Search Menu
Search
MENU Get that Sorted feeling
Get that Sorted feeling
START HERE
1
Start your safety net
 2
Get your KiwiSaver settings right
 3
Start tackling your debt
 4
Cover your people, money, stuff
 5
Run your retirement numbers
 6
Set your targets, then hit them!
MENU Tools
All
Tools
Budgeting
tool
Goal
planner
v Created with Sketch.
Money
personality quiz
Debt
calculator
Mortgage
calculator
Retirement
planner
Smart
Investor
KiwiSaver fund
finder
KiwiSaver
savings calculator
KiwiSaver
fees calculator
Savings
calculator
Investor
kickstarter
Net
worth calculator
MENU Guides
Guides

The basic building blocks of money, explained. Pick a topic or life event, and read on!

BROWSE ALL GUIDES
Planning
& budgeting
Saving
& investing
KiwiSaver
Tackling
debt
Artboard Created with Sketch.
Protecting
wealth
Artboard Created with Sketch.
Retirement
Home
buying
MENU Blog
sorted blog home

Browse our most popular topics

Kids and money Love and money Follow the money Scam alert Future focused Debt's a drag Money minded Dialling up KiwiSaver Covered just in case
school shot
Does your school have it yet?
Kids and money
anklebiter 3
Why do we give kids money again?
Kids and money
why is this so difficult
Can't talk about money? Here's help.
Love and money
get to work
Money stressin’? Get to work.
Money minded
a closer look
Top 5 money questions to ask your partner
Love and money
night time ritual
Five easy ways to talk money with kids
Kids and money
Now we're talking
Tips when you're having a money talk
Love and money
prepping
How to prep for a money talk
Money minded
MENU
About
Who's behind Sorted? Get in touch Terms & conditions Your privacy
Learning
Sorted in Schools Sorted at Work Sorted Seminars Sorted Money Week Pūtea Sorted
Resources
FREE booklets, seminars Retirement Survival Kit Glossary Guides Help
Even more...
Debt Empire app Invested video series Knowing your rights
Guides
Planning & budgeting
Money tracking

Budgets help us plan where our money should be going, but it’s also important to track where our money actually goes. Getting a handle on how our money comes in and goes out is really the next step to getting our finances sorted and getting ahead.

Is ours a leaky bath?

Keeping a spending diary

Little things like ice creams and parking money really add up, so we’ll need to make sure and include them.

 

Find it hard to keep track of where the money goes? Try carrying around a notebook for a month or two. Write down every purchase paid for with cash (parking, coffee, lunch etc). And add in any receipts for bill payments, etc to get the full spending picture. When it comes to tracking money, the key is to capture all expenses.

Another way to do this is to download a smartphone app that does the job – there are several designed to help us track our spending on the go, such as Wally, Spending Tracker or Spend Today. Or if you prefer to keep track on a computer, search online for ‘spending diary’ – this will turn up lots of links to resources and tips.

 

Tracking money online

There are lots of online money tracking tools we can use to see whether we’re spending more than we earn pay-to-pay, week-to-week or month-to-month – or if we have money left over that can be put to good use.

Some banks offer a tool that links automatically with online banking, including ASB.

Another local tool is Pocketsmith. 

 

Case study: Rick and Heather Mawby

The Mawby family makes sure their money goes a long way.

Read more

 

 

You may also like...

BLOG

Spending futuredollars

12 Jul, 2019

Perhaps it’s because our future selves are strangers to us.

BLOG

Date night!

13 Feb, 2019

“Will you be mine?” As you’d expect, for Valentine's Day the focus turns to cards, flowers, chocolates and romance.

BLOG

Keeping up with Christmas

14 Dec, 2018

Right about now, there’s a tremendous Santa-sized pressure to deliver the best Christmas experience possible at home.

BLOG

Emily McLean

Are you a cheap date?

19 Nov, 2018

I was once on a date with a guy who pulled out a voucher.

BLOG

Money horrors!

30 Oct, 2018

Why is it that thrillers and horror films always seem to make money? From Psycho to last year’s It, many of us are consistently willing to pay someone to scare...

BLOG

Redesign your environment

14 Jun, 2018

There’s one thing we can say with some surety: we don’t always make the best decisions for our situations, especially with money. It’s part of being human.
Get Sorted
Six steps to getting sorted Tools and calculators
More
FREE Resources Guides Help Glossary
About
Who's behind Sorted? Get in touch
Sorted
Sorted in Schools Sorted at Work Sorted Smart Investor Sorted Money Week Community Pūtea Sorted
Legal
Terms & conditions Your privacy Knowing your rights
Feeling stuck?
Get personalised help here.

Sorted © 2019, Commission for Financial Capability.