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Australia’s cost of living crisis is forcing some to make difficult decisions about their future

Australia’s cost of living crisis is forcing some to make difficult decisions about their future

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Zofia Zayons has cancelled her gym membership, physio sessions, streaming services and has stopped eating out.

“At this point, the only thing that I can leverage is my time,” Ms Zayons, from Hobart, said. 

Juggling an interest rate rise after purchasing her first home last year, and an electricity bill she was warned by the provider would double, Ms Zayons decided to find extra work. 

Outside of her full-time role as a venue manager, Ms Zayons, 29, is moonlighting in a wine bar and as a freelance communications officer for a government agency.

a young woman packs a bag of food on her kitchen bench
With little time between shifts at her three jobs, Zofia Zayons plans her meals ahead, desperate to avoid eating out.(ABC News: Sebastian Baltyn)

“I’m managing [working three jobs] but I’m tired … and I know that what I’m doing now isn’t sustainable forever,” she said.

With little time between shifts at her three jobs, Ms Zayons plans her meals ahead, determined to avoid eating out.

Adapting to rising costs while remaining on a stagnant wage, Ms Zayons said she had also begun to buy some frozen vegetables rather than fresh ones, and was thinking twice before turning on the heating. 

“You don’t really expect that after studying two university degrees, taking on further study in your field, [and] having worked for five years that you do have to take on extra work — it’s kind of frustrating,” she said. 

Plans breaking down

Lucas Walsh, director of Monash University’s Centre for Youth Policy, said young people were coming of age in a time of soaring house prices, less secure job markets and credential inflation — where more and more qualifications were needed to secure a particular level of earning.

All of which, Professor Walsh said, was making it harder for them to plan their futures.

A young woman sits on a couch holding her mobile phone up to her ear.
Mira Sulistiyanto speaking on the phone with the family in Java she would like to visit.(ABC News: Brant Cumming)

“Not being able to plan creates a level of uncertainty that has anxiety attached to it,” he said. 

The markers of adulthood, like moving from education to the workforce, securing a house through ownership or rental, and starting a family were breaking down, Professor Walsh said.

“These markers are being eroded by things like the inflated housing prices and the fact that less secure work is making it more difficult for young people to secure loans,” he said. 

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