She said once people were able to sort their budgets to create that surplus, they could then work on putting money toward their goals.
Another important question was whether more should go toward debt or if there should be a fund for emergencies.
Veerkamp said while it was good to pay off high-interest loans quickly, it was important to have that emergency fund.
"If you deal with your debt first, if an emergency pops up, you're forced to borrow more money in a crisis.
"It's good to have some money aside for emergencies because you never know when you've got to go to a funeral or travel somewhere, or your mum gets sick.
"Because life keeps happening whether you've got lots of money or no money."
Getting financial advice before getting into debt, especially from services which charge excessive interest rates, was always a good idea as well.
Budgeting was not all about money management, Veerkamp said.
Sometimes it was a change in circumstances – something which had happened to many people in the past year.
Such changes included a relationship breakdown, a job loss or having another child, she said.
People who wanted just to talk about savings were also able to talk to a mentor.
"Anyone and everyone's welcome to come in and talk to us, even if they want a savings plan."
REAP also works with other community services to ensure clients knew their consumer rights while dealing with different agencies.
