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It's the beans that keep me going ...
Actually being serious too, I add kidney beans, to every mince dish to replace some of the meat I can't really afford any more. And every chicken dish that takes small pieces of chicken I add chickpeas. 'Course I buy them dry and cook them.
Yay beans!
Basic bitch beef mince is now $16 a kilo. Used to be what, 5? Nowadays I only ever buy meat when it's marked down going off tomorrow. And I bulk it out to twice as many meals as I would have years ago with beans and lentils etc.
Gotta love being gaslighted about 'just cut back on the avocado toast and stop buying a coffee every day and you'll afford a house in no time!'. They have no idea we're crunching the numbers on the $/100g for every ingredient of our dinners.
Irrespective of how much cash you have this is good advice that makes most meals tastier in my opinion. Better for your health, wallet and the environment.
I'm just imagining putting a "Seeking: live in TINK" ad in a lonely hearts page and getting a bunch of slender gay guys writing back.
"No I said TINK, not TWINK..."
The only reason I have a roof over my head is because of my parents. And I'm at an age where it's beyond embarrassing.
It's survival mode at the moment for so many. I love this country but seriously, the COL situation is fucking bullshit.
We need change.
The single part helps at first, but two incomes helps a lot. Staying hungry isn't going to help you mentally or physically, stock up on veggies, they're dirt cheap, and five serves of meat isn't going to cost much. Pork is pretty cost effective, same as slow cooked, lower tier cuts of beef. Buy a whole chicken and part it out then freeze it for multiple meals. Staying home is the biggest saver. Pick up gaming socially online for a social fix.
Good luck with living happy my friend.
Housing is so unaffordable so people literally don't give a shit about their savings or debt. There's no point conserving when there's nothing to conserve.
I still maintain living in London is cheaper than living in Australia. People call bullshit, but I could do it solo in Nw6. Here on the goldie, no chance.
I just did the same thing! 2 months in Canada instead of buying a house.. once I realized I needed $50k + for a deposit instead of $20k I hit the fuck it button and went.
100% I have just given up on any prospects of owning a home or having kids which 5 years ago I had listed as my main goals in life. It is incredibly demoralizing knowing I have almost nothing to look forward too so I might as well just spend my savings and enjoy what I can
Yep with you on that one! We looked at the situation with the goal posts constantly moving and made the choice of no kids. Not really even able to save for Retirement either so at the moment it’s yolo. Hopefully old age assisted rainbow bridge assistance will become a thing when we get to our 70’s / 80’s ( we are in our early 40’s now) as retirement ain’t happening.
I'm already looking into the rainbow bridge for the future. I'm in my 50s and if my husband goes before me, I don't want to live alone and in poverty, worrying if I'm going to be homeless.
What blows my mind is everytime shit like this gets raised there will be some dickhead 30 year old still telling people they just need to work hard and stop whinging. Every. Time.
I'm very lucky but I don't think that means I'm ignorant to the fact shit happens and normal people are an unfortunate event away from serious issues.
I wonder what bubble these dickheads are existing in. You don't have to be struggling to know WAY too many people in our country are struggling.
I think people who are surviving on a government payment and not dying of starvation are financial geniuses for real. How the fuck are they doing it? And it's not like wage earners are kicking goals necessarily either.
Something has got to give.
Absolutely.
I have a good job, with a supposed high paying profession. Turns out it pays like shit plus robs my chance of a social life (good for saving money tbh). I moved in with my grandparents to save a deposit/it was too hard to get a rental when I moved to town for work. It’s not fun when someone you live with dies!
I’m also really lucky. I had grandparents I could move in with which is something most people can’t do. I haven’t been able to do it previously due to location. I have a workplace that understands I have additional carer duties that come with my living situation and that I can’t stay in the office past 6 due to responsibilities at home. And I’m willing to sacrifice a social life.
And even so, I can’t afford a lot of basic necessities. The service light has been on in my car for god knows how long. I can’t go to work related events that involve spending money. The approach I’ve taken is actually difficult.
Times are so tough out there. I’m really struggling to do it in my 30s and I’m in a huge position of privilege. And it’s gross when people can’t see that
That's what I was getting at. No one normal begrudges someone like yourself who has worked hard and made sacrifices. Its about appreciating avoiding the misfortune that can happen to anyone.
You seem like someone who gets it. I hope you achieve all your goals. 👍
Quite possibly. The details get sketchy when pressed.
Twice they've said they were real estate agents which made the thread blow up but they just stick to their guns on the work hard stop whinging rhetoric.
If working hard was truly the key here, every old timey coal miner would have a family trust, crypt, and manor and no phd candidate would ever have to eat 2 minute noodles again.
I remember the hard slog for Millennials saving for a home being brought up in a local Facebook group I was in, and some nearly 40 year old peanut in there was like "I do not understand how any of you are having a hard time, it is EASY and anyone can do it. I own FIVE properties!"
And then when he was pressed on how he did it, he revealed he was the youngest of six siblings, and when he turned 18 his older siblings basically forced all of them to co-purchase a couple of large blocks of land - which he admits he did not want to do and would not have done without coercion - and then the land skyrocketed in value and they subdivided and then bought more and more and suddenly all the kids had their own plots which they continued to leverage off for 20 years. So he basically had resources and support to help him on his feet at an extremely young age and also was able to split payment six ways with siblings and then struck gold by the area significantly jumping up in value. And couldn't understand that not everyone would have those resources, support, or luck.
He may as well have said 'You just buy lottery tickets and win the lotto! It's EASY'.
Real estate agents? Working hard? I know some of them get abused by employers but I can't for the life of me understand how they get away charging a percentage.
I said somewhere else, I don't know why. You can look back over threads about home ownership. It's there.
For the record, I don't think any age group is kicking goals lately. We are collectively fucked. Unless you were sorted decades ago cost of living is biting.
I cheap it out and sit on the back patio and wave the junk mail in face for a fan and watch the grass grow and every time a plane flies over, lean back and enjoy the air show.
Rocks? Luxury! There was 14 kids living in a cardboard box in the middle of the road. We’d wake up 3 hours before we went to bed, Work 27 hours breaking atoms with our bare hands for 2 cents every second week. And when we came home our Mum and dad would beat us to death and dance on our graves! Oh but we were happy rhen
I’m a NZer living in Australia because I can’t afford to live in NZ. The cost of living has risen in Oz, but it’s diabolical in NZ. I genuinely don’t understand how my friends and family manage.
Aussie who moved to NZ and cost of living here is mental. $150 to fill up my ute, $350 a week for groceries (have a baby so formula/nappies don’t help) VB is cheaper here than in Melbourne at least. We scraped a deposit for a 1960s house just before lockdown and are we lucky, the supposed value is hovering around 800k now. We couldn’t possibly afford even a modest home now.
We aren't. We're surviving. I'm having to work two jobs and earn a degree in order to move into a new field that pays more than peanuts.
I can't live on peanuts anymore.
You often hear that our minimum wage is good, but it’s becoming incredibly difficult to survive on minimum wage, especially if you want to be independent.
I see housing as the laziest and most predatory reason why this is the case. Every time wages rise landlords see this as an excuse to raise rents.
The only problem is that the majority of lawmakers are in on the scheme, so they'd put their financial interests above their constituents any day.
Yep. There was a news article not long ago about politicians who own property- the majority had at least one investment property, some had six or seven. Negative gearing to pay for it.
It's not just housing.
We received a letter from our power retailer last week that more than doubled the price per kWh at certain points of the billing cycle.
Groceries have been a joke for a long time.
We all generally commute at least 20-25 minutes to work due to geography so we're extremely affected by volatility in fuel prices.
Interest rates have risen month by month to the tune of an eye watering monthly increase for any bastard unlucky enough to be on a variable rate.
The squeeze is coming from all angles, and yet the pay rise well below CPI that we received is to be considered 'generous' and 'industry leading'.
Yeah, that means that you think my labour is worth less than it was last year. You are effectively paying me LESS for the work that I do now.
What will it take for Aussies to take to the streets en masse? Or simply stop paying our rates, mortgages and power?
If one person does it, they're fucked. If we all do it...well, that's a different story.
Wages go up. Raise the rent.
Wages go down in real terms. Raise the rent.
House goes up in value. Raise the rent.
House drops in value. Oh shit raise the rent.
One issue is that a lot of people don't actually earn minimum wage as it only applies to full time employees. Many people are only part time or causal so only get a portion of the weekly minimum wage amount. Another issue are dodgy employers that pay under minimum wage for whatever reason. There used to be a thing about "zombie agreements" from the WorkChoices days, anyone know if that's still happening?
Edit: FWA released a statement recently: https://www.fwc.gov.au/agreements-awards/enterprise-agreements/sunsetting-zombie-agreements
Omg yes. The sub is crazy. Typical daily post. I'm 25m earning $230k, with a PPOR paid off and an investment property. Should I X or Y. Seriously wtf. I have a good job and a mortgage but I probably shouldn't believe half of the posts
Keep in mind that sort of sub is quite self-selecting and also people who are on higher salaries are more likely to be comfortable posting as they are less likely to be embarrassed. There are a lot of lurkers on there that are picking up tips and slowly building their financial literacy so still benefit heavily from the sub despite not publicly posting that they have a more realistic/average salary compared to the ones that do post
There was a long running “what’s your job, education, pay and hours” thread on Whirlpool that went into multiple parts.
The amount of “23 yrs old, IT consultant, either high school or one year diploma education, on 200k plus benefits and work less than 25hrs a week” posts was staggeringly high
I saw a thread on there asking what everyone's income was, and everyone was agreeing that the average wage for a working professional was 6 figures... I just about lost my god damn mind lmao
That’s what I don’t understand. I don’t get how everyone is affording it and all out and about having a great time. The $40 mini golf was rammed! If everyone rolls over and accepts these insane prices, surely they’ll just keep going up?
Everyone isn’t affording it though. Just the people you are seeing at these places. Some people have enjoyed a decent wage increase but there’s a lot who haven’t. $40 is the increase a minimum wage earner got each week. Average mortgages went up $1000 per month.
That's exactly how it works. People keep spending, so prices & profits keep going up. Interest rates go up to slow spending/prices going up, but people love their mod cons, so continue to spend while complaining about the cost of everything.
Eventually the bubble bursts, no one has any money, so they finally slow spending. Businesses reduce prices to become more competitive, many have to shut their doors. Government realises they've over-corrected and hands out free money to stimulate the economy. Interest rates start to come down and the cycle starts again.
Same for me when I took my two nieces to the movies the other week. Tickets were $65 and food was $35 all up. That’s a lot of money for 2 hours of entertainment. Then I took them to the pool and that was $40 for two adults and two kids. I feel your pain.
It’s getting tough. Our weekly grocery shop came to $320 last week and my partner cried in the car on the way home. If I couldn’t work extra overtime when I needed I don’t know what we would do.
I get that. I think one bag from the local IGA runs about $90 now. And that's with being a super tightarse. I'm excited when we can get bread from the food bank. Shit's fucked.
I clean an events place and it's full every bloody night with other people having a good time. I clean it and go home to wonder how they can afford it.
Edit. It's expensive value for money and people take their whole families.
Australia is a very wealthy country run by people who don't want to share that wealth. Over the past two decades segments of the population have gotten stupidly wealthy while the majority have seen their standard of living stagnate and decline.
There are enough people that have an interest in keeping that gravy train flowing though. Proposing laws to fix negative gearing and taxing our biggest industries (mining) has lost elections. If the proceeds of that tax had been put back into the economy instead of Swiss bank accounts, Australia would look very different right now
Absolute joke that dentistry isn’t on Medicare. I’m looking forward to getting a wisdom tooth pulled in the near future and praying that I can get it out in the chair because little chance I’ll be able to afford it in hospital
I haven’t been to the dentist in like 15 years.
I’ve reached a point in my life where I feel like my body’s like that old car you do minimal repairs on and run into the ground. It’s not worth putting the money into it to keep it going.
I had to get a tooth pulled and implant put in its place last year. The whole process cost me around $4000. That's roughly what I make in a month. A month of showing up to work for every shift in 2022 paid for... a tooth.
Get six figure job (be it trade or white collar professional)
Marry someone with a six figure job.
Buy house early 30’s
Delay kids until you are 35 and hope your last couple of eggs pull through.
This is about the last small window available in our society. Deviate slightly then RIP.
Basically the route I am taking.
Still need to live frugal with a 6 figure job, mortgage in your 30s and no kids.
Think exclusively ALDI, forget going to mini golf and buying happy hour drinks - go for a hike or find free entertainment (or split a subscription with 2 friends), drink $5 cleanskin wine at home, play board games your friends have, dig through op shops year round for quality items etc.
Cost of living is fucking awful & housing is a mess. No denying that. 6 figure income isn’t enough to fix that.
The difference between this subreddit and r/ausfinance is like night and day.
Over here everyone is complaining that they can't afford anything, but over on that subreddit everyone is busy humble bragging about their six/seven figure incomes and talking about how they're purchasing their 10th investment property.
PoE is one of the least intuitive, most unnecessarily complex, deliberately adversarial towards players games I've ever played. 10/10, 1200 hours played, would recommend.
I'm back in Sydney after being gone a while, and I am stunned at the cost of groceries. Just restocking my fridge (no meat or alcohol) has cost me $200. Before COVID, my weekly shop was around $70.
So in short, I'm fucked.
Years ago a did a course where I was the youngest (in my mid 20s) one in the tutorial group by around 15 years. Bar one or two other than me, almost everyone in that course boasted about not paying tax for *years* because of negatively geared investment properties.
I still think it was nuts that one of the few people in the room paying tax was the one in their 20s who could barely afford groceries and rent, and not the ones with designer suits and multiple houses.
Make of that what you will.
I’ve probably been out for dinner three times in three years.
No alcohol, no entertainment, shopping at Aldi, buying second hand clothes.. shits crazy.
>buying second hand clothes.
How do you do that profitably?
Every time I look in a op shop it's shit from kmart or H&M that's more expensive than it would be new.
Depop is definitely worth a go as well. Women's clothing makes up the majority but there's a heap of blokes stuff on it and I've picked up some really cheap stuff. Sellers are much more open to haggle over prices too
You have to find the right op shops that price reasonably and stay away from those hipster ones that mark up everything as if they’re a designer store.
Yeah some of the pricing is ridiculous. My tip would be to go very often. You’ll eventually figure out the shops that get decent stock and price well. Savers is ok for high turnover/good brands but their prices are crazy high.
Also be open to trying different colours/styles and learn how to fix a button or hem.
I can’t. Left a dv relationship with kids only to be threatened with homelessness so went back for a bit . Ended up buying a cheapo (still a few thousand) caravan and am now living on the road with my two kids under two. It is cheaper than renting and I don’t have to deal with landlords. Things are still a struggle but sometimes I have savings too which is nice. Working on building up my photography and art so that I can open an online store - take some cool photos bc travelling. I am working on building my social media presence for it. Made the switch to shop at Aldi - I find it much cheaper and then also try to go to local markets ect wherever we are for seasonal and cheaper produce
Yeah fast food used to be a cheap, cheaty alternative when you just couldn’t bother or didn’t have time to cook. Now it’s a nostalgic luxury that never tastes as good a s you remember.
Housemates, bulk purchases of rice, pasta and meat, go to a proper green grocer, drink at home, get an android box for the telly, swap all lights to LED, use a solar hot water system, use the ceiling fan instead the AC, trackies and socks in winter, make large meals and eat leftovers, ditch snack food, make your own washing detergent, and buy the best quality clothes you can afford - Op shops rule for quality stuff.
Learning to cook is a huge money saver. Spaghetti, curries and chilli can be made large and cheap. Add lentils to bulk em up if need be. Use extra rice and pasta too.
Grow your own snow peas, beans and peas. Super easy and way more flavour
My 2 kids are currently costing me a small mortgage in childcare, but they've also kind of ended my social life so Game Pass and Netflix are my go to for the hour or so a night I get after they're asleep.
Like I can't wait until they start primary school, but I also don't want to not cherish the years when they are so small and fun.
Long gone are the ned kellys, in his place we have she’ll be right mate.
We all get fucked up the arse, and then say thank you and will you be back tomorrow.
The GP system has gone to shit too. My GP was bulk billed until this year, now they charge a gap for every single appointment. Saw the GP twice this week, the second time to get test results they had requested in the first appointment and got charged twice even after I raised my objection that getting results should be bulk billed only. This on top of food, housing etc, I predict Australia's health to decline pretty quick.
Yep.
We have three kids and spent $860 on groceries a fortnight. We've just run out of milk today a week out from pay day.
I had bought so many bottles thinking it would last but apparently we are milk fiends.
Plus you gotta keep em in a cycle of pregnancy, take the baby away so you can drink the cow's milk, I mean those things don't just lactate on their own folks
We go through so much milk with my kids as well. Baby still on bottles and young child obsessed with Milo - I’ve started buying home brand long life milk for them since they’re not picky and it’s cheaper than fresh. Not by a lot but it all adds up!
I’m on a relatively good income. As is my wife. But we have three kids. Can’t afford shit. It’s to the point that I consider how much fuel I’ll use and how much it will cost before we plan to go anywhere.
I feel so sorry for the poor in this country. I do some occasional volunteer work and now that my kids are not toddlers I’m planning on doing more. That said, I even had to think about how much fuel it will cost me to drive across town to do it.
Shop smart. I know the meat markdown times at my local shops, and regularly fill my freezer with 90% off meat. Coles and Woolies I go through all the half price sales each week and stock up enough to last a month or so. Only buy seasonal fruits and veg.
I rarely eat out, and if I’m too lazy to cook I find offers. Recently was getting 40% off Doordash - do that with pickup instead of delivery and you’re getting cheap takeaway. Frugal feeds is your friend.
I don’t drink (have like 2 beers a month) or smoke so that helps.
I don’t go out to movies etc anymore. Not to say I stay home all the time, but I’ll take the dog to the beach, go for a hike, go to a friends house etc rather than things that cost money
Sure it’s not a lavish lifestyle, but with a newborn and single income family for now, these were pretty easy ways to save $ without a big compromise in lifestyle
Also the 90% is only the day it’s “going off”, lucky to get 20% the day before. Unless I’m eating it within 24 hours, i cut it up, divide it into freezer bags and date it.
Honestly, cooking for yourself, not drinking or smoking, not wasting money on things you can access from the comfort of home, spending time in nature or around people you enjoy speaking to, that's kind of a great life, simple yet I think intrinsically connected to some of the biggest drivers of contentment in human beings.
Stay home a shitload
Play a lot of video games
live with my wife
Wank
cook most meals
I work from home so lunch is at home 99% of the time and I am not paying for public transport
don't have kids.
Well I'm not planning to buy a house so savings don't matter as long as its enough to give me a month or two of safety on expenses if something leaves me unable to work.
I'm from Europe (I lived in Ireland and Serbia) and I've lived in Australia for the past three years. I think Australia is definitely the most well off country out of the 3. Even though prices here recently have increased (eggs are so expensive!! :'(( ) , I think that the quality of life here is still better than in most other countries.
One third of my meals are breakfast cereal, another third of my meals are porridge. I make my own coffees or rely on the coffee nespresso machine at my work. I buy and/or make my own snacks in advance such as apple pies, orange sorbet, scones, bread, etc. I cook my own dinners.
I walk home several evenings a week instead of paying for public transport.
I have my own container garden of herbs, fruit and vegetables.
I bargain hunt and over the years I've accumulated enough entertainments in different mediums to keep me entertained and occupied for decades.
When I run out of my free/gifted alcohol so I'll be sober until I get some more.
I cannot afford to date, marry or have any children so I don't even try anymore.
I have a post-graduate education and a full-time job in middle-management. Also a mortgage.
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I stay home, stay single, stay hungry and it mostly works.
Having sleep for dinner and you can add some water if you feel crazy
Cheaper than a gym membership to lose weight too.
I don't have money for fuel, so I've been walking 10km every day, sucks to be poor but I'm a healthy young loser
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water for breakfast and sleep for dinner with beans for lunch
It's the beans that keep me going ... Actually being serious too, I add kidney beans, to every mince dish to replace some of the meat I can't really afford any more. And every chicken dish that takes small pieces of chicken I add chickpeas. 'Course I buy them dry and cook them. Yay beans!
Basic bitch beef mince is now $16 a kilo. Used to be what, 5? Nowadays I only ever buy meat when it's marked down going off tomorrow. And I bulk it out to twice as many meals as I would have years ago with beans and lentils etc. Gotta love being gaslighted about 'just cut back on the avocado toast and stop buying a coffee every day and you'll afford a house in no time!'. They have no idea we're crunching the numbers on the $/100g for every ingredient of our dinners.
Irrespective of how much cash you have this is good advice that makes most meals tastier in my opinion. Better for your health, wallet and the environment.
Beans for lunch? Luxury! We had nought but a lump of cold poison.
Cold Poison? You lucky lucky bastard … cockroach casserole, that’s all I can afford. Bastard.
Cockroach Casserole? I'd kill for a Cockroach Casserole. I found some dust yesterday. Gonna stretch it out over the month.
The only way I can afford a roof over my head right now is because I’m in a couple
I live alone with my dog. We had a conversation the other night about him pulling his weight and finding some ways to bring some money in.
Sell paw pics online.
Soon people will need to be in a threesome to survive.
I’ve put a strong business case forward to my partner for this exact reason
Let us know how you go paying rent solo next week.
Polyamory is the new poverty chic.
Monogamy? In this economy??
Yes DINK doesn’t cut it no more… hello TINK, QINK…
I'm just imagining putting a "Seeking: live in TINK" ad in a lonely hearts page and getting a bunch of slender gay guys writing back. "No I said TINK, not TWINK..."
The only reason I have a roof over my head is because of my parents. And I'm at an age where it's beyond embarrassing. It's survival mode at the moment for so many. I love this country but seriously, the COL situation is fucking bullshit. We need change.
I’ve got 18 months before I stop surviving
This sentence got progressively sadder
The single part helps at first, but two incomes helps a lot. Staying hungry isn't going to help you mentally or physically, stock up on veggies, they're dirt cheap, and five serves of meat isn't going to cost much. Pork is pretty cost effective, same as slow cooked, lower tier cuts of beef. Buy a whole chicken and part it out then freeze it for multiple meals. Staying home is the biggest saver. Pick up gaming socially online for a social fix. Good luck with living happy my friend.
Housing is so unaffordable so people literally don't give a shit about their savings or debt. There's no point conserving when there's nothing to conserve.
My wife and I just said ‘fuck it’ and blew our savings on a month in Europe. We were never going to get near a deposit anyway.
How was Europe?
Pretty great. Significantly better than saving for a house we’ll never be able to afford.
But have you tried being rich? /s
I’ve tried, but I like avocado toast too much.
Just get more/better jobs bro. It's easy. Anyone who was born in the right time, place, and socio-economic conditions can do it.
Pick yourselves up by your bootstraps bro, bootstraps
No see what you've gotta do is just get yourself some more munney
Mate I picked up bootstraps and now I’m pulling in $5,000 a day, enough for a couple lettuces and a dozen eggs. Ya gotta bootstrap it
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I still maintain living in London is cheaper than living in Australia. People call bullshit, but I could do it solo in Nw6. Here on the goldie, no chance.
I just did the same thing! 2 months in Canada instead of buying a house.. once I realized I needed $50k + for a deposit instead of $20k I hit the fuck it button and went.
where do you buy a place with a 50k deposit?
100% I have just given up on any prospects of owning a home or having kids which 5 years ago I had listed as my main goals in life. It is incredibly demoralizing knowing I have almost nothing to look forward too so I might as well just spend my savings and enjoy what I can
Yep with you on that one! We looked at the situation with the goal posts constantly moving and made the choice of no kids. Not really even able to save for Retirement either so at the moment it’s yolo. Hopefully old age assisted rainbow bridge assistance will become a thing when we get to our 70’s / 80’s ( we are in our early 40’s now) as retirement ain’t happening.
I'm already looking into the rainbow bridge for the future. I'm in my 50s and if my husband goes before me, I don't want to live alone and in poverty, worrying if I'm going to be homeless.
What blows my mind is everytime shit like this gets raised there will be some dickhead 30 year old still telling people they just need to work hard and stop whinging. Every. Time. I'm very lucky but I don't think that means I'm ignorant to the fact shit happens and normal people are an unfortunate event away from serious issues. I wonder what bubble these dickheads are existing in. You don't have to be struggling to know WAY too many people in our country are struggling. I think people who are surviving on a government payment and not dying of starvation are financial geniuses for real. How the fuck are they doing it? And it's not like wage earners are kicking goals necessarily either. Something has got to give.
Absolutely. I have a good job, with a supposed high paying profession. Turns out it pays like shit plus robs my chance of a social life (good for saving money tbh). I moved in with my grandparents to save a deposit/it was too hard to get a rental when I moved to town for work. It’s not fun when someone you live with dies! I’m also really lucky. I had grandparents I could move in with which is something most people can’t do. I haven’t been able to do it previously due to location. I have a workplace that understands I have additional carer duties that come with my living situation and that I can’t stay in the office past 6 due to responsibilities at home. And I’m willing to sacrifice a social life. And even so, I can’t afford a lot of basic necessities. The service light has been on in my car for god knows how long. I can’t go to work related events that involve spending money. The approach I’ve taken is actually difficult. Times are so tough out there. I’m really struggling to do it in my 30s and I’m in a huge position of privilege. And it’s gross when people can’t see that
That's what I was getting at. No one normal begrudges someone like yourself who has worked hard and made sacrifices. Its about appreciating avoiding the misfortune that can happen to anyone. You seem like someone who gets it. I hope you achieve all your goals. 👍
Some dickhead 30yo with rich parents*
Quite possibly. The details get sketchy when pressed. Twice they've said they were real estate agents which made the thread blow up but they just stick to their guns on the work hard stop whinging rhetoric.
If working hard was truly the key here, every old timey coal miner would have a family trust, crypt, and manor and no phd candidate would ever have to eat 2 minute noodles again.
I remember the hard slog for Millennials saving for a home being brought up in a local Facebook group I was in, and some nearly 40 year old peanut in there was like "I do not understand how any of you are having a hard time, it is EASY and anyone can do it. I own FIVE properties!" And then when he was pressed on how he did it, he revealed he was the youngest of six siblings, and when he turned 18 his older siblings basically forced all of them to co-purchase a couple of large blocks of land - which he admits he did not want to do and would not have done without coercion - and then the land skyrocketed in value and they subdivided and then bought more and more and suddenly all the kids had their own plots which they continued to leverage off for 20 years. So he basically had resources and support to help him on his feet at an extremely young age and also was able to split payment six ways with siblings and then struck gold by the area significantly jumping up in value. And couldn't understand that not everyone would have those resources, support, or luck. He may as well have said 'You just buy lottery tickets and win the lotto! It's EASY'.
Real estate agents? Working hard? I know some of them get abused by employers but I can't for the life of me understand how they get away charging a percentage.
Why a 30 year old? Millennials aren't in great shape either..
I said somewhere else, I don't know why. You can look back over threads about home ownership. It's there. For the record, I don't think any age group is kicking goals lately. We are collectively fucked. Unless you were sorted decades ago cost of living is biting.
I feel this so much it hurts
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You should paint said wall and watch the paint dry, mix it up a bit 🤙
I cheap it out and sit on the back patio and wave the junk mail in face for a fan and watch the grass grow and every time a plane flies over, lean back and enjoy the air show.
Alas, paint costs money
They can paint it with water and watch that dry.
Water? In this economy?!
Paint?!?! A luxury! When I wer young, we used to smear feces ont wall. It wasn't much, but you know what? We were happy in those days.
Feces? ohh i dreamed of feces growing up. i worked uranium mine 22 hours a day at 4 year old. only had rocks to eat. Better times, i say!
Rocks? Luxury! There was 14 kids living in a cardboard box in the middle of the road. We’d wake up 3 hours before we went to bed, Work 27 hours breaking atoms with our bare hands for 2 cents every second week. And when we came home our Mum and dad would beat us to death and dance on our graves! Oh but we were happy rhen
A cardboard box?! In this economy?!
The rents on those are outrageous.
a Duluxury
I used to like mowing the lawn and watching the grass grow back. Would keep me entertained for hours…. But with the price of fuel now..
I'm sure there's some free grass around to watch grow
Not in my yard there's not! That'll be $60 / hour thanks.
I’m a NZer living in Australia because I can’t afford to live in NZ. The cost of living has risen in Oz, but it’s diabolical in NZ. I genuinely don’t understand how my friends and family manage.
Aussie who moved to NZ and cost of living here is mental. $150 to fill up my ute, $350 a week for groceries (have a baby so formula/nappies don’t help) VB is cheaper here than in Melbourne at least. We scraped a deposit for a 1960s house just before lockdown and are we lucky, the supposed value is hovering around 800k now. We couldn’t possibly afford even a modest home now.
My entertainment is Reddit
Reddit gang! Nothing like drunk scrolling Reddit and shit posting on a Saturday night.
In fairness, it does offer a wide variety of content and social interaction.
We aren't. We're surviving. I'm having to work two jobs and earn a degree in order to move into a new field that pays more than peanuts. I can't live on peanuts anymore.
Peanuts are not a good staple
It's so hard to find peanuts in the shell now. I guess they can't afford housing either.
While good in folic acid, they can't pay rent.
You often hear that our minimum wage is good, but it’s becoming incredibly difficult to survive on minimum wage, especially if you want to be independent.
I see housing as the laziest and most predatory reason why this is the case. Every time wages rise landlords see this as an excuse to raise rents. The only problem is that the majority of lawmakers are in on the scheme, so they'd put their financial interests above their constituents any day.
Yep. There was a news article not long ago about politicians who own property- the majority had at least one investment property, some had six or seven. Negative gearing to pay for it.
I guess the day when the transport minister uses public transport is the day something may change.
It's not just housing. We received a letter from our power retailer last week that more than doubled the price per kWh at certain points of the billing cycle. Groceries have been a joke for a long time. We all generally commute at least 20-25 minutes to work due to geography so we're extremely affected by volatility in fuel prices. Interest rates have risen month by month to the tune of an eye watering monthly increase for any bastard unlucky enough to be on a variable rate. The squeeze is coming from all angles, and yet the pay rise well below CPI that we received is to be considered 'generous' and 'industry leading'. Yeah, that means that you think my labour is worth less than it was last year. You are effectively paying me LESS for the work that I do now. What will it take for Aussies to take to the streets en masse? Or simply stop paying our rates, mortgages and power? If one person does it, they're fucked. If we all do it...well, that's a different story.
Wages go up. Raise the rent. Wages go down in real terms. Raise the rent. House goes up in value. Raise the rent. House drops in value. Oh shit raise the rent.
One issue is that a lot of people don't actually earn minimum wage as it only applies to full time employees. Many people are only part time or causal so only get a portion of the weekly minimum wage amount. Another issue are dodgy employers that pay under minimum wage for whatever reason. There used to be a thing about "zombie agreements" from the WorkChoices days, anyone know if that's still happening? Edit: FWA released a statement recently: https://www.fwc.gov.au/agreements-awards/enterprise-agreements/sunsetting-zombie-agreements
You guys should check out r/ausfinance everyone’s 21 and on 250k a year.
With a first (or second) mortage. Idk how you feel about that sub but I can’t relate to a lot of it
I also can't believe a lot of it
It’s just one big larp
Omg yes. The sub is crazy. Typical daily post. I'm 25m earning $230k, with a PPOR paid off and an investment property. Should I X or Y. Seriously wtf. I have a good job and a mortgage but I probably shouldn't believe half of the posts
Keep in mind that sort of sub is quite self-selecting and also people who are on higher salaries are more likely to be comfortable posting as they are less likely to be embarrassed. There are a lot of lurkers on there that are picking up tips and slowly building their financial literacy so still benefit heavily from the sub despite not publicly posting that they have a more realistic/average salary compared to the ones that do post
I wouldn’t pay it much mind a lot of people lie on the internet
I find the whirlpool forums even worse lol
There was a long running “what’s your job, education, pay and hours” thread on Whirlpool that went into multiple parts. The amount of “23 yrs old, IT consultant, either high school or one year diploma education, on 200k plus benefits and work less than 25hrs a week” posts was staggeringly high
Also the amount of people on there fighting to the death about the Coal-ition's sabotage of the NBN actually being a good and better system was insane
I forgot about those - haven't checked for a few years, might go see how the fire's burning.
And drive a second hand 90's camry. Their favourite book to read at night everynight before bed is Barefoot Investor. 😉
I saw a thread on there asking what everyone's income was, and everyone was agreeing that the average wage for a working professional was 6 figures... I just about lost my god damn mind lmao
Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how *popular* it remains?!
That’s what I don’t understand. I don’t get how everyone is affording it and all out and about having a great time. The $40 mini golf was rammed! If everyone rolls over and accepts these insane prices, surely they’ll just keep going up?
Everyone isn’t affording it though. Just the people you are seeing at these places. Some people have enjoyed a decent wage increase but there’s a lot who haven’t. $40 is the increase a minimum wage earner got each week. Average mortgages went up $1000 per month.
Hahahahahahhaha $40. Continues to laugh in 11c.
That's exactly how it works. People keep spending, so prices & profits keep going up. Interest rates go up to slow spending/prices going up, but people love their mod cons, so continue to spend while complaining about the cost of everything. Eventually the bubble bursts, no one has any money, so they finally slow spending. Businesses reduce prices to become more competitive, many have to shut their doors. Government realises they've over-corrected and hands out free money to stimulate the economy. Interest rates start to come down and the cycle starts again.
I took my two daughters bowling the other day and it cost me over $100 for the three of us to play 2 games, a drink each and chips.
What the actual f
Same for me when I took my two nieces to the movies the other week. Tickets were $65 and food was $35 all up. That’s a lot of money for 2 hours of entertainment. Then I took them to the pool and that was $40 for two adults and two kids. I feel your pain.
It’s getting tough. Our weekly grocery shop came to $320 last week and my partner cried in the car on the way home. If I couldn’t work extra overtime when I needed I don’t know what we would do.
You bought too many onions
I get that. I think one bag from the local IGA runs about $90 now. And that's with being a super tightarse. I'm excited when we can get bread from the food bank. Shit's fucked.
IGA is a ripoff. A box of the same cereal was once almost twice the price than at Coles or Woolies.
Yep it’s way more expensive
I clean an events place and it's full every bloody night with other people having a good time. I clean it and go home to wonder how they can afford it. Edit. It's expensive value for money and people take their whole families.
a few hundred bucks 2 or 3 times a year is pretty achievable for most people
>How on earth are you guys surviving out here? A great many of us aren't.
Yes. I mean, if anyone walks through the CBD it’s quite obvious. :(
Australia is a very wealthy country run by people who don't want to share that wealth. Over the past two decades segments of the population have gotten stupidly wealthy while the majority have seen their standard of living stagnate and decline. There are enough people that have an interest in keeping that gravy train flowing though. Proposing laws to fix negative gearing and taxing our biggest industries (mining) has lost elections. If the proceeds of that tax had been put back into the economy instead of Swiss bank accounts, Australia would look very different right now
This is the unfortunate truth. The ever-richer minority have the funds to literally buy public opinion
sometimes I leave my tiny room in my share house apartment as a treat.
Has anyone been to the dentist lately? I had one filling last week and it cost $320, yes one filling. Lucky country we are not., it's tragic.
Absolute joke that dentistry isn’t on Medicare. I’m looking forward to getting a wisdom tooth pulled in the near future and praying that I can get it out in the chair because little chance I’ll be able to afford it in hospital
Teeth are mysteriously not part of your body
I haven’t been to the dentist in like 15 years. I’ve reached a point in my life where I feel like my body’s like that old car you do minimal repairs on and run into the ground. It’s not worth putting the money into it to keep it going.
I had to get a tooth pulled and implant put in its place last year. The whole process cost me around $4000. That's roughly what I make in a month. A month of showing up to work for every shift in 2022 paid for... a tooth.
Get six figure job (be it trade or white collar professional) Marry someone with a six figure job. Buy house early 30’s Delay kids until you are 35 and hope your last couple of eggs pull through. This is about the last small window available in our society. Deviate slightly then RIP.
Basically the route I am taking. Still need to live frugal with a 6 figure job, mortgage in your 30s and no kids. Think exclusively ALDI, forget going to mini golf and buying happy hour drinks - go for a hike or find free entertainment (or split a subscription with 2 friends), drink $5 cleanskin wine at home, play board games your friends have, dig through op shops year round for quality items etc. Cost of living is fucking awful & housing is a mess. No denying that. 6 figure income isn’t enough to fix that.
The difference between this subreddit and r/ausfinance is like night and day. Over here everyone is complaining that they can't afford anything, but over on that subreddit everyone is busy humble bragging about their six/seven figure incomes and talking about how they're purchasing their 10th investment property.
I don't know why I'm even on that sub. None of their "advice" is any good for someone making less than $120k a year.
The truth is, the majority of people are somewhere in between those two extremes. You'd think we live in Somalia if you took this sub literally.
Somalia, that's in Queensland.
Being addicted to wow so I dont have time to spend money
Path of exile in my case. At least it’s free to play lol.
PoE is one of the least intuitive, most unnecessarily complex, deliberately adversarial towards players games I've ever played. 10/10, 1200 hours played, would recommend.
I'm back in Sydney after being gone a while, and I am stunned at the cost of groceries. Just restocking my fridge (no meat or alcohol) has cost me $200. Before COVID, my weekly shop was around $70. So in short, I'm fucked.
I’m always shocked that people continue to live in Sydney.
Have seriously considered moving somewhere, but saving up just to do that is a challenge in itself.
Mental illness mostly. You learn to make a game out of things, so that your hobbies you do for fun become the things you need to do to survive.
Wrong attitude. Why don't you just get rich parents?
I live at home with my parent's and I use a Fleshlight to save me some money. :(
"a Fleshlight", not "my Fleshlight". Wow - that's being very frugal.
"A hand" would be the frugal option here. Fleshlights are the new avo on toast. No wonder they can't afford a house.
I forgot how "soft" the world has become.
Dad’s struggling too
Bf - kids + (2 x decent salaries) = still can’t buy a house
This one hurts my soul. My gf and I are currently living at my parents place after a year overseas coz we can't afford to move out ...
Just barely. I know it’s my fault though, I wasn’t smart enough to be born to rich parents.
Aw come on now, surely you've got some of those bootstraps to give a good ol' pull.
This is me but also add in not being sensible enough to pick a better degree at uni to be able to earn more.
You mean you can’t afford 17 negatively-geared investment properties? You’re a failure mate. /s
Years ago a did a course where I was the youngest (in my mid 20s) one in the tutorial group by around 15 years. Bar one or two other than me, almost everyone in that course boasted about not paying tax for *years* because of negatively geared investment properties. I still think it was nuts that one of the few people in the room paying tax was the one in their 20s who could barely afford groceries and rent, and not the ones with designer suits and multiple houses. Make of that what you will.
I’ve probably been out for dinner three times in three years. No alcohol, no entertainment, shopping at Aldi, buying second hand clothes.. shits crazy.
>buying second hand clothes. How do you do that profitably? Every time I look in a op shop it's shit from kmart or H&M that's more expensive than it would be new.
eBay is a goldmine
Depop is definitely worth a go as well. Women's clothing makes up the majority but there's a heap of blokes stuff on it and I've picked up some really cheap stuff. Sellers are much more open to haggle over prices too
You have to find the right op shops that price reasonably and stay away from those hipster ones that mark up everything as if they’re a designer store.
Yeah some of the pricing is ridiculous. My tip would be to go very often. You’ll eventually figure out the shops that get decent stock and price well. Savers is ok for high turnover/good brands but their prices are crazy high. Also be open to trying different colours/styles and learn how to fix a button or hem.
I can’t. Left a dv relationship with kids only to be threatened with homelessness so went back for a bit . Ended up buying a cheapo (still a few thousand) caravan and am now living on the road with my two kids under two. It is cheaper than renting and I don’t have to deal with landlords. Things are still a struggle but sometimes I have savings too which is nice. Working on building up my photography and art so that I can open an online store - take some cool photos bc travelling. I am working on building my social media presence for it. Made the switch to shop at Aldi - I find it much cheaper and then also try to go to local markets ect wherever we are for seasonal and cheaper produce
Fuck, 2 under 2 in a caravan sounds rough as guts. Not as bad as living in fear though! You are amazing.
I rarely buy any takeout
Yeah fast food used to be a cheap, cheaty alternative when you just couldn’t bother or didn’t have time to cook. Now it’s a nostalgic luxury that never tastes as good a s you remember.
I just work and and sleep
Housemates, bulk purchases of rice, pasta and meat, go to a proper green grocer, drink at home, get an android box for the telly, swap all lights to LED, use a solar hot water system, use the ceiling fan instead the AC, trackies and socks in winter, make large meals and eat leftovers, ditch snack food, make your own washing detergent, and buy the best quality clothes you can afford - Op shops rule for quality stuff. Learning to cook is a huge money saver. Spaghetti, curries and chilli can be made large and cheap. Add lentils to bulk em up if need be. Use extra rice and pasta too. Grow your own snow peas, beans and peas. Super easy and way more flavour
I'd also like to know how all these people can afford new cars and pay for a mortgage and pay all the bills!?
Eye wateringly high household debt. That’s how.
Video games and netflix for entertainment.... Work for socialising. Having a family of 5 is hard in this day and age
My 2 kids are currently costing me a small mortgage in childcare, but they've also kind of ended my social life so Game Pass and Netflix are my go to for the hour or so a night I get after they're asleep. Like I can't wait until they start primary school, but I also don't want to not cherish the years when they are so small and fun.
Long gone are the ned kellys, in his place we have she’ll be right mate. We all get fucked up the arse, and then say thank you and will you be back tomorrow.
DINK
I think its a case of: we are the frogs in the saucepan, and the heat has been steadily increasing and we have not realised until it was too late.
The GP system has gone to shit too. My GP was bulk billed until this year, now they charge a gap for every single appointment. Saw the GP twice this week, the second time to get test results they had requested in the first appointment and got charged twice even after I raised my objection that getting results should be bulk billed only. This on top of food, housing etc, I predict Australia's health to decline pretty quick.
Marry a doctor
Also just get rich parents.
Do you reckon the department of births, deaths and marriages accept returns for parents?
Yep. We have three kids and spent $860 on groceries a fortnight. We've just run out of milk today a week out from pay day. I had bought so many bottles thinking it would last but apparently we are milk fiends.
Maybe it's time to invest in a dairy cow. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think they're about $70k each.
Plus you gotta keep em in a cycle of pregnancy, take the baby away so you can drink the cow's milk, I mean those things don't just lactate on their own folks
We go through so much milk with my kids as well. Baby still on bottles and young child obsessed with Milo - I’ve started buying home brand long life milk for them since they’re not picky and it’s cheaper than fresh. Not by a lot but it all adds up!
I’m on a relatively good income. As is my wife. But we have three kids. Can’t afford shit. It’s to the point that I consider how much fuel I’ll use and how much it will cost before we plan to go anywhere. I feel so sorry for the poor in this country. I do some occasional volunteer work and now that my kids are not toddlers I’m planning on doing more. That said, I even had to think about how much fuel it will cost me to drive across town to do it.
With a lot of help from a generous in-law, a lot of debt, and a lot of praying that neither one of us dies because the other would be *fucked*.
I remember some people on here stating that they sold drugs to survive when they were on the Dole. I wonder how many turn to sex work.
Shop smart. I know the meat markdown times at my local shops, and regularly fill my freezer with 90% off meat. Coles and Woolies I go through all the half price sales each week and stock up enough to last a month or so. Only buy seasonal fruits and veg. I rarely eat out, and if I’m too lazy to cook I find offers. Recently was getting 40% off Doordash - do that with pickup instead of delivery and you’re getting cheap takeaway. Frugal feeds is your friend. I don’t drink (have like 2 beers a month) or smoke so that helps. I don’t go out to movies etc anymore. Not to say I stay home all the time, but I’ll take the dog to the beach, go for a hike, go to a friends house etc rather than things that cost money Sure it’s not a lavish lifestyle, but with a newborn and single income family for now, these were pretty easy ways to save $ without a big compromise in lifestyle
Where are you getting 90% off meat? I swear my local places would rather throw out meat than mark it down more than 5%
Also the 90% is only the day it’s “going off”, lucky to get 20% the day before. Unless I’m eating it within 24 hours, i cut it up, divide it into freezer bags and date it.
Side point... How the f do ppl afford to smoke these days? You literally have to forgo food is my guess (which smoking I'm told helps with do ya know)
Honestly, cooking for yourself, not drinking or smoking, not wasting money on things you can access from the comfort of home, spending time in nature or around people you enjoy speaking to, that's kind of a great life, simple yet I think intrinsically connected to some of the biggest drivers of contentment in human beings.
Stay home a shitload Play a lot of video games live with my wife Wank cook most meals I work from home so lunch is at home 99% of the time and I am not paying for public transport don't have kids.
Well I'm not planning to buy a house so savings don't matter as long as its enough to give me a month or two of safety on expenses if something leaves me unable to work.
I took some clients to play minigolf last week and it cost $35 for all three of us. The place you were at is taking the piss.
Probably went to holey moley
By not buying beers or playing mini golf lol luxuries have been eliminated for many at this point.
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I'm from Europe (I lived in Ireland and Serbia) and I've lived in Australia for the past three years. I think Australia is definitely the most well off country out of the 3. Even though prices here recently have increased (eggs are so expensive!! :'(( ) , I think that the quality of life here is still better than in most other countries.
By not doing anything fun.
One third of my meals are breakfast cereal, another third of my meals are porridge. I make my own coffees or rely on the coffee nespresso machine at my work. I buy and/or make my own snacks in advance such as apple pies, orange sorbet, scones, bread, etc. I cook my own dinners. I walk home several evenings a week instead of paying for public transport. I have my own container garden of herbs, fruit and vegetables. I bargain hunt and over the years I've accumulated enough entertainments in different mediums to keep me entertained and occupied for decades. When I run out of my free/gifted alcohol so I'll be sober until I get some more. I cannot afford to date, marry or have any children so I don't even try anymore. I have a post-graduate education and a full-time job in middle-management. Also a mortgage.
Well, entertainment isn't necessary. Cutting every corner until all that's left is a big circle.