86. You can’t live with a lifestyle that is above your income.

The standout for me today is how quickly you can change your financial lot in life simply because you decide to. Helen and Scott are 45 and 42 respectively, and have lived a life common to many of us, with good bits, not-so-good bits and, to a large extent, following the crowd for whom managing money is a struggle. With five tamariki between them, they have known each other a long time, yet only became a couple a few years ago. Both carry the scars and financial lessons from previous marriages, including reliance on consumer debt and being excluded either willfully or unwillingly from handling pūtea, yet they both jumped in boots and all with their money in their relationship today. Working harder was always their way out of a financial jam, but finally, they are learning to work smarter.