Does the thought of spending your 30s paying off your 20s scare you? It seems that there a lot of nzgirls out there who struggle to make their money work for them, so we sent Tee on a Six Week Money Coaching Workshop thanks to Acumen Financial Planning.

Read on to find out how you could win your very own money makeover!

Tee checked in a few weeks ago to let us know how the intial shock of sticking to a budget was going - turned out she could manage her money and buy a pair of hot boots! We like. This time, she'll take you through the remainder of the workshop and give you her verdict.

Can I Turn My Life Around?
The first part of the program involves an initial one hour conversation with money guru Sarah to sort out your budget template, your relationship with money and your goals for the future.

The remaining five sessions take place over the phone and cover:

• Goals and visions for the future
• Then specific action plans for areas such as debt reduction, mortgages, bank accounts, insurance, retirement, will and power of attorneys.

Motivate your money management: Vision Boards
Sarah pointed out that creating a vision board for yourself helps to get you focussed on what's important in your life so you can go after what you truly desire. It can also help you to see your potential rather than staying caught up in your current, potentially negative, circumstances.

Your vision board can include yoru wildest dreams from your ideal home, beach house, holidays you'd like to go on, cars, children, starting your own business, landing your dream job. Your imagination is the only limit...

nzgirl reader challenge: Create your own vision board!
Get out some scissors, glue and a bunch of old magazines. Cut everything out and glue them on a thick piece of card and place the moodboard somewhere so you can reflect on it when you feel yourself straying off course. Or you could find the images on the net and make a digital collage and have it as your desktop background?

Free Yourself: Debt Reduction
Having the burden of debt hanging over your head can really drag you down. Whether you're dabbling in a little bit of overdraft, managing a student loan, or facing a loan repayment crisis, Sarah's tricks for getting the debt (and your attitudes towards it) are a real step in the right direction.

As well as working out how much debt you currently owe and a strategy for paying that back (slow and steady wins this race!), it's important to look at your attitudes to credit as well. Do you save up for something until you can afford it, or slap it on HP or the credit card?

nzgirl reader challenge: Make a plan to reduce your debt!
Debt stops you from moving forward in your financial freedom - instead of spending that excess cashflow on items you want, you're stuck paying off items you've already used and may be sick of! Spend some time looking at your debt, how much you owe and then work out a priority for paying this back at regular intervals.

Pay Yourself First: Start Saving Seriously
It's hard to get a savings scheme going when you wait until the end of the pay cycle and wonder why there's no money left over! If you're one of those people who spend until there's nothing left, this is a particularly ineffective. Sarah advises you to think about four types of savings - lump sum, short-term, long-term and retirement - and to set each of these up on an automatic payment system, so that it's easy to manage! Let your bank do the hard work!

At the same time, this could be a good time to review your bank account situation including bank fees and interest rates.

nzgirl reader challenge: Pay yourself this month!
Look into setting up automatic payments into a savings account (at the start of the pay cycle) so you can watch your savings grow and make an appointment with your bank to talk about the best options for you - try and keep it as simple as possible!

Your Safety Nets: Insurance, Wills and Powers of Attorney
Insurance is one of those things that protects you from the things you cannot control, or as Sarah says, the soft landing that you fall upon when a crisis occurs. Do you have assets like your contents, house or car insured? What about your life or income? The Acumen team are able to chat with you on your requirements and send you in the right direction to find out more about any of these services.

Additionally, you might want to think about setting up a will and a power of attorney - they're not just for 'old people'. Basically, they give you a say in how your affairs would be handled if you die or lose the capacity to handle them yourself. Again, Sarah is able to provide you with the tools to set this all up.

nzgirl reader challenge: Ponder a Worst Case Scenario
Have a think about the financial strain you (and your family/partner) may be under if you're unable to work for an extended period of time. How will you cover your expenses?

The Final Verdict
I started the workshop knowing that I needed to make some changes in how I managed my money - ie, at the very least starting to manage it effectively! Working with Sarah, an nzgirl like myself, made the whole process that much easier because I could relate to her and because she was so motivating!

I am so glad I took the time to get myself sorted out - the budget isn't impinging on my life at all! I'm stoked to have wiped out my residual Uni overdraft and credit cards. I love that each payday my money sorts itself out and I know that I've got things under control and can rest easy! Now when I buy nice things, it's because I've earnt them and I feel no guilt!

I say do it! Set yourself free...

Want to win your own Six Week Money Coaching experience with Sarah? Click here to enter our competition for one lucky nzgirl reader to undertake her own Six Week Money Coaching Workshop!