The cost of being: A dentist getting ready to go on maternity leave
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a dentist explains where their money goes.
Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.
Gender: Female.
Age: 31.
Ethnicity: New Zealand.
Role: Dentist, about to go on maternity leave.
Salary/income/assets: 2023-24 $146,000; 2024-25 projected $98,000.
My living location is: Urban.
Rent/mortgage per week: Mortgage $1272/fortnight, so $636/week – shared between my husband and I.
Student loan or other debt payments per week: Student loan has $35,819 remaining (down from a high of $98,500). Approximately $13000 repayment per year, so $250 a week.
Typical weekly food costs
Groceries: $90-100 per week at Pak'nSave, shared with husband.
Eating out: We tend to go out for dinner once per fortnight – $100 for that, but we try and use First Table where possible.
Takeaways: $20 pizza or fish and chips, usually once per month.
Workday lunches: Never, always bring in leftovers from home.
Cafe coffees/snacks: One solo cafe trip per week while at work ($6.70, decaf) and one cafe trip with husband on the weekend ($20 – two drinks and a scone/muffin).
Other food costs: $15/month on seeds/plants from garden centres.
Savings: $200 per fortnight into an account for extra mortgage repayments, $100 for emergency fund, anything extra into joint account with husband, $10 per week into new savings account for unborn daughter.
I worry about money: Sometimes.
Three words to describe my financial situation: Lucky, focused, nervous.
My biggest edible indulgence would be: Tajin, a Mexican chilli-lime salt from import stores.
In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: Currently, none. When not pregnant perhaps $10/week.
In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: $30 for petrol to and from work – I drive a fuel efficient Suzuki.
I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $1,500.
My most expensive clothing in the past year was: A pink and white chequered dress from KILT, $159.
My last pair of shoes cost: $80 Adidas Advantage shoes on sale – had to size up due to my feet getting bigger in pregnancy!
My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: Haircuts, 3-4 per year at $75 each. Makeup, approximately 4-6 mascaras at $20 each, and one Hawaiian tropic sunscreen each month (including winter) at $16 each. Total cost perhaps $800/year.
My exercise expenditure in a year is about: Two pairs of sneakers and one pair of leggings and a sports top per year – $350.
My last Friday night cost: $20 – brought food over to my sister's for a potluck.
Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: The aforementioned KILT dress. I didn't realise it was see-through!
Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: A banana mirror from Simon Lewis Wards on sale for $1000. I had eyed it up for nearly a year and had a dedicated savings account for it. It makes me smile every time I see it in my house.
One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Movies. I love going, but seeing the ticket cost (without food or drinks) top $20 recently means I rarely do it any more.
Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Conscientious, occasionally indulgent, spreadsheets, lucky.
I grew up in a house where money was: Available but used on 'big' things rather than small (e.g. buying home brands at the supermarket). Had some great holidays which I will always remember with my family growing up; and my parents stressed the importance of paying off the mortgage as soon as possible.
The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: 2018, when I was a student at the supermarket.
In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Working part-time, secure, ideally half of the mortgage paid off and with a 3-6 month emergency fund.
Describe your financial low: Starting my first job six years ago – not much money in the bank, monthly pay not due for another three weeks, and bond due for the rental house. Was a very tight three weeks with a lot of toast eaten in the staff room.
I would love to have more money for: Travel!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
Are you paying too much for parking in NZ's big centres?
You might be paying too much for your parking, new research suggests. Vanessa Rader, head of research at Ray White Group, said she was inspired to look at how New Zealand's car park prices compared, after conducting similar research in Australia. She found what New Zealanders pay for parking can vary dramatically, even within cities. She said, on average, the daily fee being paid in CBDs was $39.53 in Auckland, $37.83 in Wellington, and $32.60 in Christchurch. But Aucklanders could be paying anything from $12 to $80, Wellington from $15 to $50, and Christchurch $10 to $98. She said that the range within cities suggested that markets were "highly fragmented" and location, quality, and convenience made a big difference to price. ADVERTISEMENT In Australia, the difference between cities was much more pronounced than within them, she said. "People always think of Auckland as being the most expensive, but it's not wildly more expensive. "It's really location sensitive… if people want to be in certain locations, they're willing to pay that extra.. but if you're just someone that's commuting and you're happy to walk a couple of blocks you can get a much cheaper price and you're still definitely within the CBD." Rader said Christchurch had the most aggressive "early bird" discounts, at 48.97%. She said that suggested an oversupply or weaker demand fundamentals. "This mirrors strategies seen in other struggling markets where operators prioritise volume over margin to maintain cash flow. "Wellington's more moderate 43.44% early bird discount indicates a more balanced supply-demand dynamic, while Auckland's 43.95% discount suggests healthy competition without desperation." ADVERTISEMENT Book online for savings She said booking online would give people good savings on their car parking. A generic carpark. (file photo). (Source: Operators had improved their offerings and made it easier to access charging facilities and parking via apps, she said. "You don't need to book days in advance or anything, it's all making it very seamless. Those car parking facilities that have a really easy way of being able to book their parking seem to be doing better." Some people who had access to or owned carpark spaces were using platforms to offer car parks to other people when they were not in use, she said. "There seems to be a lot of that happening in Auckland, not anywhere else that I can see." Christchurch had a 28.2% online discount, Auckland 19.9%, and Wellington 12.8%. ADVERTISEMENT She said the shift to hybrid working had affected parking operators. In Auckland, some car parks had additional discounts on Mondays and Fridays. "A clear acknowledgement that these have become the preferred work from home days in many offices… that really shows there's acceptance that the middle days of the week are when parking is more expensive." Few car parks changed hands in New Zealand. "The standout transaction being Downtown Carpark in Auckland's reported sale of $122 million for 2000 spaces at $61,000 per unit, though notably involves redevelopment for mixed-use purposes rather than pure parking investment." Smaller transactions in Wellington (24 Tory Street at $56,610 per unit) suggest varied pricing across different market tiers, however, limited data does make it difficult to benchmark results. "This transaction scarcity reflects the unique nature of parking assets, which are often tightly held by long-term owners or integrated within broader property portfolios. "However, the limited liquidity also creates repositioning opportunities for astute investors who recognise that prime CBD parking sites may hold more value as development land than as income-generating parking facilities."
1News
15 hours ago
- 1News
Lotto ticket sales surge as $30m jackpot draw looms tonight
New Zealanders are dreaming big ahead of tonight's Lotto Powerball draw, with the jackpot surging to $30 million this Saturday. The prize pool ballooned after the jackpot wasn't struck on Wednesday night and is the highest jackpot since October last year. Lotto stores and the Lotto app have seen a surge in interest as the draw approaches. Lotto NZ corporate communications manager Sarah McCormack said people who don't usually play at lower jackpots grab a ticket as the jackpot climbs to higher levels. "We're expecting around 1.25 million tickets to be sold for this Saturday's $30 million draw." ADVERTISEMENT But, despite that, the odds of a win remain slim. To take home the jackpot, players must match all six main Lotto numbers plus the Powerball, at odds of just 1 in 38,383,800. McCormack said it was important to remember that big jackpots still have small odds. "Even though the jackpot is high, the odds still remain the same, so spend only a little – it takes only one ticket to win." A large prize does not change the nature of the draw, which is based entirely on chance, Lotto NZ said on its website. "Powerball always offers you the same one in 38.3 million chance to win First Division per line, regardless of the jackpot amount." The growing prize pot may attract more players, but this won't impact your chances. ADVERTISEMENT "No, your chances of winning stay the same regardless of how many times you've lost or won in the past," according to Lotto. Frequent play does not have any effect on your odds, and buying multiple tickets creates an extremely marginal increase, Lotto said "Even if you buy multiple tickets for the same draw, your chances of winning will hardly increase at all. Because each new ticket has the same odds, there is no way that winning can average out in your favour over time." Similarly, having a "near miss" where most of your numbers match does not mean you are in for a win in future draws. "Each outcome is independent and will not impact your chances of winning or losing in the future. Although a near win might feel like you're getting closer to a big prize, you will still have the same odds next time you play," Lotto tells players. The $30 million draw takes place tonight at 8pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Arrest after woman found dead in Tūrangi
Labour has overtaken National as the party New Zealanders consider most able to handle the cost of living, according to the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor survey.
