New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and ranks in the top 10 on the World Happiness Report. It’s home to incredible culture and natural beauty, but that comes at a price.
The astronomical cost of living that comes with living in New Zealand can be tricky to navigate. Luckily, there are plenty of online resources available to help save you money. We’re looking at the top 10 lifestyle tips and sites to help New Zealanders save money.
1. Trim It Down
Monthly bills pile up quickly and often chip away at income one tiny subscription at a time. Streaming services, phone bills, gym memberships, microtransactions, and an army of little subscriptions easily get lost in the mix. If you’re not using it then it’s time to get rid of it.
Online apps from your bank or specialized apps like Trim can monitor your spending habits and give notifications for services you’re still paying for and have forgotten. Getting back to basics and saving money just got easier.
2. Educate Yourself
Invest in yourself. That may sound like a bad sales pitch, but it’s true. Now it’s time to figure out how much money comes in and how much goes out. Setting a budget and getting control of your finances sounds like a no brainer, but it’s vital for saving money.
Personal finance blogs like The Happy Saver will teach you how to make a budget and more importantly how to stretch that budget as far as it’ll go and stick with it.
3. Eat Smart
Next, it’s time to look in the fridge. A big portion of any monthly budget and a constant recurring expense is the shopping bill. It doesn’t have to be a chore, especially when you’re smart about it. Meal planning and sticking to a food budget is a must to save on monthly food bills.
Sites like Love Food Hate Waste combined with a meal planning app can save time at the store, keeping money in your pocket, and stocking the fridge as well.
4. Games & Gambling
Saving money doesn’t necessarily mean skimping on entertainment. Since Covid, lockdowns and staying at home have become commonplace but if you’re a fan of online games and gambling, there are plenty of deals.
Sites like Humble Bundle offer huge discounts on online games with the added benefit of donating to charity.
If you’re looking to make a little money, online casinos are also offering great deals. For gamblers who are looking to save money, there is no better site than NZCasinoClub for all the best deals on free cash and spins. Often sites will give you cash to gamble without putting any money down. Win-Win.
5. Coupon Crazy
Sometimes the things you want are expensive. That’s okay, but overindulging in name brands or just grabbing a quick bite at a fast-food stop can add up. But who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
The internet has everything for those who look and coupon sites like Stuff or Retail Me Not can easily keep a few extra dollars in your pocket from your favourite online retailers.
6. Does it Need to be New?
Life happens and you’re gonna need stuff. Sometimes stuff breaks and replacing it with brand new costs a lot of money.
SecondHand.nz is a great way to find random items that you need that don’t need to be brand new. Furniture, games, bicycles, or whatever you’re looking for is probably collecting dust in someone else’s house. Why not trade for it or pick it up cheap?
7. Ditch the Car
Speaking of bicycles, petrol prices coupled with a long commute can really put a dent in your budget. If you’re in Auckland or Christchurch, you’ll have access to Next Bike. It’s a bicycle-sharing service that’s much cheaper to get around, and healthy for you too.
8. Compare and Save
There are certain services we can’t simply trim down. Just because you need to pay for something every month doesn’t mean you can’t look around for a better deal. Glimp is a service that compares a host of bills and helps you find the cheapest option, saving money on essential services.
They’ll compare the internet, mobile, loans, and even the power bill to see if another company is offering the same service, but cheaper.
9. Let it Grow
A smart way to save is to earn interest on your savings… but there’s always a catch. Savings accounts typically don’t earn enough to meet the demand from inflation and going into the stock market can be daunting for beginners.
Websites and apps like Sharesies let users crack open their piggy banks and invest in stocks with any amount of money. Instead of gaining a measly half a per cent in interest, users can invest in their favourite companies and learn how to invest in stocks safely, without costing a fortune.
10. Treat Yourself
Now that you’ve slashed every part of your budget and tightened your belt, it’s time to treat yourself.
Just because you’re trying to save money doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have some fun, especially if you can do it at a discount. Treat Me is a discount app that offers various activities for cheap. It’s a great way to experience different activities that you may not have tried before or even considered.
Saving money doesn’t have to be painful. With our easy tips and resources, you can slowly plug the leaks in your bank account and start to fill it back up.