101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!

101. Pushing Themselves - Financially Going For It!

Author: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger February 19, 2025 Duration: 1:00:05
I first met today's guest, Ajith, when he emailed me with a couple of questions back in 2024. He’d come across The Happy Saver while on the hunt for some motivation to keep pushing towards the goal that he and his wife Arya have to become debt-free by his 39th birthday, which is in 2028. When they began to lose patience and motivation, hearing both my journey with money and that of others helped to keep them on track. This couple are in their mid-thirties, with an eight-year-old daughter and live on the East Coast of the North Island. When I spoke with them at length in October of 2024 and again in February 2025, they were debt-free except for the $223,000 mortgage they have on the home they had built in 2021. They have also been investing in their KiwiSaver plus in investments outside of KiwiSaver. I wanted to share their journey today because his email to me and our subsequent kōrero threw up the dilemma of paying down debt fast vs investing. I think you will enjoy it.

Money conversations can feel awkward, but they don't have to be. On The Happy Saver Podcast-Personal Finance in New Zealand, host Ruth brings her perspective as a longtime personal finance blogger to break down that barrier. Each episode is built around real stories from everyday Kiwis, exploring the nuanced and often personal relationship people have with their finances. You'll hear frank discussions about how money influences life choices, for better or worse. The focus is on practical, grounded experiences within the New Zealand context-where people save, how they invest, and whether those strategies actually pan out over time. Ruth guides conversations that delve into both financial victories and those moments that feel like train wrecks, always with an eye toward learning. The underlying question is how to design a life rich in experience without spending a fortune to get there. This isn't about theoretical jargon; it's about the applied reality of making dollars and sense work together in Aotearoa. By listening to this podcast, you gain a collective wisdom from a community navigating the same economic landscape, from everyday budgeting to long-term investing goals. Ruth facilitates a space where money is simply a tool to be understood and mastered, one honest story at a time.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand
Podcast Episodes
84. Early Retirement: But still working stuff out. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:58
Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the story behind how Tony and his wife Karen came to create a net worth of $2.8 million and retire aged 49 and 54, respectively. Now that I have your attention, you might also be int…
83. Iron Fisted Lucy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:03
Lucy, Steve and their two teenage children openly talk about money in their family. It comes from them trying to make sense of their complicated financial upbringing and then joining their financial lives together at 19.…
82. From Paycheque to Paycheque to Home Sweet Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:20
In this episode, we hear from Jess, a single 52-year-old woman who reached out to me in early 2022 when she sent me a lovely email telling me she had been using my blog and podcast, plus The Barefoot Investor, to learn m…
81. Turning good opportunities into reality! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:58
I met 29-year-old Dylan when he heard my call out for younger people to get in touch and share their stories with money. Through luck and good timing, aged just 21, he found himself buying his first property, an empty se…
80. Young, Bright, and Financially Wise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:42
In this week's episode, I wanted to revisit an earlier episode with an update on Nathan from episode 71, and introduce a new guest, Sam, a 16-year-old Year 12 student who is starting a financial journey similar to Nathan…
79. I'll drink to that! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:44
I’m looking forward to telling you all about 37-year-old Tui. She described herself as someone who has worked hard to get her financial house in order, and in the last three years in particular, she has made great progre…
78. In the process of making a Financial U-turn! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:01
Nic described herself as a 42-year-old professional who sometimes has to pinch herself at the job she has. It’s a tough demanding role in a field she loves that pays really well. A mum to two tamariki and a partner to th…
77. Saving is the new shopping! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:40
When Rachel told me that she had very recently moved from a super consumer to thinking instead that saving was the new shopping, I knew the story of this single, city-dwelling, dependent-free, self-employed 54-year-old w…
76. Part-time work. Full-time life. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:51
This week I’m sharing the financial life of Ngaio and Ben, a Coromandel couple in their early 30s. They struck a chord with me because I love seeing examples of life enjoyed a little bit differently to most, in their cas…
75. If it’s not simple, you shouldn’t be doing it. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:48
This week I caught up with a couple in their mid 20’s, Richard and Jane. Their express aim in putting themselves out there is to comfort the other twenty-somethings that their financial situation is in their own hands an…