Helping people budget

BY IMOGEN NEALE

Budgeting doesn’t have to be a painful exercise.

In fact some people, like 25-year-old volunteer budgeting adviser Monique Wilson, get a real kick out of it.

"I enjoy finding systems that work for people so they can meet their goals like going on holiday," Ms Wilson says.

"It’s really satisfying being able to pay your bills."

She has a fulltime job in freight forwarding but she’s also just completed the Federation of Budgeting Services course and hopes to pour her spare time into helping people balance their budgets at the Papakura Budgeting Service.

"A lot of people don’t realise how many options are available to them out there," she says.

Manager Denise Smith says the free service is "here to educate, offer advice and support".

In the past year people have been "borrowing too much and can’t pay it back" and a lot have come in to talk about disconnections and repossessions.

"Quite often people we’re seeing should never have been lent money in the first place," Mrs Smith says.

Based in the Old Central School the service has 12 budgeters but Mrs Smith would like another six.

"We’ve had such a demand for the service and we’re hoping to start up a late evening."

She says a volunteer needs to have some life experience and be a "people person".

"They’ll be working with quite a few vulnerable people in the community."

They’ll also need to complete a one-day-a-week, six-week course that’s free if they’re committed to joining the budgeting service as a volunteer.

Ms Wilson says the course work is "very similar to real life so it’s easy to learn from and you get lots of support".

Papakura Budgeting Service is at 57 Wood St and is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. For more information call 299-6881.

- © Fairfax NZ News