Each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's what to expect for your finances in the year ahead. Hosted by Frances Cook.
It's the time of year to take stock, and your finances are the best place to start.
It impacts everything else, and you need to be honest about where you stand before making grand plans for the year.
But frankly, it's not always totally within our control. Sometimes the dice rolls in your favour, and sometimes there are clouds on the horizon that you can only try to shelter from.
So what's the good, bad, and ugly for our financial 2018?
Should we be bracing for impact, or getting ready to make hay while the sun shines?
I talked to two of my NZ Herald colleagues to find out, Business Editor at Large Liam Dann and Personal Finance Editor Tamsyn Parker.
We talked about whether you can expect a pay rise, what parts of life will become more expensive, and what on earth the housing market is up to.
For the interview, listen to the podcast.
If you have a question about this episode, or something you'd like me to cover in the future, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook