By India Lopez
Editorial & Production Manager | Pou Whakahaere Pānui Ētita, Whakaputa Hautaonga
Well, I survived my first three months as editor – fist pump – and not only kept the job but also made a slew of improvements to my personal life, thanks to Consumer NZ’s positive influence.
Changed my KiwiSaver provider
One of the first articles that landed on my desk was about KiwiSaver survey results, which reminded me I hadn’t reviewed my scheme in many moons. Sure enough, I wasn’t getting the best returns possible – easily fixed by switching to one of our People’s Choice providers.
Bought an e-bike
To repurpose an old joke: How do you know someone rides an e-bike? They’ll tell you. I plan to do exactly that, at length, in an article for our summer magazine – for now, just know that I consulted our test results, invested in a great bike and saw my quality of life drastically improve.
Got contents insurance
I know, I know, I should’ve already had it. Acquiring my beloved e-bike, along with some crazy flooding in Wellington that felt way too close to home, finally prompted me to take out an insurance policy. I used our online tool to compare premiums and went with the cheapest People’s Choice insurer. Thankfully, I haven’t yet found out whether making a claim is as easy as people say.
Implored my landlord to go electric
As a renter, my hands are tied on this one, but I certainly made sure my landlord (who also happens to be my best friend) read our article laying out how much households can save by switching from gas to electric (in my case, with a gas connection used only for hot water, about $1,150). The next step is introducing her to the Cogo Electrify Your Home calculator. It’s only a matter of time before she caves.
Switched power companies
This one, at least, is within my control. I hopped on Powerswitch and found a much better price than what I had been paying. Thanks to our explainer, I knew that a time-of-use plan wouldn’t suit my routine, so I eliminated those using Powerswitch’s filter options. Easy as.
Got an Airpoints-earning credit card
In a shock twist, writing a scathing piece about Air New Zealand Koru actually led me to buy into the loyalty programme more. I still think it’s laughable that the company framed Koru as “more rewarding” when it offered exactly nothing to us lowly Bronze tier folk, but as I was researching the piece, I realised I could get a zero-fee credit card that would earn me Airpoints. How could I say no?
Cancelled my HelloFresh subscription
Yep, mine was one of the households stung by the meal-kit company’s sudden $24/week increase. Not content to simply air my grievance in an article, I also cancelled my plan and instead signed up for My Food Bag’s Bargain Box, which costs even less than my pre-increase HelloFresh box. Bon appétit.
I get access to all our test and survey results for free – perks of the job! – but you can become a member for the cost of about two flat whites a month. Who knows what changes your first 90 days will bring?
