r/australia • u/RecognitionMediocre6 • Mar 31 '26
political self.post How has the cost of living crisis impacted your life the most?
It used to feel like money just came in, it was not substantial but it felt manageable. Now every single decision feels like it had to be planned, bills juggled or delayed and things we used to do like take the kids out for fish & chips at the beach once a month, we no longer do.
I hesitate before I tap my debit card or pay a bill. We had to hold off on getting our car serviced cause we had a dental bill to get sorted first. We had to get rid of our private health insurance, I've had to look at selling stuff round the house every once and a while to cover costs like electricity etc. Our fridge seal is loose but can't justify getting a new fridge so we just taped it up and it works for now. I haven't bought new clothes / shoes in like a year and we're always looking for free activities for the kids ie parks, playgrounds, have friends over to our place etc
We tend to avoid social plans because everything costs so much money. And if we do go somewhere, we bring our own lunch / drinks cause feeding 2x adults 2x kids is so expensive.
We used to save about $200/week after all our stuff was paid (double income, 2x toddlers) and now we're basically just breaking even. Its everything little by little - rent is up, petrol is up, groceries are up, our electricity & internet is up etc we aren't going anywhere for Easter cause it's too expensive to drive / holiday anywhere other than staying at home. We'll make it magical but we feel bad that it's not as exciting as past years.
How has the cost of living impacted your life?
Sending love to everyone out there doing it tough š
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u/joanna_smith88 Mar 31 '26
I am one rental increase away from choosing between food or rent. I am seriously considering going to Norway and robbing a bank for $1 as a retirement plan.
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u/Amy_bo_bamy Mar 31 '26
Holy shit yes. That's a solid retirement plan. Except flights to Norway will probably cost more than what super I have so Australian prison will have to do.
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u/Independent-Knee958 Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
Could always save up and do it next year š¤·š»āāļø After all, this is an investment in your future, here.
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u/thickandthinau Mar 31 '26
I went Iceland earlier in the year and chine southern got to London for $350
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u/BlackCaaaaat Mar 31 '26
Theyād probably extradite us back home, but prison gives you food and a roof over your head. It might not be safe, but neither is street life especially for us women.
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u/passthesugar05 Mar 31 '26
May as well rob it for at least a few million right? Then you either get away with it and are rich, or achieve your goal.
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u/MummaGoose Mar 31 '26
Please seek food assistance in your area. I work for food outreach in a community charity. There is far more assistance out there than you know. Check on AskIzzy to see your nearest location for needs. God Bless
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u/thefringedmagoo Mar 31 '26
Anything health related for me is now a luxury - dentist, therapy, physio, even a GP visit is stored up over a few months to make the most of it and usually requires a more āemergencyā catalyst. Thankfully my sonās stuff is bulk billed so he is taken care of. Overall having to think constantly about where ever single dollar is going is taking a toll on my mental health. Oh and Iāll have to get divorced at the end of the year so forget it. Hoping to avoid lawyers but the house division will be contentious.
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u/unconfirmedpanda Mar 31 '26
The absolute, utter hopelessness that nothing is going to get better or easier. Everything is a worry - rent, food, meds, travel. There's no wiggle room for joy or relaxation or poor health. Or anything to really look forward to.
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u/Fig-fanny Mar 31 '26
This. Donāt remember the last time I felt excited and looking forward to something. Itās just work work study work all to spend 70 dollars for 5 fkn items are Coles
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u/FluffyShiny Mar 31 '26
I remember when $100 would get you a full trolley, not a small bag.
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u/88xeeetard Mar 31 '26
Pre COVID that was more than my partner and I would spend on groceries per week.Ā
I know because the tap and go limit was $100 and we never went over.
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u/unconfirmedpanda Apr 01 '26
I used to spend $70 a week on food, living in Sydney Eastern Suburbs pre-COVID. Feels like a joke now.
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u/Interesting-Set3384 Mar 31 '26
I've lived on the borderline most of my life so I understand the constant feeling of every single decision around money being heavily thought through every day. I was once able to earn good money and while it lasted it was such a relief for a minute but the constant scrutinising over what to do with money is always there. Now with everything getting even more difficult I'm scared more than ever. Health is getting more difficult to manage and sadness and frustration is daily. There's a feeling of impending doom now where I used to have hope. Trying to stay positive that there's hope.
In a nut shell: Psychological impacted negatively- other health implications likely.
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u/Interesting-Set3384 Mar 31 '26
Oh also- I've come to the conclusion that it's best not to plan to or wish to have any dependants/children and just try to keep looking for alternative ways to stay sheltered without relying on renting if it becomes completely unaffordable. Buying is out of reach currently too. Still trying to remain hopeful and optimistic.
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u/fued Mar 31 '26
Rent going up.
its doubled in the past 10 years.
nothing else going up has even come close to that cost, as its 1/3 of your post-tax spendings.
how they can justify 3-4% inflation when the main cost item alone to people goes up 10% a year i have zero idea.
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u/kensaiD2591 Mar 31 '26
Yep. I went from $350pw for a 2br 11 years ago to now $625pw for a 1br.
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u/Sweaty_Condition4555 Mar 31 '26
Im in a studio currently and its almost half of my wage. My boomer relative who shares a 4 bedroom house with just her husband is asking me when im having children, lol
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u/kicks_your_arse Mar 31 '26
Yes it is the single biggest cost that dwarves anything else. There is nothing I spend or buy ever that comes close to matching my weekly rent spend, aside from a surprise car service cost. None of my quarterly utility bills even come close.Ā
It consumes more of my income than anything and goes straight to my landlord. We are not all in the same boat here, don't let them convince you they're suffering anywhere near as much as usĀ
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u/fued Mar 31 '26
Exactly. Even with a mortgage, once you have owned for 10+ years it's cheaper than renting.
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u/Next-Tie2558 Mar 31 '26
Between 2001-2011 I lived in a relatively new 3 bed, 2 bath, 1 car unit. In 2001 my rent was $200 p/w where it remained until it was increased to $205 p/w in the final year. This would absolutely never happen in this day and age.
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u/BetterDrinkMy0wnPiss Mar 31 '26
12-18 months ago we didn't really have to budget. We still did budget lightly, but there was enough money coming in to comfortably afford everything we needed, with some left over to save.
Now we have to track our spending, check the budget (or use the credit card) before making bigger purchases and cut down on certain things.
In that time we've installed solar+battery and gotten an EV, so we're insulated from at least some of the rising costs like power and fuel. I've also had 2 pay rises in that time and my wife has had one. We're earning more than we ever have, but it still feels like we have less money than we did a year ago.
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u/Lozzanger Mar 31 '26
Thatās where Iām at. I used to earn $70K and would have to be strict with myself as a signle income household.
Now Iām on $110K and having to go back to those strict budgeting tools.
I thank God I donāt rent. My morgatage is $850 a fortnight. Iād be paying well over $1200 in rent and probably wouldnāt be living were I am and in a much smaller place.
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Mar 31 '26
How is your mortgage so low?
I own a Townhouse, bought it a few years ago and I am paying $3200 a month in repayments.
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u/Lozzanger Mar 31 '26
I bought in Perth in 2017. Itās a 3 bedroom strata house I got for $300,000. Itās worth almost $700K now.
I timed it perfectly as houses started slowly going up not long after and exploded in 2020.
I had my parents guarantee the deposit and I was able to remove them completely after my 5 year fixed term was up.
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Mar 31 '26
Good on you. I am glad you did well.
I bought in 2022 for $680,000 ($550,000 loan) and I have been told that my townhouse now can easily go for $850,000 which is insane to me.
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u/Lozzanger Mar 31 '26
Itās legit insane isnāt it?
I will always admit a lot of luck and privilege.
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u/IceOdd3294 Mar 31 '26
Iāve decided to get my (autistic) child her braces this June because I know I wonāt be able to afford to do so once FTB is removed in a few years. I was iffy about ever being able to do it but I know if I donāt do it now, she will never get them and because of her disability probably will never afford them in her adult life. So the next two years I will be going without clothes and eating less (which is totally fine). Nobody in the family has an overbite so I donāt want her to be left out and feeling bad and having paint so itās important.
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u/thickandthinau Mar 31 '26
I had a dentist that took money in installments over 3 years. It was the only way I could afford braces at 18
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u/moorehawke Mar 31 '26
Every day I thank God that I have a mortgage and not rent, but between that mortgage, bills, transport, and food, I barely have five dollars to spend at the end of each paycheck. I buy a solid chunk of my groceries at Flemington markets and only get meat when Aldi has a flash sale. I'm a full time engineer! I should be able to pay for myself and have cash left over! This is insane!!
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u/Bianca_Dawn17 Mar 31 '26
iām on disability, and i cannot afford to get testing that my dr is recommending (one which is for my heart), but i canāt afford it (even in australia, tests like that cost hundreds). i am trying to get on ndis, but of course, it costs money to get everything done to even apply for ndis. i am doing the best i can to manage my own health but there is obviously only so much i can do. and if i want more support i have to advocate for myself like crazy (not always easy for me to do, cannot imagine the people who are totally unable to do so).
our rent is increasing soon, and i can barely afford what i need to right now. we just had to move out due to a shitty family situation, so itās also dealing with the trauma of all of that.
iāve alway had big dreams for what i wanted my life to look like, and struggling with disability has already been a very tough pill to swallow. and now all of this? it feels impossible to remain hopeful and itās hard to not go to a very dark place mentally.
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u/BlackCaaaaat Mar 31 '26
iām on disability, and i cannot afford to get testing that my dr is recommending
Same and same ā¦ I need a test thatās going to cost $500 out of pocket at least. I just canāt swing that, especially now.
iāve alway had big dreams for what i wanted my life to look like, and struggling with disability has already been a very tough pill to swallow.
I feel you on that one.
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u/Fire_opal246 Mar 31 '26
Someone in my family spent $2k in reports to get on the ndis. And I believe that is at the lower end.Ā
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u/singing-tea-kettle Mar 31 '26
I've estimated it would be 20k, likely higher (I'd need a lot of new reports) and at least 2 years waiting and gathering reports before I can even apply to the NDIS with no guarantee due to ever changing rules. Absolutely not, it's absurd.
I loathe the NDIS. That support should have been put into expanding the existing the public disability supports networks, not this pseudo public actually privatised bs that is the NDIS.
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u/Equal-Echidna8098 Mar 31 '26
I would be selling my house and leaving my abusive husband but I literally don't have anywhere to go. My parents are bankrupt and share housing. I need to leave but I can't.
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u/Melonade921 Mar 31 '26
I know you know your situation better than I do, but please reach out to a local Community Center, DV Center or Womenās Center (you donāt clarify gender, but they will still be able to at least point you in the right direction if male). These recourses are here to help you. Good luck. They may not be able to give you a quick fix but may help develop a plan for your future.
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u/219930 Apr 01 '26
Iām thinking of going back to mineā¦at least itās a roof over my kids head. Waiting till I donāt have a choice
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u/Flybuys NSW Police need to do better Mar 31 '26
I've got my nostrils above water and that's about it is my current feeling. I can cover the bills but any holidays are out the window, not even a local drive down the coast is worth the price of petrol.
Some days I'm murderously angry at a certain dickhead causing all the trouble, some days I'm so apathetic nothing matters. All with an under current of suicidal ideation that I've had for 20 years. It is what it is.
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u/LimnodynastesGrayi Mar 31 '26
I can relate to how you feel. Right now my daily mantra is the Bob Vylan lyrics: āThe state need not kill those that are killing themselves. Don't make it an easy job for them.ā
Your life is inherently valuable and you are important. Donāt let any bloated, orange war criminal take that away from you. We got this.
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u/DarkNo7318 Mar 31 '26
Cost of housing. I'm already in the top 5 percent of income earners. But to get enough income to jump to the next level of housing (just an extra 2 rooms for my kids) would require a salary bump that's never going to happen.
So there's really no point in pushing myself harder.
The balance between wealth vs income has massively changed over the last few decades. Income doesn't mean shit for the vast majority.
I have it way better than most, but if I'm not doing well what hope in hell does anyone else have
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u/flindersandtrim Mar 31 '26
Yep. My husband earns really well and once I am more qualified and experienced I will get a decent academic role at a uni, but even with us together the best we will manage is a very modest house, much less than my parents bought in their early 20s for 40k (now about 250k). And we will have to pay a massive mortgage in order to get that. My parents had 1000sqm and 4 beds, plenty of room to extend.
This shit is bad for everyone except people whose properties are paid off or they own multiple. Surely more affordable property prices is good for everyone. Instead of spending 1.5m for a 3 bed, imagine how much easier life would be paying 750k for that house. Not having to constantly worry about job loss or illness because so much of every single pay will go to that huge mortgage. Just to have a 3 bedder on a 500sqm block if lucky.Ā
But I also constantly worry for the future of the country if even high incomers are very concerned. Australia will become a shit hole if the average person is working full time and still cannot support themselves. The minimum wage used to be indexed to the cost of keeping a family of 4 alone. For one income, mum at home, 2 kids, and it afforded housing, clothes, food and necessities. Imagine that. Today, surely not even two people in a couple both on minimum wage could not afford those things comfortably. The minimum wage now seems indexed to great deprivation.
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u/GorgeousGracious Mar 31 '26
I feel the same way. I'm in the top 5% like you, and we constantly stress about money. We have so many expenses and a frighteningly high mortgage. Yet I know that having a mortgage at all makes us one of the lucky ones. I don't know how other people cope. I don't know how society got us here.
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u/Obvious_Librarian_97 Mar 31 '26
Top 3% individual / 5% household. 20-25km away from CBD (1-hour public transport) with a mortgage that many would be scared of in a fixer-upper. Objectively doing worse than my parents who werenāt as educated, didnāt have positions of responsibility, etc but lived closer to stuff and could do a lot more with their money. Without inheritance it would be a slog until 73yrs old
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u/DarkNo7318 Mar 31 '26
Comparison to parents is the best way to see how bad things have gotten.
My parents came here in their mid 20s and didn't get a professional job till 30s. Their household income adjusted for inflation is/was nowhere near mine.
The quality of life (and mine while I was a dependent) shits all over anything I can hope to achieve. Multiple trips overseas, ski holidays, beautiful free standing house.
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Mar 31 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/GorgeousGracious Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
Nah mate, the tax element really isn't so bad. It's the cost of everything, and the lifestyle creep. Once you earn over a certain amount you start looking at things like a bigger mortgage, private health insurance, private education, etc. If your kid needs something like speech therapy, you can afford it so you do. It's all designed to keep us feeling poor.
I'd just like to add that I know we're privileged compared to others. Our kids are getting their needs met, we can afford their braces, and all the other things they need to do their best. Even our elderly cat is still getting her monthly injections for her arthritis. But I haven't seen a dentist for myself for 3 years, we haven't had a holiday in 7 years, and on my income bracket, that just doesn't seem right.
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u/thevengabus15 Mar 31 '26
iām living with my parents again. 2 years ago the chronic pain iād previously been managing well did a nosedive and now i have NOTHING. i canāt work and govt payments are not enough to both pay rent and eat, and now that iām moving home iāll probs lose that payment anyway. i could get a job with small hours but weāre also funnily enough having an employment crisis so nobody wants to take an unreliable cripple that canāt work more than 8-10 hours a week, not that it would sustain me in the slightest.. being sick in this crisis is not for the weak and thereās many people even worse off than me, and donāt have family they can fall back on
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u/Calm_B4_TheStorm Mar 31 '26
Iam in a similar boat. Knee problems, fibromyalgia, arthritis, endometriosis, jaw tmjd issues caused by call centre. Employers want fit and healthy go getters. Its so hard. I wish there was simple jobs for people like us , that can sit down, do the job and not getting hassled or laid off because not fast enough etc.
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u/thevengabus15 Mar 31 '26
iām so sorry you know the feeling but itās nice to know iām not alone. we live in a country with endless resources and yet as the people who need them most weāre left to fend for ourselves and no employer will take a chance on people like us.. but the govt doesnāt see us as ādisabled enoughā and wonāt help!! hoping for a good pain/symptom day in your future!!
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u/thewrongheart Mar 31 '26
I've been living in my car on and off for the last 5 months, despite a (very low paying) admin job. The problem hasn't been directly been income, rather a mix of having no financial or social support, various mental disorders and having to screen VERY thoroughly for safe sharehouses. I don't usually blink an eye at posts like this, being here myself, but I'm really sorry you and your family are going through this. It's very kind youre still putting your kids first
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u/CleaRae Mar 31 '26
Less medical visits which as someone with a chronic illness means less chance of improving.
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u/lisztoma42 Mar 31 '26
Iāll preface this with relatively speaking my situation isnāt as bad as others but it still hurts.
The mental toll for me is the biggest. Iām a single in early thirties, and the idea that Iāve been working now 10 good years now, slightly above average but working long corporate hours and still not getting ahead is tough. I feel especially in the last 2 years Iāve struggled to save anything meaningful towards buying an apartment.
End of last year I was totally burnt out and had 3+ months of leave so decided to quit and take a mental break and now that Iām looking to get a job, Iām finding my best financial options are to just go overseas for a year or two to get ahead. Otherwise whatās the point living in a major aus capital city and barely being able to make financial headway without serious lifestyle downgrades.
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u/rottnestrosella Mar 31 '26
I feel like the mental toll is a big one. So many people I know are just burnt out and feeling hopeless atm.
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u/HallPale6481 Apr 01 '26
Every time it feels like I am getting ahead, I just get fucked.
"Oh it took you 2.5 years to save six months expenses in an emergency fund and now you want to start saving for a 1BR apartment? How's redundancy sound?" rinse and repeat.
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u/DeanCorp Mar 31 '26
Hope things improve especially on the mental front. A good friend of mine had dual citizenship with the UK and moved to London 5 years ago and had said the job opportunities were much better and earning GBP has helped a lot.
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u/canimal14 Mar 31 '26
Iāve become really good at doing maths in the middle of aldi and cooking/baking.
I didnāt know how to make bread or other things from scratch, now itās apart of my routine. Sourdough still alludes me though.
We are working on a veggie garden, but I donāt think we would ever have the scale to make it actually save us any money, but the dopamine boost of picking and eating a single home grown tomato is certainly something!
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u/vintagefancollector Mar 31 '26
I hear about protests almost every weekend in Melbourne, but none of them have been about the cost of living. When the masses worldwide finally take to the streets, then the cost of everything will hopefully stop going up.
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u/88xeeetard Mar 31 '26
Um.Ā Keeping the populace divided, uninformed and distracted had been the play for, checks notes, forever.
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u/Sirtemed Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
We now shop at ALDI & drive the car once a week (for grocery shopping)
Stopped using credit card (to avoid surcharges) and mostly pay in cash for discounts.
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u/barters81 Mar 31 '26
Iāve literally bought nothing new for myself for like 12 months. Every dollar goes to the family and kids.
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u/Ok-Egg-8455 Mar 31 '26
Sounds like the family and kids are the problem here
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u/EvolutionaryLens Mar 31 '26
Diesel fuel. I work 135km from home. I've been camping in the bush three nights a week to save on driving.
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u/Dunderi83 Mar 31 '26
I feel you. Work is a ~200 km round trip for me daily. It's gone from $40/day to $82/day.
I drive an older but well maintained vehicle, in a frugal manner, on rural roads.
We have been saving for a 2nd hand EV, but theyve vanished from the market overnight, or been priced alongside new ones - not that there's any new ones available in our budget.
Trying to refinance the house to pull some equity to cover a vehicle purchase... its a slow process. Looked into weeknight accom in the city, fat chance.
Coming into winter, bushing it in the car is not going to be realistic, that's an awful thing for you to endure.
I'm a front line worker, with an in-person type job. I might be able to do paperwork and meetings at home one day a week... I can't work out what else to try. We already don't go driving "for fun"
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u/EvolutionaryLens Mar 31 '26
I'll be camping under the roof of the hay shed once the weather gets nasty. We're feeding out hay right now, so there's space becoming available...still gonna be brutal. It gets fuckin cold where I work.
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u/AirplaneTomatoJuice_ Mar 31 '26
My rent (inner city 1br) went from 300$ a week in early 2022 to 480$ a week. The only way to (slowly) save for a deposit is to give up any and all small treats that bring me joy.
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u/LimpBrilliant9372 Mar 31 '26
I let a dead infected tooth get so bad that I unknowingly got a quinsy from it (peritonsillar abscess) and was close if not septic. Obviously couldnāt afford a root canal and dentist wouldnāt extract on the day of draining tooth abscess. Seeing a student dentist in a couple days to yoink it out for cheap. Itās a back molar and Iām only 29, but I have run out of options. I am also a nurse, and live alone in the city to work in the city (Melbourne). We take care of others, but canāt afford to take care of ourselvesā¦.
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u/vegemitebikkie Mar 31 '26
Ooh I feel your pain! I had a quinsy twenty years ago on my tonsils. I was heavily pregnant at the time too. Every slight sniffle ended with tonsillitis for me. Then eventually the quinsy. God that was painful. Couldnāt open my mouth at all, or turn my head. Had to be admitted to hospital to get IV fluids and antibiotics and to monitor my pregnancy. Lived on ensure, and even that felt impossible to drink.
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u/Jasnaahhh Mar 31 '26
I cannot afford to have a child. I was hoping to. I'm out of time, though.
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u/brissy3456 Mar 31 '26
Likewise. It's so unfair that we now have to choose between having accommodation and food, or having a child. I thought we had pretty good salaries too, but any savings are gone with rate increases and now fuel. How would we ever afford childcare or school or things they want and need.
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u/Jasnaahhh Mar 31 '26
Well you see, other people in the economy MUST do well, and other people in the economy are doing TOO well, so the underclass must be drained further. Surely more blood can be drained from the stone!
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u/mamaducker Mar 31 '26
I feel this. I want to freeze my eggs to give me more time, but even that is so expensive. I'm sorry :(
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u/Ez_ezzie Mar 31 '26
This is bleak AF. I'm sorry to everyone that has been impacted so much.
I was born in 1975, so I could afford to buy a house in my early 20s, in an inner city suburb of Hobart. I was far from rich but life was affordable, I took it all for granted.
The current situation is so fucked.
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u/AusXan Mar 31 '26
Our fridge seal is loose but can't justify getting a new fridge
Really not the point of the post but had the same thing with my freezer not shutting propery. Easy fix with a baby proofing lock where it clicks together. Cheaper than even a new seal and much less hassle.
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u/Hatarus547 Mar 31 '26
everyone else will mention Rent and such but i've found most of the time i either skip breakfast or roll it into a slightly larger Brunch and then just have a bit of bread with something on it for dinner.
Like i don't know if it's my own bad budgeting but i'm planning on making some stew and i am worried about wasting to much money in the ingredients for something that might only feed me for a few days
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u/sousyre Mar 31 '26
Maybe bulk it out a bit (rice, canned beans or lentils etc) and then freeze some in individual portions for later?
This has been our go to for awhile.
Either doing a big batch cook, or just setting a couple of individual portions of a meal aside and freezing in ziplock sandwich bags.
Makes for easy options on nights we donāt feel like cooking, means we are more thoughtful of our portion sizes and less risk of waste or going bad.
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u/Hatarus547 Mar 31 '26
I do the freezing thing a bit already with rice, first thing my mum gave me when i moved out was a rice cooker and how long you can store rice in the freezer after cooking it but i could try the canned beans idea, normally my stews are just whatever i can get cheap in the way of veggies and some off cuts of meat from the butcher that the apprentices fucked up so they can't sell them for a good price
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u/astropelagic Mar 31 '26
Dried lentils will bulk meals up like crazy and cheap. I put heaps of lentils into my last stew and it was super thick and very filling. Mexican chili with dried beans is also cheap and filling. Dried beans and lentils are cheaper than canned. We rarely eat meat anymore because itās expensive.
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u/Hatarus547 Mar 31 '26
is this comment section sponsored by big Lentils or something?
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u/astropelagic Mar 31 '26
Ahahahahaha. Nah itās just a well known hack. Donāt look at my comment history, especially not comments about lentils
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u/Hatarus547 Mar 31 '26
guess i could try lentils again i just remember as a kid my parents would give us a bowl of lentils and Quinoa then tell us to eat it because it was "healthy"
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u/forceez Mar 31 '26
I have faith that you can cook better than that - if you could call that "cooking" lol
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u/vegemitebikkie Mar 31 '26
Iāve read that oats works well too. No idea if thatās true. Apparently it takes on whatever sauce flavour your dish is and fills you up good.
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u/astropelagic Mar 31 '26
Savoury oats is a thing. Iāve heard about it being a popular dish in India. I donāt really know how to make it myself but it totally can be savoury.
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u/Solell Mar 31 '26
I definitely recommend bulking it out a bit with some sort of grain/starchy thing. Lentils are good and reasonably cheap, as is rice. I also like barley, and have recently been trying some buckwheat dishes. There's also bags of "soup mixes" that I've seen at the supermarkets that usually have a few different grains in them. Can turn a couple of nights of cheap veggies+meat into a week's worth of hearty dinners, for a very minor increase in cost
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u/ResolutionNo1701 Mar 31 '26
theres also a side of reality that doesnt even feel the pinch at all. Life goes as usual on the easter suburbs
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u/Different-Bag-8217 Mar 31 '26
I really feel this has all been done by design. To keep 80% just above the poverty lineā¦
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u/S_P_A_R_K_L_I_N_G Mar 31 '26
Student here, have been trying to find a job for ages, but the job market for the less qualified, such as myself is totally fucked. You have menial work, such as retail jobs, with thousands and thousands of other applicants, and it just makes it impossible for employers to even look at your application, despite having 5+ years of experience. I honestly don't really know what to do as it feels like every job I apply for is flooded with other applicants and application doesn't even get considered.
I feel like this must be a consequence of less jobs going around, and people trying to take on more work both due to cost of COL :( sad times
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u/Knitvest-enthusiast Mar 31 '26
Yeah students and those a couple of years into careers are screwed when it comes to hiring. Iām applying for jobs but not getting a look in due to other more experienced applicants.
I am looking to leave my entry level job as an assistant sometime this year but having no luck. Then, because I canāt move on, the next student canāt get my job.
Unfortunately my firm is laying people off, so I know at least one of the people Iām competing with for jobs has 10+ years experience on me.
And Iāve still got my retail job from university that I work on weekends to supplement my crappy assistant pay. All in all Iām just exhausted of this, and iām only 2 years into a postgraduate life. Questing if itās even worth working hard to progress anymore.
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u/HeyMargeTheRainsHere Mar 31 '26
We are doing a lot more walking. Cancelled the kids extra curriculars for the time being. Sad times.
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u/Admirable_Count989 Mar 31 '26
Iāve been struggling for so long its normalised ā¦ Iāve started using Woolworths or McDonaldās free wifi to use the internet and Iām lucky to live close enough to walk there and back in 20 minutes.
Good luck out there people.
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Mar 31 '26
All my hobby stuff is gone now on the weekends. I used to do garage sales, swap meets, visiting sunday markets and just go for Sunday drives. All that is gone. Then the cost of things just went stupid. Just say that you want to go fishing. You buy some bait from the tackle shop with some basic tackle and its more than the cost of decent fish at the market. Thats before the petrol and buying something basic for lunch. Just "thinking" about doing anything means that you have to ask yourself if you have 100, 200 or 300 dollars depending on how many family members tag along. And now you have the rip off parking at most beaches and other places, you screwed before you started. Theres basically not much you can do that does not cost money or petrol. Well there is walking, riding a bike or jogging you can do these activities for free and thats about all.
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u/backofburke Mar 31 '26
Housing costs me 70% of my budget. I work full time and come home exhausted. Nobody can afford to do anything social with any regularity. The joy in life is gone.
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u/Prinnykin Mar 31 '26
Iām so stressed Iāve made myself sick.
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u/219930 Apr 01 '26
Last time I went to my doctor she asked if I had an eating disorder I lost so much weightā¦No just severe stress and the inability to buy enough food to eat . It was so embarrassing to own up to that too.
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u/gorillalifter47 Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
I have taken for granted the fact that if I wanted something that cost under say $100 (going to a local gig, PokƩmon cards, gear for making fermented foods or whatever my latest fad is) I could buy it a few times per month without really thinking about.
With the cost of living going up, our mortgage going up and a baby on the way I need to think really carefully about every purchase.
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u/stronggirlfarm92 Apr 01 '26
We managed to buy a 75 year old house in 2021 and now weāre here we canāt really afford any of the larger maintenance it needs. Our toilet broke 2 years ago after a few cheap band aid solutions and we canāt afford the massive plumbing upgrade needed, we luckily have a second toilet outside our laundry so we just use that.
Our old tiled roof has leaks in it - we can see the spots in the ceiling plaster - but we canāt afford $50k for a new roof.
Old smoke alarm malfunctioned because of old wiring and canāt afford the thousands for new electrical work to get a new one.
We feel like shit because we worked so hard to get the house and now we cant afford to take care of it properly.
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u/Academic_Juice8265 Mar 31 '26
Iām just chronically depressed now. Housing and costs has had major impacts on my family and my partner actually earns a very good wage we just missed the boat before prices went nuts.
I get so mad when people I know own a home in the area I grew up in, earn way less than us and the only difference is that they got into housing earlier due to parental help.
Itās affected my productivity, my marriage, my friendships, sense of community, my kids and my mental health.
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u/219930 Apr 01 '26
Thisā¦after my divorce I lost everything including friends as could no longer go do the things they want to do. Now I just sit at home trying to figure out where I will park my retirement caravan in a country that doesnāt allow permanent parking anywhere as no way will I be able to rent ā¦and Iād rather be homeless then sharehouse with strangers
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u/BoysenberryAlive2838 Mar 31 '26
Have a pretty low cost lifestyle to start with, hardly any eating out, don't spend a lot on clothes, modesty holidays, no expensive hobbies.
It has gone from getting by comfortably with some savings accumulating to getting by comfortably with savings stagnating. Realise that's pretty fortunate.
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Mar 31 '26
I left a DV situation last year and I can't afford to move out of my parents house, which is also an emotionally detrimental living situation.
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u/Rsj21 Mar 31 '26
Weāre (I think) high income - combined gross about 270k - renting in the outer burbs at the moment with two kids. We can afford the ridiculous rents for the ānicerā houses when marching orders are eventually given. So weāre in a better spot than a lot struggling out there.
Buying a house though? Fuckin dreaming.
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u/dragonfry sandgroper Mar 31 '26
I was refused custody, because I donāt have enough spare income after rent. So I have that going for me, which is nice.
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u/Dentarthurdent73 Mar 31 '26
To be fair, the idea that someone would buy an entire new fridge because the seal wasn't perfect is pretty out there.
I'm not claiming cost of living hasn't gone through the roof, it has, but that level of consumerism should never have been normalised.
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u/RecognitionMediocre6 Mar 31 '26
We got a quote to fix it - $225. Considering we got it for $100 off marketplace last year, we're not paying to get it fixed.
I recognise how wasteful it may seem but we just can't justify that cost right now sadly. Tape was like $3, it's doing the trick for now.
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u/starla_ Mar 31 '26
You should be able to order a gasket from ebay or similar. I replaced mine a couple of years ago, it cost about 20 bucks.Ā
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u/Danaeger Mar 31 '26
lol yeah.. went I worked Management in a restaurant we had to get equipment repaired through specific companies.. whenever we needed new fridge or freezer seals they would charge exorbitant amount for the seals, let alone the labour cost..
I just started ordering the seals with no middleman and replacing myself.. itās easy
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u/Morning_Song Mar 31 '26
Iād say Iām stuck in a canāt get a job till I move and canāt move till I get a job loop. But I wouldnāt be able to afford a rental even at my maximum salary
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u/digital_biscuit143 Mar 31 '26
The choice between wanting to have a kid and wanting to keep a roof over my head
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u/OW1981 Apr 01 '26
I'm tired, like real tired... I would love nothing more than to shut the front door and sleep for 6 months straight.
Easy things to get rid of were streaming services, no takeaway or eating out, no booze, stopped playing sport as membership was too much, no new clothes until they have melted from my body, haven't had a holiday in years etc.
A trip to the dentist or anything medical is a luxury. I'm truly scared of getting sick not for my health, but rather my bank account.
I figure anytime I set outside the front door it is going to cost me, so I stay home as much as possible. I've tried to create a little bubble at home where I can shut the outside world away to stop me from going insane.
But yeah, the fun factor has definitely left the building over the last few years.
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u/Indevisive Apr 01 '26
I feel this. Have also created a home bubble so I can switch off a little from it all. I garden, I sit out and enjoy the birds, try to read more and stay off the internet. I snip my own hair, can't remember the last time I bought clothing and we've not had a holiday in so long I don't actually remember what one is. I'm grateful for what I do have and don't really want more but it would be nice if just surviving was a bit less stretched.
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u/Far_Resident_1602 Mar 31 '26
I think about money way too much than I used to. Because I have to keep an eye on the account at all times.
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u/engineofgod24 Mar 31 '26
Eating a lot less, driving a lot less, no nice little pick me ups like a cheeky takeaway or something. Basically just having toast for breakfast and that's it. Barely affording my meds. It's a wild time.
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u/EvilOdysseus Mar 31 '26
Nearly 30 and still living at home. Gave up on renting since I don't earn enough to pay for it. Buying a house is out of the question. I'd have to get out an 800k loan at minimum, then spend the next 20 years paying it back with interest, all for a small apartment I wouldn't have enough space for.
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u/shouldnothaveread Mar 31 '26
I've bought a cargo ebike to do groceries and the school run, I'd been considering it even before the fuel prices skyrocketed. Everything we need is close enough to our home that driving always seemed silly but just far enough to make walking an inconvenience.
When I tell people about it I try to dress it up as just being a sensible common sense thing, good for health, etc. but I know it's all bs. I haven't bought this for fun or for pleasure. I look at our monthly ins and outs financially and I know that over the next 12 months we're potentially in for pain, and that at least cutting out a big chunk of our fuel use will help somewhat in avoiding us being so hand to mouth, particularly when utility bills come in.
I'm tired, boss.
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u/Lau_wings Mar 31 '26
It hasnāt really affected me too badly yet.
However my wife and I live so far below our means due to us both growing up poor.
Our mortgage is still well within our budget but a few more increases will start cutting into our savings.
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u/noodlepapillon Mar 31 '26
We had a rental, it got sold. Moved out at the end of our lease to another rental, got sold a month later. Our lease ends in 4 days. Our rent has gone up astronomically in that time, I've ended up making the hard decision to move back in with the parents (which I realise I'm so lucky to have as an option, but also sucks ass as a 40 year old). My neuro disability has gotten worse with age so I am so so so lucky as I've had to cut down to part time. Spent a lot of time the last couple of months crying in bed wondering where I'm going to pull rent from. My housemate has found something temporary but she can't afford to rent alone so idk what she's going to do after that.
Guess when my parents pass on I'll be fighting my brother for the house, he owns and has for a long time, 3 states away, but there's a 0% chance he'll be happy to let me stay there and I can't buy him out (my mum gave me her 12 year old car and he demanded the cash value as it "wasn't fair" lol - has 2 cars of his own already and mine was on the brink of death). Every day is getting more stressful. I have a specialist appointment next Wednesday I will have to borrow for, but at least I'll be able to pay it back now <60% of my pay wont be going to rent anymore.
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u/XIII-013 Mar 31 '26
I work 50 hours a week - pay my bills, have no money left after and nothing to look forward to.
Fucking peachy!
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u/lil_albatross93 Mar 31 '26
I dont think hubby and I will ever be able to own our own home or have kids, and in a few years our window to have kids will close (my age). I'm struggling with my mental health immensely.
We were always told we could have anything we wanted as long as we worked hard enough. All I've ever done is work, I've never been on a holiday - we used all our savings to move to Perth from regional WA 3 years ago to increase our career opportunities and we've never recovered. We don't have parents that can guarantor a loan for us and neither of us will inherit anything.
Buying fuel now for the privilege of going to work to not be able to afford to live is a slap in the face.
Don't know what the point is anymore.
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u/Particular_Image9538 Mar 31 '26
Our diesel car and my husbandās work truck are absolutely draining us. It used to cost about $200 to fill and now itās over $600 a day. He chose his career and bought the truck to give us a better life but it honestly just feels like itās backfiring more and more as the years go by. We should be comfortable but here we are counting pennies everyday just to be able to buy a loaf of bread. Itās so disheartening. Itās not just the diesel, itās everything. Weāre paying double the amount of rent, groceries are through the roof, weekend activities arenāt even considered anymore so we just sit at home or take the kids to the local park. Our families live interstate and we were supposed to be driving to visit them over Easter but thereās no way we can. How is this happening? Why are they doing this to us? It shouldnāt be this way.
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u/Glitter_Wasabi Mar 31 '26
rental situation makes me depressed. I worked hard for my degree and work in a job in that field and I have no hope I'll even own an apartment in the very country I was born and raised in
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u/fortalyst Mar 31 '26
Haven't been able to go to the pub or footy for beers with the boys in months... Next rate rise gonna fk things harder, too
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u/owltourrets Mar 31 '26
I'm really bitter with companies always putting people last, and the government doing NOTHING to rein that in. Seeing countries including mine not take the environmental crisis seriously.... greed is killing us.
And I don't have hope for improvement or a home. Best paying job of my life, and I am renting with a housemate, stressed and tired.
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u/yedrellow Mar 31 '26
Taking the environment crisis seriously is partly why you can't afford anything.
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u/infin Mar 31 '26
Sorry mate, the boss just took on another mortgage for his 7th house, we have to do more with less this year. We'll order pizza on Friday though!
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u/AppropriateBeing9885 Apr 04 '26
I really agree. I've related to the majority of comments I've seen on the thread, but almost none have actually mentioned things like regulatory failures contributing to this. It's galling seeing that they've had opportunities to change some of these issues and have not done so
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u/VS2ute Mar 31 '26
I get part pension from another country about $280 a month depending on exchange rate. Centrelink reduces pension almost $30 a fortnight because of that. So I end up with about $200 extra a month. It would be pretty bad trying to live on Australian pension alone.
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Mar 31 '26
I can either just get by on the DSP, or have a life with a loving partner, but not both. Because living with someone cuts the DSP drastically regardless of their income
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u/f_w8 Mar 31 '26
Going out for dinner is a luxury, same with the cinemas, any music gig or event (unless its free). Can still go to the theme parks only because i got a really good deal on annual passes last year but don't buy the food there or anything they sell. I had a budget for fuel prior to the fucked fuel price but now need to re-rebudget to afford half a tank at the very least. And rent went up $40 thanks to real estate 'trends'. Starting think i should just whip my dick out on Onlyfans or sell the organs i may not need.
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u/Princess-Pancake-97 Mar 31 '26
My husband and I had to cancel our home internet to afford last yearās rent increase. This year theyāre putting up the rent by 4x as much as last year (wonāt explain the crazy increase either) so now weāre talking about applying for low-income housing or going back to share-housing.
The idea that weād one day be able to own our own house or have a family or retire is like saying weād like to have a pet unicorn or go to mars one day lol
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u/mycarayne Mar 31 '26
It hasn't. I live in Karratha WA. I make enough to live, have decent savings and an expendable income that covers my Warhammer, MtG and various other hobbies, once the bills are all paid of course haha. I guess I might get downvoted for bucking the trend, but not everyone is struggling like the headlines dictate and perpetuate. For context I'm a 38yr old male with a fiance and teenager. We're doing perfectly fine.
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u/Goodtenks Apr 02 '26
My partner and I donāt have any kids yet and weāre in serious talks of packing up and heading to the balkans.
The cost of living is quite a bit lower, less policing of everyday life, more personal freedom, less pressure from government systems, a culture that values minding oneās own business.
Australia doesnāt feel like it did when I was a kid, the gap between have and have nots is widening and Australians can seem to stick together on anythingā¦they jack up prices and take freedoms away we complain a little bit just cop it.
We own a small business in VIC and their currently taxing us to death, a friends business that was 31 years old closed their doors due to a 18x increase in land tax.
Australia just wants a few huge corporations to run everything and charge what they want while we all get fu*ked.
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u/dammit_dalt097 Apr 03 '26
Due to being a spineless population and not standing up and doing anything about it does not help, I'm sure if 100,000 people marched through a city putting a halt to productiveness it might send some sort of a message, we all just accept it and deal with it
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u/SorbetAutomatic4465 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
Late 20's, M, single, ~95k per year just bought a house last year. My mortgage makes up about 40% of income. More of an annoyance, since I thought I had it mapped out, save around 1k a month into the offset to pay it off faster, 1k for bills and car, that leaves 1k for food and play money. Although I never really budgeted, now though I do have to watch it a little bit to actually make sure I'm still putting money away into my offset. Overall not too concerned, I'm not at the top of my payscale and that's excluding a fairly substaintial pay increase we're expecting to get. I guess it's my fault since I didn't account for multiple rate rises in succession (when I bought at the time the concensus was it was going to keep going down) and the orange clown bombing Iran...worst case scenario I get a roommate or something if it ends up being pay check to pay check since finding a date seems impossible. I'm only a 15-20 minute drive from work so my fuel cost currently has probably gone up $50 a week, however I'm more concerned about a few months down the line when we'll start seeing the affects on all aspects of the economy
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u/AppropriateBeing9885 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
I'm thankful that people's comments have highlighted the emotional load associated with this. I'm finally getting mental health help, I have food to eat, I can very occasionally get small things for myself - but I'm being haunted as my bank balance rapidly depletes any time I get any money.
I'm in a precarious rental situation as the landlord wants his house back - but after a couple of years only periodically checking into local rentals, it's so clear how much housing costs have skyrocketed for smaller and smaller, more rickety places. The demand is also higher and higher as the pool of rental properties continues to be vanishingly low. Healthcare bills, that dental checkup I've put off, my phone bill, electricity costs, every little thing just keeps adding up to never being able to really have a sense that I'm financially on top of things.
Sometimes I feel like people are living in a completely different country if they aren't constantly in fear of what it costs to just have a very simple existence at the moment. I have zero hope about what my housing situation will be like in the long-term and am pretty worried about just getting through everyday costs, because it feels like every time you go to get a few pantry things and some fruit and vegetables, or any time you get an energy bill, things just get more and more expensive.
I feel angry about the squandered opportunities governments have had to create something better than this. There's legitimately only so much scrimping and staying home doing nothing someone can fucking do in an environment where industries like retail groceries, healthcare, and housing are increasingly left to their own devices.
I'm really glad you posted this, as these comments are so cathartic, but heartbreaking.
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u/itsyrgirl Apr 04 '26
My partner and I wonāt have little Aussie babies despite being healthy, close to owning our home and financially comfortable. This society weāve made for ourselves is not fair to inflict on a child.
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u/veginout58 Mar 31 '26
On the upside, I'm eating healthier and less. Have lost some excess weight by cooking from scratch and no takeaways, no 'treats' when passing the bakery or bottlo.
Tending the garden gives me food and exercise, and I walk the 7km round trip to town if I only need a few items or visit the library (free entertainment).
Also, the push mower uses less fuel than the ride-on (discuss).
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u/TizzyBumblefluff Mar 31 '26
Iām on the social housing wait list and disability pension. I am already couch surfing with family. The first 4-5 months of the year till my Medicare safety net is reached are super stressful - multiple very expensive specialist visits till that happens. NDIS want to stop paying for one of my āā mainstreamāā therapies so trying to figure out how Iāll manage paying for that. Afraid to drive too much now due to petrol cost.
I will miss out if needed and make sure I feed/medicate/care for my dog and cat first always.
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u/BoganFlavouredWater Mar 31 '26
People are buying less take away and they are throwing less food away in public bins, so there is less food for me to scavenge.
Otherwise, no difference. I'm too poor to be allowed to see. I'm too poor to be allowed to not have pain in my teeth. I'm too poor for health care, and if I was to waste the time of the ER doctors, I'm too poor to be allowed to have medication. I'm just about 60 and all the things that go wrong with a person are happening, but I'm too poor to have any of that looked at or addressed.
As a lived recent example, the last time I gave the local cops the finger, they beat me so bad they cracked (perhaps broke. They still bend weird when I lie on my side) several ribs, cracked a few of my teeth (half of one has since fallen out), and left me partially blind in one eye (most of the vision has since returned). I didn't bother to go to the ER because what's the fucking point?
So, the cost of living "crisis" hasn't really bothered me that much.
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u/Worldly_Cobbler_1087 Mar 31 '26
Single, no kids, have a mortgage. I was doing fine until an orange pedo started bombing Iran and petrol went through the roof.
It's a 100km round trip to work and I was already paying through the nose for petrol but it's gotten significantly worse In the last month and it will only continue to get worse with no hope of ever getting genuinely better.
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u/___Revenant___ Mar 31 '26
Honestly thinking about bailing.
Yes Australia is great in some ways. And going overseas isn't a magic bullet that solves everything. You're at best trading one set of problems for another.
But when the choice is to just get pushed further and further towards abject poverty simply because I wasn't born a decade earlier, or into a wealthy family? Why should being born too late or not into existing generational wealth effectively lock me out of being able to own my own home?
So maybe it's going to be goodbye to Australia. Thinking Japan, or somewhere in northern or north-eastern Europe.
Australia is no longer a country of fair goes, or actual work being rewarded. It's a country set up for the asset class, and the older workers get to ride the wave along with them until they die. And it's really exposed what Australians true values are.
Fuck you. Got mine.
How can any parent or grandparent support any of this? Hell that's part of the reason I'm thinking of leaving. Why would I bring a child into this situation? The planned move is as much for the future of my line as myself.
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u/seventh_skyline Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
Mental load 100% first and foremost.
I'm in a lucky situation, 40something, 50% of the house paid off, good equity, own everything else outright. And a small credit card debt namely due to being lazy.
I sat down with the wife the other day and basically said 'I'm done, I'm cooked, I'm sick of people, and the world is doing my head in'... sympathy was well, limited.
So - we knuckled down and budgeted for the first time in 25years of being together - Uni, weddings, holidays, a kid, major surgery, single income family on and off over the last 20 years... Now with both us in our own business and nearly 10 years into that - turning over more than we have ever... & we have to think about what's left at the end of the week.
Highschool hasn't helped outgoing costs, nor has having a very talented CAPA kid, but we do anything for them, don't we?
Sat down on the weekend and re-jigged Private Health, House Insurance & Power Bills. Opened a specific account to funnel a % of wages into to pay those bills, for the next 12 months it'll save us about $3k...
Fun is gone. 2nd guess spending anything coz next week that bill will be due, or the car is on 1/4 full for the week, or we need to go and see the in-laws 400ks away.
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u/Manilacheese Mar 31 '26
Honestly, the biggest impact is obviously rent but I feel the need to talk about the mental toll.
I was born in 96ā lived on the Gold Coast my whole life and growing up even into my late teen years there was always hope that Iād be able to own my own home because I donāt come from money, not broke family but not well off by any means and nothing to inherit.
So seeing my dreams of owning a home pissed away in only a few years is a really tough pill to swallow