Kiwi Personal Finance Blogs?

[kiwigirls]

Hi fellow New Zealanders, I enjoy reading a variety of US, Canadian & UK blogs on the topic of FIRE but I long for a good writer in the New Zealand context. When I search google I get interest.co.nz or articles written by journalists/finance commentators which is not really what I am after.  What I really want is a good, meaty, detailed NZ FIRE blogger.  Can you recommend any?

[Faramir]

I've never found any either from a NZ perspective that I like anywhere near as much as the international ones.  I've been reading MMM for a bit over 3 years & I realised that I can happily make do with a variety of US ones (mainly MMM, but also ERE, Livingafi, Rootofgood, GoCurryCracker) & take the principles of lifestyle & ways to think about money from them and just apply them to my NZ situation.  I just try to ignore the stuff about 401k, Roth Ladders, credit card churning, low Vanguard fees etc that just aren't available in NZ.

When I look around my NZ workplace (in Auckland) I notice I can't identify anyone I'd consider frugal other than me in a workplace of 70+ people so there can't be a huge number of people in a relatively small country like NZ who are really into early retirement and be a good enough writer about financial independence who can compete with the US-based bloggers above.  And I think that if I read 5 financial bloggers from a nation of about 300 million it's not surprising I don't come across a good one from our country of 4.5 million people.

[kiwigirls]

Thanks Dave - I just didn't want to be missing out on great kiwi FIRE blogs if there were any out there!  Like you I read the US blogs and whilst I skip past all their 401k/Roth bits I can't help thinking that the US is a bit better set up to help people build a stash.  I guess it makes sense given that the States is a much wealthier country and more entrepreneurial!  Their tax sheltered savings accounts put our Kiwisaver to shame... Also the cheap cost of their housing, it couldn't be done in NZ - unless you lived in a very small town in a remote part of the country.  And their cheap groceries/utilities.... 

Sorry when I read back over it my post is sounding a bit negative and that was not my intention!  We live in one of the best places in the world and I would just be interested to read about other New Zealanders persuing FI.

[Piwakawaka]

Alas, I have also sought NZ centric FIRE blogs, but they don't seem to exist. The bach, bmw and boat aspirational mentality is strong down under (ok, gross over simplification I know, but still...) At the very least, we have Elizabeth Kerr's excellent column on interest.co.nz. Maybe you could fill a void here kiwigirls!

[kiwigirls]

Yes I love the 3B's - it sums up the aspirations of a nation..  Occasionally I am tempted to journal or blog but our two degrees of separation worries me.  All the best journals & bloggers are open about their own finances and I know my husband would be totally against me talking about money.  On the plus side being such a small country I do wonder when I am out biking if fellow bikers are also fellow mustachians - I wonder if we need a special sign so we can recognise kindred spirits?

[Piwakawaka]

Look for the bikers wearing ordinary clothes, and not clad in that expensive skin tight hilarious looking stuff! My god I can't keep a straight face when I'm biking home from work in my dirty high vis stuff, or shirtless in the summer, and get passed by the fancy biker crowd in their sleek get ups.

Have you considered an alter ego?

[kiwigirls]

I can't even bring myself to join the FB group - have you?  I really want to join in and see what they have to offer but can't bear the thought that I would have to offer up my true identity.  Would it be wrong to have a fake FB account just to join in with the NZ mustachians??

[Piwakawaka]

FB group - sure have!
Its a great hub for info and ideas relating to the NZ specific FIRE conundrums. I don't see why a fake FB would be needed- if anybody asks you can just tell them you think these Mustache folks are weird, and you follow them for a laugh mostly, although they have some good investment ideas

[kiwigirls]

I am not embarrassed to be a mustachian - I am proud to be frugal and planning for early retirement.   I will talk about it with other frugal people and I do broach topics with non-frugal friends - but you know how that goes, blank looks/disbelief that you could or would want to retire early.

Its more that the forums allow you to be more open about money and I like being able to talk about savings rates, spending etc without worrying that I will reveal too much.  Chch being the small place it is I would like to stay anonymous!

PS - Am curious did you hate mushrooms before you started working at Meadowfresh or you have come to loathe them over time?

[Piwakawaka]

I see!
I agree on the CHC call. Meadowfresh is not my employer, but the word 'Meadow' does appear in it's name. You can work that one out haha. I was never able to get my tastebuds around the taste and texture combination of mushrooms, the make me gag. So its ironic that I work growing the damn things, but it pays well for someone with no real career ambitions!

[spotila]

There aren't really any options in terms of NZ blogs that I've come across either.
There was this one I came across late last year, but he never seems to have continued beyond a few posts: http://passivekiwi.com/

I don't post here much at all (just read), but have been playing with the idea of starting an NZ leaning PF blog for quite a while. I work in IT so getting one together is not an issue, it's more just the content that I'd want to get right.

kg, come join us in the FB group, the more the better :)

[kiwigirls]

I see!
I agree on the CHC call. Meadowfresh is not my employer, but the word 'Meadow' does appear in it's name. You can work that one out haha. I was never able to get my tastebuds around the taste and texture combination of mushrooms, the make me gag. So its ironic that I work growing the damn things, but it pays well for someone with no real career ambitions!

oops sorry brain not working.. milk / mushrooms almost the same thing.

[kiwigirls]

There aren't really any options in terms of NZ blogs that I've come across either.
There was this one I came across late last year, but he never seems to have continued beyond a few posts: http://passivekiwi.com/

I don't post here much at all (just read), but have been playing with the idea of starting an NZ leaning PF blog for quite a while. I work in IT so getting one together is not an issue, it's more just the content that I'd want to get right.

kg, come join us in the FB group, the more the better :)

Start the blog! I will read it..

[tj]

Thanks Dave - I just didn't want to be missing out on great kiwi FIRE blogs if there were any out there!  Like you I read the US blogs and whilst I skip past all their 401k/Roth bits I can't help thinking that the US is a bit better set up to help people build a stash.  I guess it makes sense given that the States is a much wealthier country and more entrepreneurial!  Their tax sheltered savings accounts put our Kiwisaver to shame... Also the cheap cost of their housing, it couldn't be done in NZ - unless you lived in a very small town in a remote part of the country.  And their cheap groceries/utilities.... 

Sorry when I read back over it my post is sounding a bit negative and that was not my intention!  We live in one of the best places in the world and I would just be interested to read about other New Zealanders persuing FI.

You have better access to health care though. ;) Plus you have the awesomeness of the Bay of Islands and Queenstown in one country! Americans can get a working holiday visa until the age of 35 and I often ponder the idea of going back to NZ for a year, even if it does delay retirement. Who knows, maybe I'll find me a mustachian kiwi woman. haha :D


How is Christchuch doing? When I was there, it was not too long after the earthquake. The tour bus didn't even stay overnight (having stayed in hamner springs instead), we stopped for a few hours to pick up some new passengers. A lot of shipping containers and not much else. I was happy to support the coffee shop in the shipping container...hoping things might be better now....if only to allow you to better grow your stache.

[kiwigirls]

Yes it is a pretty magic little spot.  Christchurch is doing alright.  Do come back and visit us for a year!   We travelled for a couple of years pre-children and it was a great time in our lives.  Now we are looking forward to when they are independent adults and we can go travelling again.

As for Christchurch thanks for asking about us.  We are doing OK.  Most people have had their houses fixed, all the restaurants and bars are back up and running and the central city is getting there.  That is probably the slowest part to be rebuilt and visitors to Chc can still wander around a fairly demolished inner city and get the sense of the desolation caused by 80% of the buildings falling down.