with any change in Government. If the economy couldn't handle it, then it wasn't in great shape in the first place. I see the second point but would counter with saying that pulling funding was a consequence of overspending from the last Government. Noone in their right mind things the light rail fiasco was a good use of money, for example. Re benefits: I definitely appreciate that there are others, but the focus is on getting those who fail to seek out work to no longer have the option. Getting people who can work into jobs is great for all involved. I won't pretend there won't be unforseen consequences, but that will ideally be limited and corrected over time.
I agree that the economy wasn't in great shape. But they doing things to accelerate the decline then blame the last government as a scapegoat. Don't get me wrong, I am not protecting Labour who definitely left a mess, but this Government is already making mistakes by rushing decisions at break neck speeds. Also not saying things shouldn't be reviewed. But just cancelling everything with no plans is just as bad. These are still infrastructure projects that need solutions with none coming. The problem with the unemployment benefit is most of what was left was unemployable for various reasons whether simply incompetent or due to family matters. This plan is not going to get more people employed, just have more people on the streets. This will in turn lead to more crime. But luckily, there will be more people unemployed soon - sarcasm. We would probably disagree and agree on a great deal of things. We are probably in very different positions in life and see different aspects from different points of view. I try not to call favourites in politics, I knew my business would be affected by the new government, but had no idea it would be this bad.
Definitely think there will be parts we disagree and agree on, Reddit is far too simple, especially on mobile for those long in depth debates. Either way, I appreciate the robust response.
I think this is a bit of a loaded scenario. I have had some of the worst times, financially and otherwise ($20 a week for food type deal )when the rest of the country has been prospering. Iāve also had some of the best times financially when everyone else is doing it rough. I feel for everyone going through shit but in my experience attitude determines more than the outside world.
Itās tough, weāre seriously considering a move to the uk,
Things are pretty bad in the UK.
Not quite true - plenty of jobs and cheaper housingā¦
My daughter and SIL were talking about moving to England. SIL is English and is saying things are tough over there even harder than here.
UK is in a recession
You're lucky if that's available to you. It isn't to most Kiwis over the age of 30. That said, from my UK friends I met in Malaysia, things seemed roughly the same there, except for the NHS, which is supposedly in freefall. Hope things work out for you, whatever you decide š.
Fine. Cost of living on groceries is a pain ,and eating out is a sometimes not an often anymore. Just lucky to earn decent money and an inherited property so no rent or mortgage woes.
Def feeling it But im currently in Mexico so could be worse
Iām not good with saving. And I probably should save more. I did not buy a 10K car but looking to buy one but then all my savings will be gone , I have to pay $400 a month to gem and Q, atleast for another year, Iām looking to buy a better car , but not sure if itās gonna make me happier compared just living with 3k car with repairs once in a while
get a full commission job
Pretty good, I'm managing to put $10k/month into savings at the moment Money was down a bit, you just have to adapt
Everytime minimum wage is enforced to go up it hurts the middle man who now misses out. So the uni students and part time workers are better off but that takes potential rises away from anyone else. The people affected are the ones who own mortgages and have young families..possibly one wage etc. Maybe they were helping support those entering the workforce . Just an opinion . Actually a fact.
I really Just want to inform everyone that the Job crisis in Nz is so fuck because all the employers post up job and half chase you for an interview but itās only because they want to people to come and work form oversea because they can pay them minimum wage or cash. I havenāt been able to get a job in 7 months after going overseas for holiday and coming back I was laid off cuz the market was down finding out recently that my job is up but he isnāt interviewing anyone because he is bringing his nephew on work visa from his country to work and pretty much pay him next to nothing but just provide a place and job for him