Diana Clement: Is this Uber Eats trick costing you money?

Over-use of Uber Eats can get expensive. Photo / 123RF

As we say goodbye to 2020 and welcome in 2021, it's a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics to sport, from business to entertainment and lifestyle, these are the voices and views our audience loved the most. Today it's the top three from Diana Clement.

The Uber Eats problem

I barely get through each week without someone in financial services lamenting how Uber Eats is sucking younger people financially dry. It often features in the bank statements of those seeking consolidation loans or hardship assistance.

Buying on Uber Eats is simply normal behaviour for Gen Z but many are unaware the company charges a premium on the food as well as a delivery fee.

Diana Clement on why Uber Eats is just one of the many tools that make abdication of a financial future one step easier.

There are times when Uber Eats makes sense. But not three times a day. Photo / 123RF

Who stole my KiwiSaver?

Many people think of their KiwiSaver as a bank account and this is an issue.

Each week or month their account grows a little as a small percentage of their pay is diverted into it. But it's also collecting investment growth. The payback for that additional growth is "volatility" or in plain English ups and downs.

A growth fund isn't cash in the bank. It's made up of lots of different shares from different industries and parts of the globe. The price of the underlying shares in a KiwiSaver growth fund do not go up in one straight line.

Investments can go up as well as down, writes Diana Clement.

Your KiwiSaver investment will fluctuate with the fortunes of the stock market. Photo / 123RF

How to make every dollar count

Every dollar counts when it comes to managing your money. If you think "it's only a buck" stop and examine that thought. Not spent, that dollar is worth more.

It's very easy to knock up several hundred dollars a month on small purchases if you don't track them and be more mindful around the purchase.

Diana Clement looks at how to get the most our of your single dollars.

A dollar multiplies over time. Photo / 123RF