OPINION:
Each week the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's where to spend and where to skimp if you're having a baby. Hosted by Frances Cook.
Listen to the Cooking the Books podcast here or watch the interview above.
If you're planning to have a baby it's a really exciting time, but it can also be a minefield of change that you're navigating for the very first time.
Many of those changes will be powered by money, and it can be a bit confusing trying to work out how much you'll need.
What do you need to buy, and what's just advertising that's preying on your fears about a new situation? What can you get secondhand, and what do you really need to get new?
It's not all bad; there are some things you can get for free, including many of the maternity healthcare services in New Zealand.
So what's the good, bad, and the ugly, and how can we make it more manageable so you can focus more on that cute baby?
In the latest podcast I talked to Jhena Hawley from Plunket.
For the interview, watch the video above, or listen to the podcast.
• If you have a question about this podcast, or question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.
• Listen to the full interview on the Cooking the Books podcast. You can find new episodes in the Herald, or subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts app, or Spotify.
OPINION: December is often the month in which we spend money like it’s confetti.