There are other savings too - the family has been able to start a vegetable garden, her husband is able to save on transport costs by biking to work, and enjoying the great outdoors on the weekends is free.
The family feel it is now a realistic goal to own their own home within a few years.
"We were at the mercy of landlords in Auckland. There was no way we could afford to get into home ownership up there. The stress of having to move every year was a bit much for us.
"We wanted to move somewhere we could really settle, the kids would be able to go to kindy and then the same primary school. Tauranga was a good option.
"We looked at house prices and buying a house seems like a possibility here within the next couple of years if we work hard."
So it was with surprise that Ballinger-Judd read that Tauranga has been branded the second most unaffordable city in New Zealand, judging by low incomes and high house prices.
The Demographia survey reached its conclusions using Statistics New Zealand income information from Census 2013, and house price figures from REINZ. It took the medians of both and did not take lifestyle or other factors into account.
Under the survey, Tauranga was rated "severely unaffordable", along with Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Palmerston North, Napier/Hastings and Hamilton/Waikato were "seriously unaffordable".
While the news sounds bad for Tauranga house buyers, the survey has its sceptics, who find its method of using a ratio of median house prices to median gross household income simplistic.
Recruitment agent Phill van Syp, whose business has offices in Tauranga, Auckland and Hamilton, says the results are not what he is seeing.
The managing director of 1st Call Recruitment says unskilled workers are "10 times better off" in Tauranga than in Auckland.
"If you are skilled, you get more money in Auckland, but if you are not skilled, it's the same," he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
"For skilled workers, it's a numbers thing - you are going to make more money in Auckland [or other bigger cities] because you are having more direct reports and bigger projects. It's just demand."
The "$10 Tauranga" tag - or $13.75 as the minimum wage now is - is inaccurate, he says. Minimum wage is more common in Auckland than in Tauranga, van Syp believes.
"Some of the biggest employers are paying minimum wage [in Auckland]. I can't think of any [big] companies in Tauranga that do."
Big incomes of $200,000 plus were virtually non-existent in Tauranga, driving down the median incomes compared with the big cities of Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.
But Tauranga's cheaper lifestyle gave it the edge over other New Zealand cities and towns, he said.
"There's a lot to do that's free in Tauranga. It would probably cost you a fair bit [in transport] just to get out of the city in Auckland.
"We have got great infrastructure. There are great jobs coming. If you look at potential, you would want to be here. We have got the best of both worlds. The economics for me stacks up, and in regards to career opportunities, we are growing. You can live here and be here for a long time, you don't have to go out of the city to advance your career."
Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby says using averages is dangerous, and fails to account for extremes at either end of the spectrum.
But he accepts there is a high proportion of people in Tauranga on relatively low wages or superannuation.
"The issue is, how can you participate in a community on your income and have a quality of life? To me that's the most important thing. In Tauranga we are very fortunate that we can have a quality of life probably second to none in New Zealand, without the necessity to have a high income. We are blessed here to have a natural environment that we can enjoy for free."
The city's growth is a double-edged sword. "My personal view is that growth is good even though it brings a lot of challenges and affordability issues."
Ross Stanway, chief executive of Realty Services, which operates Bayleys and Eves, says housing affordability is driven by demand - and Tauranga is one of the country's most popular areas.
"Surely we would much prefer to be a higher sought after and desirable area, which is reflected in our house prices, versus having the lowest house prices in New Zealand and greatest affordability.
"That will tend to be the sort of area where there are few job prospects, an economy that's either very small or going backwards, and very low demand. Is this something that we would be proud of?"
The affordability formula failed to take into account the high number of retired people in Tauranga, he said.
Affordability was a matter of perspective - Aucklanders moving to the area found it very affordable.
"If you look at what $600,000 could get you in our region versus Auckland, there is absolutely no comparison."
Stanway says the focus needs to be on bringing up incomes by promoting the region as a good place to do business.
This is exactly the aim of economic agency Priority One.
The agency's focus is on retaining and attracting business to the region, resulting in higher incomes, chief executive Andrew Coker says.
"Affordability of housing is an important factor in that. We have to realise this is a desirable place to live. There are other less desirable places to live which are substantially cheaper. They are cheaper for a reason.
"What we are finding is an increasing level of interest from businesses and people, particularly expats, moving back."
Companies setting up shop in Tauranga include Jenkins Freshpac Systems, which moved 13 staff from Auckland to its new Tauriko operation, and Brother International (NZ) which is building a $10-million headquarters at Tauriko and shifting 35 staff from Wellington. The appeal for business is infrastructure such as the port and inexpensive industrial land, but staff are also keen to move here, Coker says.
"We must be doing something right.
"There will always be people who can't afford houses and are struggling with the valuations, we can't think people aren't affected by it.
"There are obviously people on lower incomes or fixed incomes who struggle in this environment, but we have got to focus on developing [the economy]."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is also working on driving up incomes.
"When the median wage is around $55,000 but the entry point of buying a house is $350,000, there is a problem," the chamber's acting chief executive Anne Pankhurst says.
"We are still extremely lucky in this country and even more in Tauranga that we can enjoy our leisure without it costing a fortune. The biggest gap is how much we earn to pay for the cost of living."
As more big businesses move to Tauranga, and existing businesses raise incomes, affordability will improve, she says.
One of those who shifted to Tauranga due to business relocation is Sumit Oza, financial controller for Jenkins Freshpac Systems. After 10 years in Auckland, Mr Oza now lives at The Lakes with his wife and two children in a new house.
Their mortgage repayments are 40 per cent less than they were in Auckland. Mr Oza's commute to work is now four minutes instead of 25 minutes, and he has more spare time to spend in his vegetable garden.
People in Tauranga have more time to connect, he says.
"In Auckland people generally don't have time to meet and greet whereas when we take a walk in our subdivision, or take our kid to school, people tend to [stop and chat]."
Mr Oza is so impressed with the region's lifestyle and affordability, he's now encouraging friends to move here.
It's a sentiment that Rebekah Adams agrees with. The 20-year-old left her Welcome Bay home a month ago to start a new life in Auckland with partner Josh - but the couple are already planning to return.
"It's so expensive so we are already looking at moving back. The job opportunities seemed better up here, but the living costs doesn't actually work out for the better."
As for Jenner Ballinger-Judd, she's looking forward to raising her young family in Tauranga and is confident she's made the right decision for their family - and their finances - regardless of what the statistics say.
"It's been a really positive experience for us."
