The cost of being: A parent with ‘not enough money coming in for daily life’
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a receptionist with adult kids living at home says it feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel financially.
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Gender: Female
Age: 55
Ethnicity: NZ Pākehā
Role: Receptionist/administrator, mother
Salary/income/assets: $49,920 gross p/a, mortgaged own home, I get $690 in the hand a week from my job, and usually about $400 a fortnight in board payments from my kids.
My living location is: Small town
Rent/mortgage per week: Mortgage is $135 a week. Two adult children live with me and pay up to $150 a week board when they can. Both work part-time and on call casual jobs but aren’t getting much work due to economic downturn.
Student loan or other debt payments per week: Student loan is $119 a fortnight, credit card is $50 a week.
Typical weekly food costs
Groceries: Really only what’s left over each fortnight. Up to $200 a week for three adults and one cat.
Eating out: $0
Takeaways: I personally only spend about $25 every 3-4 months. Kids buy their own and sometimes shout me.
Workday lunches: $0
Cafe coffees/snacks: $0
Other food costs: I grow veggies and we eat just mince, sausages, and wild venison/goat/pork for meat meals (about 4x a week).
Savings: No savings. No capacity to save – except I put $20 a fortnight into Pak’nSave Christmas club. It used to mean some treats at Christmas. Now it basically just buys the usual stuff one fortnight so it helps a little.
I worry about money: Always.
Three words to describe my financial situation: Desperate, terrified, tenuous.
My biggest edible indulgence would be: Coffee, which I bulk buy when it’s close to 50% off.
In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $0
In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: Bus fares $30. Petrol $35.
I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $60 for underwear.
My most expensive clothing in the past year was: $80 for new work shoes.
My last pair of shoes cost: $80 for Converse boots for work. Bought at an outlet sale.
My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Haircuts $20 every eight weeks, Facial $80 three times a year. Plus products. Approximately $450 a year.
My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $0 – I walk and just try to look after my sneakers carefully.
My last Friday night cost: $0
Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: Car insurance – they wrote my good car off (someone rear-ended me at a stop sign) because it was old. I’d only taken out the policy one month prior to the accident but they took the full year’s worth of remaining premiums out of the settlement amount and now I have no car and not enough money left to replace it.
Most indulgent purchase (that I don’t regret) in the last 12 months was: A second hand Macpac puffer jacket for $85. It’s fabulous and I love it.
One area where I’m a bit of a tightwad is: Clothing. I only buy op shop clothes except for underwear. I look after my clothes and they get demoted to “DIY outfits” for working round the house in when they’re getting worn. Then they become painting rags and finally rubbish.
Five words to describe my financial personality would be… Undisciplined, uneducated, impulsive, fearful, trying to learn.
I grew up in a house where money was: Tight but not talked about with the kids. My parents felt that money was a private subject.
The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: I transfer money into that account (in case I lose my card) so if there’s no money I don’t use it.
In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Probably the same as now. I don’t see things getting better and I doubt I’ll be able to find a wonderful new job that pays twice as much. Unless I win Lotto there’s really nothing to look forward to.
I would love to have more money for: Life. To not feel scared all the time.
Describe your financial low: Now. No car, no savings buffer, about to be $3,000 in rates arrears, not enough money coming in for daily life, no light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t afford healthcare – dentistry, physio, orthotics etc are all too expensive. I try not to go to the doctor at all as it costs me $70 a time plus prescription charges. And the irony is that I’m too “wealthy” to get any financial assistance, too old for the bank to allow me a top up loan on my mortgage and, compared to many others, I’m much better off than they are. I can’t even imagine how terrifying life must be for the people worse off than me.
I give money away to… None anymore. Used to but there’s not enough for my household anymore so nothing to spare. If I get given bulk food I’ll put some into the nearest Koha Kai shelf.