You’re back...fantastic! Hi, welcome back! This is the last chapter for The Spendy Saver — I hope you've enjoyed following my journey, and fingers crossed you've picked up a few tips along the way!
In case you’re wondering about the house, we are still waiting for it to be built! So, right now all we’re focused on is saving, saving and more saving.
Being someone who can be a little bit impatient, I just want to move in right now! But like many people around the country, Covid-19 has meant things are going slightly slower.
Never mind, I’m happy to say we’ve purchased almost all of our furniture and the delay means we now have over a 20% deposit on the house. So all in all, it’s worked out quite well for us.
As you know, I have been in the financial services industry for the last 6 years and over this time my friends have asked me heaps of questions about managing their money better.
Usually, I’m asked about three key things: debts (and how to get rid of them), how to choose the right KiwiSaver fund, and what sort of loan they should be getting.
I know some people find talking about money difficult, especially if you’re not sure what to do. It’s one thing to ask for tips on sorting things out, it’s a whole other thing to actually do it.
So, I asked a couple of my friends and family members about what they’d changed or implemented, based on our conversations about money over the past couple of years. I was keen to understand if they’d taken onboard any of our chats!
Spendy Saver talks money management
In good news, it seems that I've been able to help my friends and family out. Phew! Here's a few of their responses:
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I looked at the interest rates for my overdraft and credit card to work out which one was costing me more. I paid off my overdraft before my credit card as it turned out the interest rate was higher.
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I didn't know where to start in getting my debts sorted out. You encouraged me to talk to my bank about a debt consolidation loan, as I had multiple debts with different providers.
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I didn't know much about KiwiSaver — I thought it was just like a savings account! You explained how KiwiSaver works and what type of fund would help me fast track saving a deposit for my first home.
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Learning how to save up for things that I want has been a huge thing for me! I've started asking myself if a purchase is a 'need' or a 'want', and if it's a 'want' — actually deciding to wait for a sale or save for it instead of buying it on the spot!
These small tips have obviously helped my friends and family out, so I'm really hoping you've taken something away from my blogs too!
What's next for the Spendy Saver?
For me, saving doesn't stop. There is always something new I want to purchase! 😊
My next goal is saving for an overseas trip (once we're allowed to go overseas, of course!). I have been wanting to visit my friend in the UK for the past 2 years, but I knew I needed to focus on saving for my house first, so I made the choice to delay this trip.
As I did previously, I’m now setting up a budget and working out how much I need for this trip — a holiday is so much more than just flights and accommodation, it’s all the extras that add up; food, entertainment and of course, shopping!
So good luck with your own journey. Whatever you’re saving towards, even if it is just something small like a new pair of shoes, it’s about getting into that savings routine. Remember, it’s the little changes that really make a big difference.
Thanks for following my blogs over the past few months and reading about my savings journey. I wish you all the best with yours!
Ciao! 😊
