The metal detector is almost as tall as Odin Jansen, but at 6 years old, he knows how to use it. It beeps weakly at first - could be a silver coin, probably not worth digging - but then it beeps louder and louder. His sister Freya Jansen, 5, digs in the grass and excitedly shows her find: a $2 coin.

It's a sunny Saturday morning and Donnella Watt and her two children are hunting for coins and jewellery at the Riccarton Racecourse.

Once they found $23 worth of coins and a couple of jewellery items in two hours. Another time Watt found a silver St Christopher medal that she still wears. But today, after an hour and a half of scanning, the yield is meagre: $2.20 - the coin Freya dug out, and another 20 cent coin.

Watt says the kids can keep the coins because she's not broke this week.

For the solo mum on the domestic purposes benefit, metal detecting is one of the ways she has found "to make a little spare money to take my kids to the movies and so they don't miss out at Christmas time".

"Getting by on the benefit is a struggle but until my wee girl can get into a school holiday programme, it's my only option."

There are things she can't afford, such as extracurricular activities, but she says her children don't go without when it comes to food, clothing and warmth.

"As far as my kids are concerned, we are rich and they don't need to know any different."

*****

The results of a Westpac-Stuff.co.nz survey released last month show one in three Kiwis have less than $1000 stashed away, and one in 10 don't have any savings. The survey of 700 people found savings generally grew with income and age. However, 5 per cent of over-55s and 10 per cent of those aged 40 to 54 said they still had no savings in any form.

In Canterbury, the situation might be worse.

As housing costs rise and financial impacts of the earthquakes linger, local budgeting services have reported an increase in the number of families seeking their services.

But some determined Cantabrians have found ways to work around their circumstances and save as much as 50 per cent of their income.

*****

Kirsa Webb and Aaron Kokich could afford a nicer place, but they've chosen to rent a small two-bedroom unit.

"We don't have to pay for a space we're not using. We only heat the rooms we use."

The couple, in their early 30s, are fans of a blog about early retirement through extreme saving (mrmoneymustache.com).

"It completely opened our eyes to saving every cent that we've earned," Kokich says.

They have always been pretty frugal. But saving to buy a house in a couple of years, and retirement in 15 to 20 years, has now become their priority.

Kokich, a scaffolder, says he's on the backburner because he is still paying off debt. But Webb, an archaeologist, says she saves up to 50 per cent of her salary in a good month.

They favour hobbies that can top up their income, like restoring furniture and selling it on Trade Me. Saving for early retirement means questioning every little expense. They make their own lunch "instead of forking out $30 on sushi and fizzy drinks", grow vegetables and avoid going out.

"We know people who spend $250 per week on going out. If we drink, it's at home," Webb says.

"It doesn't mean we have to become like hermits," Kokich says, grinning and grimacing as he appreciates how their lifestyle might look from the outside.

Webb says Canterbury is a good place to save money. She cycles to work and saves about $40 a week on petrol. She forages food around the red zone, and makes the most of free entertainment: the libraries, the parks, the sea.

"We like experimenting with things, like we discovered baking soda and vinegar is the ultimate household cleaner. It can even be used to make deodorant and soap," she says.

Qualified financial adviser Peter Flannery says a middle-class couple would need around $2.7 million in capital to retire.

The figure might be lower for people living a frugal lifestyle, but health costs can be unpredictable.

With 30 years' experience, Flannery has come across a wide range of clients - and a wider range of excuses to avoid saving.

"It's about what you can do, not what you can't do."

He says clients who started saving $100 a month, 30 years ago, now own a business, two or three properties, and share portfolios.

"They started with nothing and it snowballed."

★ ★ ★

Metal-hunter Donnella Watt is a good example of what you can do with very little.

Six years ago, she had $14,000 debt on credit cards, overdrafts and student loans, and "had nothing to show for it".

That changed when she fell pregnant.

"I realised I needed to get real about my life."

She researched the best prices and switched power companies, childcare providers and phone companies - and changed the way she did grocery shopping.

"I only buy luxury items when they are on special, and buy items I use all the time in bulk when they are on special to store away."

To top up her income, she started hunting for bargains and scrap metal at garage sales to sell for profit on Trade Me or at the local yard.

"My hobbies are a bit strange to the normal person; they are all money-making hobbies."

A year and a half ago, Watt managed to buy a small two bedroom unit on a no-deposit mortgage, even though it meant sharing a bedroom with her daughter.

"We own this house and I'm very proud of that."

She never pays full price for anything, but wouldn't want to be labelled frugal.

"I don't scrimp on things at the expense of my children. I like the word 'resourceful'."

Her son Odin's bed is covered in plush animals. Christmas presents, bought in sales throughout the year, are piling up in the house's highest cupboard.

Saving and making money is a family affair.

As well as metal-detecting, Odin and Freya collect cans to recycle. Last year, they made $50 from cans.

"It is important to teach my children the value of a dollar."

Watt sends photos of the children to magazines like Lucky Break and enters every competition she can find - about 50 a month. Her best win so far was a $5000 shopping spree at Bush Inn mall in 2012.

Christchurch Budget Service chairman Don Johnson says the first step to financial stability is to get out of debt.

"People should deal with debt as quickly as possible before it gets out of hand with penalty fees and interest. It's like a mushroom; it keeps growing."

He has seen a 38 per cent increase in clients this year.

"Difficulties caused by the quakes are surfacing now."

★ ★ ★

For Tom and Dorothy Innes, debt repayment is a priority.

"To be in debt is slavery," Tom says.

The couple bought a house in original condition on a large piece of land in Springfield eight years ago. While still working and living in Christchurch, they started to renovate the house, built a cottage on the land to rent out and worked hard to repay the mortgage.

Once debt-free, Tom stepped down as a chaplain at the University of Canterbury and the family left Christchurch for their new lifestyle at the foot of the Alps.

They grow fruit and vegetables, have chickens, brew their own beer, harvest rainwater and plan to keep bees, pigs and rabbits on their 2000-square-metre property.

They split their time between Dorothy's e-commerce business, renting the cottage, developing the land and homeschooling their 15-year-old son.

"We're making a living on our land," Tom says.

They barter meat for eggs with the neighbouring farm, and their two younger children go to the local primary school.

They want to raise their children with the practical skills to look after themselves "because the industrial lifestyle is killing the planet and will kill us all".

- The Press