Increased numbers of us are facing financial difficulties, with 31 per cent of New Zealanders needing to dip into their savings to pay for the basics, and 24 per cent missing at least one bill payment.
However, facing increased financial head winds seems to have created a desire to do better with our money. So here comes the good news.
More New Zealanders now have a savings account big enough to pay for one month of expenses, and are trying to save more each month.
Fewer of us are embarrassed about our money situation, and more of us are willing to talk about it, which is excellent. No matter what's happening in your wallet, shame never helps anyone.
So, if all of this is you, or someone you know, you might now be wondering if there's a way you can make these changes in an easier way.
There's more than one way to make a budget, and finding the easiest way for you might be the key to helping you stick to all of these wonderful new money habits, without sacrificing too much of your lifestyle.
For the latest Cooking the Books I talked to Donna Robinson from Sorted.
We discussed how you can start thinking about a budget, the nuts and bolts of how to do it, and how to adjust it for big life goals, as well as some fun.
For the interview, listen on the podcast player above.
If you have a question you'd like answered in a future podcast, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.
You can subscribe to this podcast on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts app, or Spotify, to make sure you never miss an episode.
