There seems to be an assumption when I'm talking about this issue that I'm referring to myself and complaining about my own situation. As it happens, I know I'm in an unusual position in various ways and wouldn't necessarily extrapolate out from my experience at all. Yes I work two jobs (one full time, one casual) and am only on about $70k combined (and we pay $415 per week in rent, which I wouldn't say is exorbitant for a three-bedroom house in Hampton), but then I think it's fair to say I also care less about wealth than a lot of people do and don't have huge ambitions to ever own a house or car or anything much else. It's those my age who do have that ambition but lack the means whom I feel sorry for.think positive wrote:When I started work my first year apprentice wage was $88 a week take home! My kids both started on $70k plus a year, and even their friends without degrees are paid a lot better than we were, everything has gone up, income and outgoings.
Choices and priorities. My generation saved fora deposit before travelling the world or having kids, we had secondhand furniture and a holiday on the Gold Coast every couple of years. Our first houses were nothing special. And at least 1 parent worked 2 jobs. Our first rental was $52k and it was terrifying! But so worth the risk.
Both my kids had jobs during uni, and had almost a deposit saved when they got their degrees. The eldest saved up over $120k for her $570k basic spec home in Truganina. Not the best location, but she’s in the best part of Trug and it’s hers. We contributed zip, not even a loan. We did do up her yard for her and buy some 2nd hand furniture for her. Eventually, we will help out. But she has done it all on her own. Junior has a decent deposit after 14 months full time, we will start looking in the next 12 months. Yes they lived at home, because our priorities meant we could afford to have them, and they didn’t drive us to kick them out!
Again, choices and priorities, as WIAN said, in a nutshell.
Your road is your choice, not right or wrong, but don’t bitch about hardships and expect handouts all the time. Still cheap housing or units in truganina, and my eldest used to commute every day to the city , til she switched jobs and now works from home, so that’s no excuse. You live inner city, how much rent are you throwing away for location? You have said you could get a better paid job but you love your job, that’s a choice right there, and it’s fine to prioritise satisfaction over dollars, but it’s still your choice.
One thing I did teach my kids: do what you have to do before what you want to do. Then enjoy the reward.
Just under $50k a year is pretty low for the profession I'm in and the work I'm doing, but it's not all that low in the broader scheme of things. There are plenty of people out there working hard hours for less, and who may lack the means to go to university or be retrained.
I appreciate the stories people are sharing here, but ultimately this "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality is a bit irrelevant to the discussion at hand. No matter how high house prices go, you're still going to get stories of people who do unusually long hours, only eat mi goreng noodles for a year and encounter various other hardships to get the savings needed. The question is: should they have to, or is this country wealthy enough that house ownership should be within the reach of anyone on a median full-time wage who lives fairly frugally?
That's a broader structural question that has little to do with whether I or anybody else has broken enough rocks in our personal lives to deserve it.
