Find your money style, say what's on your mind, and set your money dream.
Manage your spending, saving and debt →
Need help managing your debts or figuring out how to save?
“It’s made me think twice about my money and not doing spur of the moment spending.”My Money Kete member
Free and confidential · no login · nothing shared without you
Step 1 · about 1 minute
Let's get you set up
Your name, your email, and a couple of quick questions. There's no password. We'll email you a link so you can come back.
We'll email you your guides and a link back. Nothing else.
A quick check before you start, so you can see how far you've come:
I feel on top of my money right now
Not really
Sort of
Yes
I know what my next money step is
Not really
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Yes
Yes, email me my guides and next steps. We’ll keep your first name, your
email and a few simple labels so the emails make sense for you. Never the numbers you type.
They stay on this device. Unsubscribe from any email, any time.
How we handle your information.
Your answers stay with you. We keep your name, your email and a few simple labels, but never your quiz answers or any dollar figures.
Your money dream
What's your money dream?
Pick up to three, or write your own.
My money dream
A guide to keep
Your dream, in weekly numbersWhat your dream costs each week, and the $25 rule. A 2-page PDF to keep, print or make notes on.
If you want more
Do the maths · the $25 rule
Every dream has a weekly number
$25 a week, about one takeaway night, is $1,300 in a year. Leave it five years in a savings account and it's about $7,200: your $6,500, plus roughly $700 the bank pays you for leaving it alone.
Top tipTake a photo of your dream and keep it on your phone, somewhere you can look at it regularly to keep that dream alive.
Your money style
Which of these sound like you?
Find out how you view and react to money. Tick any that sound like you. There are no wrong answers.
What’s on your mind · pick one
What's your biggest money challenge right now?
Pick the one that matters most right now.
More about your style
Done: You and your money
The link in your email brings you back here, ready to carry on.
Learn more
Your money style, in fullAll four styles, and what helps each one. 2 pages.
Talk to a financial mentorFree and confidential, and near you.
Spending, saving and debt
What would help most right now?
Pick the one that matters most. Your money picture comes first, then your step.
Getting on top of debt
Getting started with saving
Your money picture · not a budget
Your money, in one picture.
Put in what comes in and where it goes. Rough numbers are fine. Use weekly or monthly, whichever is easier.
Weekly
Monthly
Include everything that comes in: pay, benefits, Working for Families, board. If it goes up and down, use a quieter week.
Where it goes · ten lines
Guess if you're not sure. A rough picture still helps.
Worth a second look
Subscriptions are the sneaky one
Streaming, music, the gym, phone apps, that free trial from March. They're small, they're automatic, and almost everyone finds one they'd forgotten. Scroll your bank app for anything that repeats.
Where your money flows
More going out than coming in? It's the most common picture we see, and it can be fixed. The next steps show where to start.
Coloured by how much say you have over each one, not by good or bad. No line here is a mistake.
A guide to keep
Where the money actually goesA closer look at where your money goes, and how to review it. A 2-page PDF.
If you want more
Your safety net · about a minute
A safety net, built out of small weeks
A safety net means that when life happens, a car repair or school fees don't have to
become a loan. Move the slider to see how small, regular amounts add up.
From your money picture
$10
Assumes a savings account paying 4% a year, interest added monthly.
A real rate will differ. Information to think with, not financial advice. A financial
mentor can talk it through with you, free.
Take action · one step
Get on top of your debt
Add your debts one at a time. Each takes about a minute.
Add a debt
$
%
$
No
Yes
🔒 These figures stay on your device. Only the fact that you looked at debt is ever recorded.
3 ways to get your debts under control
1 · Get free help from experts
A financial mentor is the best person to help you out: confidential, non-judgemental, and all over New Zealand.
2 · Combine your debts into one
Lots of debts, all charging different interest and fees? One interest-free, fee-free loan from Ngā Tāngata can replace them.
3 · Talk to the people you owe
It can feel hard, but most lenders will work with you, especially before you fall behind.
The one that changes things
Treat it like a bill
Most people save whatever’s left at the end of the week. Usually nothing’s left. That’s not willpower, that’s just how weeks work. So move it the day you get paid, before anything else has a go at it. Your power bill doesn’t wait to see what’s left over.
Three steps, in order
1 · Set one automatic payment
Pick an amount you won’t feel: $5 or $10 is plenty. Set it for the day after payday, in your banking app or by asking at the bank. Send it somewhere you can’t see it when you check your balance.
2 · Give it a name
“Savings” is easy to raid. “The car rego” is harder, because you know exactly what you’re taking it from. Emergency money counts as a name. So does Christmas.
3 · Write the date, even if it isn’t today
Paying off debt first? You don’t have to start today. Clearing an expensive debt often does more. But write down the date you can start and put it in your phone. A date is a plan; “sometime” isn’t.
Help is close at hand
A financial mentor is the door to a Ngā Tāngata interest-free loan. Free, confidential, judgement-free. They've had this kōrero many times before.
Worth knowing$10 a week is about $520 in a year. The amount matters less than whether it keeps happening.
Kia kaha. You've finished your first session.
✓
First session complete
This card is yours to share, or keep just for you.
Same two questions: how does it feel now?
I feel on top of my money right now
Not really
Sort of
Yes
I know what my next money step is
Not really
Sort of
Yes
One next step, just one
Pick one thing to do this week.
Learn more
Getting on top of debtThe three ways out, and what to say when you ring. 2 pages.
Talk to a financial mentorFree and confidential. Take your one-page summary, or send it.
Still there for you
You and your money: your money style, what's on your mind, and your money dream.
Spending less isn't the only lever, and it's rarely the biggest one
In order of what usually pays best: 1. Check what you're already entitled to: Working for Families, accommodation supplement, disability costs. Thousands of NZ households are owed money they never claim. 2. Sell what you no longer use. One Marketplace afternoon is often a few hundred dollars. 3. The hours or pay kōrero at work, with the number written down before you walk in. A side hustle is fine too, but start with the money that's already yours.
When you're ready: savingNot now, necessarily. But when there's something spare, the habit matters more than the amount. Here's the short version, yours to keep.
Good habit №1Look at your dream regularly, once a day or at least once a week, to remind yourself why this matters.
Talking to a financial mentor
Find a financial mentor near you
Free, confidential, and on your side. The first meeting starts with you, not your numbers.
A financial mentor is free, confidential and all over Aotearoa, and they are the door to an interest-free Ngā Tāngata loan. MoneyTalks: 0800 345 123, or free text 4029.
Ready when you are
Beta: in testing before launch. If you sign up we save your email and a few labels so we can send your guides. The numbers you enter stay on your own device and are never sent to us.
Pick up where you left off
If that email is in My Money Kete, a link is on its way. It can take a few minutes.
What’s a financial mentor?
Someone at a free budgeting service near you, who helps you work through your money.
Free. It costs you nothing.
Confidential, and on your side. No telling-off, no judgement.
The door to a loan. A financial mentor is how you get an interest-free Ngā Tāngata loan, if you need one.
