Mana Ahumoni -- Working towards Financial Freedom

Something I've been dealing with lately is the weird feeling of the aftermath of the Windsor house. It totally felt like we'd broken up. Like the future I'd planned with that 90 year old lady had been ripped from my hands. And quite literally it sometimes felt like my plans had fallen through the floor beneath me and that there was no way up. This was my first time. I've been talking with other people since then who've told me they've also struggled buying a house. Losing out in auctions, getting close to going unconditional and then things going pear shaped, house after house after house and still no house. All that time, money, effort, hope... And for what? Just a sore heart and soul. It shouldn't be this hard to buy a house. But it is. When I explained to some of my students this past week the aftermath since I'd talked to them before lockdown... They were confused and upset for me. Because they too were excited! I'm now at a point where I ca...

I talked to both of the mortgage brokers that I've been working with today.  Troy reminded me of how far I've truly come in the past 18 months. He used the words - dramatic change. It caused me to think about how thankful I am where I am now.  Yes I still have far to go, but being thankful of where I am is important - to look around and be proud of where I am is critical. Because the past me struggled for so long to get where I am.  And the future me has already done the work.  The next few months I'm going to be saving more and more money.  I want to improve my chances astronomically.  Also - I want to find the right house, for the right price and the right risk/issues that can be remedied quickly.  I'm hopeful.  I put another offer in for Windsor Street. Significantly lower this time. But I feel more comfortable with that offer and know what the possibilities are with the banks.  I also think that I have a better chance as the deposit and e...

Be onto it.  Know where your money is coming ANG going.  Know your debts.  Pay them. Whatever method you can.  If you're not sure - contact the credit rating companies.  They'll straight up just tell you.  Then you can avoid finding an overdue $9 payment from TWO YEARS AGO that is now putting a red underlined mark under my name and a big ole NOPE on the risk-o-meter for the banks. Ugh.  I worked so hard to get here and am being screwed over by a few things:  * A lack of communication from the company. They should have called me about the outstanding payment. They say they sent two emails back in 2019. I cannot find them. I had no recollection that I had an overdue payment. Had I known... I would have paid the $9!  * The company seem to be refusing to remove this mark from my name on the credit score. This is beyond frustrating.  * The banks see me as a risk because of a missed payment from 2019. Of $9.  * My credit score is currentl...

 Inez White and Dave Ramsey (plus a whole heap of other Youtubers!!) helped me get further out of the financial hole I'd dug myself.  Through Dave Ramsey and the Baby Steppers I had a community of people all working together to break their poverty mindset and work towards achieving their financial stability and adopt an abundance mindset.  Inez White and her team gave me the best support and financial education I've ever ever EVER had in my entire life.  Going to Inez's weekly support development hui felt like a financial version of Alcoholics Anonymous. Seriously.  We listened to her story, her advice and how to buy our first homes. She was passionately working her butt off to get as many Māori whanau into their first home - hopefully on Papakainga, Māori land.  She was literally the biggest hope I ever had. I thought,  Far, if Inez can do it... I could too .  And seriously - I would not be in the position I am today if it were not for her night ...

 In spite of my deepening depression - I was constantly trying to better myself.  I joined Rotaract - young Rotary and supported the local Interact club.  I joined Māori Women's Welfare League.  I got heavily involved with PPTA and activism for teachers.  I became a Twitter Queen for English Teachers in NZ. Go on... Google me 😂 Yet still I had a real struggle holding onto my own money.  I thought about going to a budget advisor. I was too prideful for some reason. I should have gone. It would have helped me so much.  They would have taught me everything that I've quite literally fought to teach myself.  I researched poverty mindset more and then learnt about the abundance mindset.  I soon came to learn about the Debt Snowball.  It gave me the courage and passion to start turning things around.  All I had to do was put my debts in order from highest to lowest.  Eg.  Car - $4000 DTR - $3500 Vet - $2800 HP - $670 IF - $500 T...

 I was trying to live it up like everyone else.  I knew I was making a lot of money - I was giving some to my family as often as I could, but try as hard as I could, I just couldn't save.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.  It was about then, sitting in that dark and dungy little whare that I learnt about the two biggest game changers of my life:  * Marie Kondo and the Konmari Spark Joy method * Poverty vs Abundance Mindset Learning about Poverty Mindset gave me the biggest key to financial freedom.  Because I had to realise the reality of my situation.  I had grown up learning things that embedded the idea that I could just put items on laybuy or hire purchase. That I could have everything I wanted... No matter the cost or financial ruin.  In fact - I never really had any of my own money. It just went on bills.  But I couldn't seem to break free of that simple thought that I'd grown up with:  Pay the bills before everything ...

 When I finally moved out of Auckland (waaaay too expensive to ever concieve of buying a house there).... I was excitied.  I had a new car that I got through an auction at Turners! Yay! But that had huge interest payments too... Finally, in Rotorua - in a big three bedroom house (much too expensive to live in on my own as a second year teacher)... I felt settled.  Yet the hire purchases and my financial naiivety continued.  Note to audience: Mr Rental was not a good idea. It seemed like it at the time... Because why would I need a fridge or washing machine of my own just yet? I could just RENT them.... Ugh. Such a dumb idea.  Eventually I went to DTR and *bought* the items I needed. I say *bought* because I was paying them off.... While they were in my house... With a HUGE interest markup.  I now own the TV, washing machine, fridge and bed.... However... I paid a whole heap extra in interest. I could have just saved all of my money and bought one thing at a...

 As I explained in the previous post - growing up I had seen what future financial prospects I had available in front of me.  It's for that reason that I fought so hard with my education. My grandmother and my mum supported me with my learning.  They didn't exactly know how to get me there, but they fed me, listened to my grumbles and supported me the best way they could.  I knew that I had to get out of Morrinsville - a terribly sad little town (but lots of people seem to be flocking to it now!) and that I needed to find a better future for myself.  I wanted to become a teacher. So I did. I graduated with my BA with a double major in History and English. I nearly finished my Honours too. I graduated with a Post Grad Diploma in Secondary Teaching (English, History and Social Studies). I also studied up hard at Te Wananga o Aotearoa and completed Level2-6 Te Ara Reo Māori and nearly finished my Level7 Diploma in Te Reo Māori. During those study years... I fell in...

 While it's all still fresh in my head, heart and puku... I'm going to share my experience with buying my first home.  To be fair... It's a long story.  This house on Windsor Street was not the first home I tried to buy.  Growing up, I always dreamt of building my first home. I used to spend hours mapping out and drawing floor plans for houses. Nearly always there was an extensive library. A room for my toys. A music room. A big kitchen. A fireplace. Claw foot bathtub.  I was encouraged to dream. In fact, my dreams and the dreams of my whanau were often the only thing that got us out of bed. One day moving to a big farm. One day winning the lotto. One day.... One day everything would be better. One day our luck would change.  Fastforward -- passed people who encouraged me to get higher purchases, to go into debt to help them, passed people I spent time and energy and money on because I was trying to be enough for them. I'm a people pleaser  see: previo...