The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand cover art

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

By: Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger
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About this listen

Your friends might not want to talk about money, but I do! Hi, I’m Ruth and I’m a blogger on Personal Finance and in this podcast I tell the stories of Kiwis and their experiences with the money in their lives. How do they use it or how does it use them? Where do they save and invest it and does it work? What are their financial triumphs and financial train wrecks? How can you extract the most out of life and spend as little as possible while doing it? Join me as I ask the questions everyone else is too polite to ask but is dying to know about New Zealanders and their money. Happy Saving! Ruth

 Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • 112. Resilience, Balance, Community, and Happiness

    112. Resilience, Balance, Community, and Happiness
    Oct 7 2025
    This week, I’m sharing the story of Rachel, a 90s kid from Timaru. Rachel is the youngest of four, with three brothers, and a ten year gap between her and her oldest brother, and they all grew up with a stay at home mum and a Dad who always took any and every job he could to provide for their family. Although Rachel just assumed that hers might be a standard life plan of go to school, complete some tertiary study at some point, get a full-time job and work your way up the career ladder, she has ended up veering off on a path entirely of her own making. Aged 32, she now works where and when she wants to and is not afraid to work full-time or not at all. She’s created a financial cushion for herself, which is smaller than you might expect, but it's plenty enough for her. This is coupled with a large and supportive family and community, meaning she gets to go out and be herself, knowing she’s never alone. I reckon that Rachel’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and crafting a life that balances work, faith, community, and financial independence on her own terms, and she is genuinely happy and content with where she has been and where she is yet to go.
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    58 mins
  • 111. Moving Closer to Financial Independence

    111. Moving Closer to Financial Independence
    Sep 17 2025
    In today’s episode, I spoke with Marian, who in turn spoke on behalf of herself and her husband, Jon. Originally from the Netherlands and now based in New Zealand, they’re in the middle of a big transition, preparing to sell their home in the greater Wellington region and move down to Canterbury as they edge closer to semi-retirement. It’s a big transition in many ways, but moving location is something this couple have regularly done throughout their lives, and Marian in particular enjoys the whole process of heading off to live in a new house and discover a new area. Today’s episode gave me a fascinating insight into growing up and working in the Netherlands, and how and why a couple would want to give all of that up to move to New Zealand. Born savers, these two have always had their eye on their wallet, and that simple habit, of living on less than you make, has certainly been a big part of their success today. But forays into using a financial advisor and investing in rental property didn’t serve them well when they tried to take that next step into investing. It was really only when they stepped back and decided to educate themselves and manage their own index fund investments that they got off the side roads and onto the freeway to financial independence. Now, with a move to Te Waipounamu ahead and the ability to step back from full-time work, Marian and Jon are at an exciting stage of life, still aiming to reach their financial goals, but with the freedom to shape what the future looks like.
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    54 mins
  • 110. No More Using the House as an ATM

    110. No More Using the House as an ATM
    Aug 27 2025
    Today’s guest, Gail, has been on quite the financial trip and she’s still very much on it. Back in 2019, at age 41, she experienced a wake-up call. She found herself with plenty on her plate: a failing business, an income of just $25,000, no savings, no emergency fund, drawing down on her mortgage to pay the mortgage, mounting IRD debt, $4,000 on the credit card, and using buy now, pay later just to cover the basics in life. After listing down her not insignificant problems, she asked herself how on earth she could get out of this mess. But, at that stage, no ideas were forthcoming other than finding a new husband, getting back together with the old one, or winning the lottery. Ultimately, she realised that she was the solution to her own problems. As you’ve heard from many guests on this podcast, a bit of knowledge and time can make all the difference. Today, aged 47, Gail’s got a plan. And that is to put the past behind her, build her future and retire by the age of 53. Her financial situation is so common, and by sharing her story, she’s not only showing how far she’s come, but also helping others believe they can turn things around too. In fact, Gail credits this very podcast as one of the sparks that got her started on this journey. She told me, “I never would have thought it possible if I hadn’t heard of other people doing it, and just hearing the variety of ways that people have made their situation better was a huge help to me.”
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    1 hr and 10 mins
All stars
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I really enjoyed this episode. It is really difficult to bounce back from relationships that have ended. Ruth always works to get different points of view from all walks of life. I also really appreciate the focus on family most of her episodes touch on. A lot of finance doesn't often have the same whanau approach and is more wealth related.

Different way to financial freedom

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