Budget advisors warn Southland no longer a cheaper lifestyle

A Southland-based budgeting service says it is overwhelmed with calls for support as the cost of living bites. Financial mentors at Jubilee Budget Advisory Service in Invercargill say there has been more than a 30 per cent increase in people seeking one-on-one sessions since last August, when they advised around 550 clients. That number rose to 722 last month, around 135 one-on-one sessions a week. Jubliee Budget Advisory Service General manager Sharon Soper says many clients come through the door unsure how to pay for food or petrol. Others are making decisions on whether to sell their cars and even houses, unable to keep up with their mortgage after more than a decade of meeting repayments. She says while Southland used to boast a cheaper way of living, that is no longer the case.