39. Battling the desire to just spend, spend, spend!

39. Battling the desire to just spend, spend, spend!

Author: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger April 29, 2020 Duration: 42:54
Becky described herself as a spender at heart who has to constantly battle against the desire to just spend, spend, spend. The spiral began with interest free debt in her first year of university and continued on from there. Today she has decided to stop turning to debt to finance the things she and her family want, but it’s still a struggle and it still has the ability to occasionally trip her up. But there is hope for spenders like her and while still a work in progress, she has come a very long way in a short space of time and has paid off old debt and said no to any more. This is how a ‘natural spender’ gets her money under control.

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
119. Revisit with Rachel and David: Out of Property, Into Funds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:55
Back in November 2017, in Episode 04, I sat down with Rachel and David. They had reached financial independence long before the term was widely used, doing it through property and achieving what many Kiwi investors dream…
118. Living Well, Spending Less [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:10
Emily and I first met over email and via one of my Phone A Friend chats back in late 2023. Like me, she loves regional Aotearoa and everything it has to offer. She’s happily ensconced in the Taumarunui community, and she…
117. Owning Rental Property Is a Business [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:36
I really enjoyed creating this episode because it explores a form of investing that doesn’t often feature heavily in the wealth-building stories I usually share. I spoke at length with Lilly about the successful property…
116. Separating Finances After Decades of Marriage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:02
In today’s episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Carla. She lives in a small regional town in the South Island with her husband and their three children. Carla’s story is about money, but it’s also about hea…
115. I Feel Like I’m The Only One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:49
Jennifer first emailed me in early 2023 after listening to all my podcasts. She knew I was a big advocate for parents teaching kids to invest and had a few questions, including one detail that really caught my attention.…
114. Engineering a Solid Financial Life Together [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:44
Today I’m sharing the story of Steve and Sarah, a UK couple who, many years ago, packed up their lives, moved to Aotearoa, and built a really solid financial life together. From the get-go, they’ve been a great team with…
113. Late Financial Bloomers: Proof It’s Never Too Late to Start [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:44
Maria and Michelle were late financial bloomers who only really got started in their 50s. Now 71 and 69, they’ve paid off their mortgage and student loan, invested in the sharemarket, built up $1,000,000 in savings and i…
112. Resilience, Balance, Community, and Happiness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:08
This week, I’m sharing the story of Rachel, a 90s kid from Timaru. Rachel is the youngest of four, with three brothers, and a ten year gap between her and her oldest brother, and they all grew up with a stay at home mum…
111. Moving Closer to Financial Independence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:14
In today’s episode, I spoke with Marian, who in turn spoke on behalf of herself and her husband, Jon. Originally from the Netherlands and now based in New Zealand, they’re in the middle of a big transition, preparing to…
110. No More Using the House as an ATM [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:41
Today’s guest, Gail, has been on quite the financial trip and she’s still very much on it. Back in 2019, at age 41, she experienced a wake-up call. She found herself with plenty on her plate: a failing business, an incom…