Aussies refuse to give up these ‘luxury’ items!
- Replies 19
Let's face it: inflation is affecting everyday items and nudging critical expenses like groceries, petrol, and electricity bills to near-record highs.
Charity organisation Foodbank revealed that the number of Australians searching for 'find food' had risen from 4,000 a month in August 2022 to 24,000 a month this year.
However, there are still some non-essential items people refuse to give up.
In a recent question posted on social media, a poster asked, ‘What's the discretionary spend you'll never cut from your budget?’
Sports and entertainment featured very highly on the list.
‘Gym membership is a non-negotiable for me,' one person said.
'Group fitness,' said another.
A third commented, 'I do Jiu-jitsu, and the wife goes to a fitness class. Costs us about 5k a year, but the mental and physical benefits, especially with a young family, are priceless.'
Another user said they paid a subscription to the running app Stava, as ‘it motivates me to keep running and stay fit, and I've gotten much out of it throughout the years’.
Others didn’t cut off their subscriptions to media streaming services like Netflix.
'Streaming services for me; Audible, Spotify, and two TV ones,' one said.
Another commented that they couldn't let go of video games as they cost under $100 yearly. These gave them ‘100s of hours of entertainment and prevented them from going out and spending money when bored.
Other users declared that fresh grocery ingredients, which tend to be costlier than some processed foods, are more essential.
One person commented, ‘Eating healthy. I used to be 102 [kilograms] at the start of [February], now around 71 [kilograms], and I've never felt better.’
'Good quality (to me) groceries. I prefer organic and don't eat chocolate a lot, but if I do, it's Cadbury/Lindt,' another said.
Holidays were also added to the list.
One user said, ‘It doesn't have to be an expensive holiday, 90 per cent of my holidays are camping or backpacking.’
Other users said hiring a house cleaner a few times monthly was ‘worth it’.
Another commented that using quality tradesmen and mechanics improved their lives more than ‘going cheap,’ and costs for pets were also essential.
Some said they couldn’t cut off their social activities and personal care.
According to recent data from a Finder study, collectively. Aussies are spending up to $1.6 billion annually on cosmetic and beauty treatments. Fifty-seven per cent of the 1,073 Aussies involved in the study investing in beauty treatments were women, while 26 per cent were male.
'I'm single, so I tend to go out quite a lot. It's usually just to gigs, but also dinners/lunches with girlfriends. If I cut back on this, I'd probably be pretty lonely as I also live alone,’ they said.
‘Skincare and sunscreen,' another said.
‘I'd rather [have] the chance of looking 20 per cent better in 40 years than save myself a couple of hundred dollars each year and feel not my best in my old age/not take care of my skin.'
Of course, there were also the more unique answers, hinting at very specific must-haves amid inflationary pressures bearing down on Aussies.
‘Craft beer,’ one commented.
‘I don't drink as much as I used to. But I enjoy it too much to let it go, I haven't purchased a slab in months but I go to my local once a week and have between 1 and 4 beers depending [on] mood/what they have on tap.'
Another said, ‘Scalia Anchovies in extra virgin olive oil. They don't even come out of my discretionary budget. It's a living expense as far as I'm concerned.’
Australians voted in a poll by Resolve Strategic commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald to see how many were worried about the cost of living.
Fifty per cent expected that the country’s economy will worsen in the next three months, and 52 per cent said that the cost of living is their top priority, compared to last year’s 32 per cent.
Goods and services sold by retailers grew by 0.9 per cent higher in September than markets’ forecast of 0.3 per cent.
After a few sluggish months, retail trade tracked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) bounced back from July and August, when retail trade grew at 0.6 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
ABS head of retail statistics Ben Dorber attributed the increase to various factors, including the release of the new iPhone and the introduction of an energy-saving appliance rebate program in Queensland.
The warmer-than-usual spring weather also played a role, leading to more spending on hardware, gardening, and clothes, resulting in a 1.7 per cent lift for department stores.
Additionally, major events, such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, temporarily boosted spending.
What do you think of this story? What is your discretionary spending you don’t want to remove from your budget? Let us know in the comments below!
Charity organisation Foodbank revealed that the number of Australians searching for 'find food' had risen from 4,000 a month in August 2022 to 24,000 a month this year.
However, there are still some non-essential items people refuse to give up.
In a recent question posted on social media, a poster asked, ‘What's the discretionary spend you'll never cut from your budget?’
Sports and entertainment featured very highly on the list.
Despite rising costs, Aussies couldn’t refuse to give up on some of their ‘luxury’ items. Credit: Unsplash
‘Gym membership is a non-negotiable for me,' one person said.
'Group fitness,' said another.
A third commented, 'I do Jiu-jitsu, and the wife goes to a fitness class. Costs us about 5k a year, but the mental and physical benefits, especially with a young family, are priceless.'
Another user said they paid a subscription to the running app Stava, as ‘it motivates me to keep running and stay fit, and I've gotten much out of it throughout the years’.
Others didn’t cut off their subscriptions to media streaming services like Netflix.
'Streaming services for me; Audible, Spotify, and two TV ones,' one said.
Another commented that they couldn't let go of video games as they cost under $100 yearly. These gave them ‘100s of hours of entertainment and prevented them from going out and spending money when bored.
Other users declared that fresh grocery ingredients, which tend to be costlier than some processed foods, are more essential.
One person commented, ‘Eating healthy. I used to be 102 [kilograms] at the start of [February], now around 71 [kilograms], and I've never felt better.’
'Good quality (to me) groceries. I prefer organic and don't eat chocolate a lot, but if I do, it's Cadbury/Lindt,' another said.
Holidays were also added to the list.
One user said, ‘It doesn't have to be an expensive holiday, 90 per cent of my holidays are camping or backpacking.’
Other users said hiring a house cleaner a few times monthly was ‘worth it’.
Another commented that using quality tradesmen and mechanics improved their lives more than ‘going cheap,’ and costs for pets were also essential.
Some said they couldn’t cut off their social activities and personal care.
According to recent data from a Finder study, collectively. Aussies are spending up to $1.6 billion annually on cosmetic and beauty treatments. Fifty-seven per cent of the 1,073 Aussies involved in the study investing in beauty treatments were women, while 26 per cent were male.
'I'm single, so I tend to go out quite a lot. It's usually just to gigs, but also dinners/lunches with girlfriends. If I cut back on this, I'd probably be pretty lonely as I also live alone,’ they said.
‘Skincare and sunscreen,' another said.
‘I'd rather [have] the chance of looking 20 per cent better in 40 years than save myself a couple of hundred dollars each year and feel not my best in my old age/not take care of my skin.'
Of course, there were also the more unique answers, hinting at very specific must-haves amid inflationary pressures bearing down on Aussies.
‘Craft beer,’ one commented.
‘I don't drink as much as I used to. But I enjoy it too much to let it go, I haven't purchased a slab in months but I go to my local once a week and have between 1 and 4 beers depending [on] mood/what they have on tap.'
Another said, ‘Scalia Anchovies in extra virgin olive oil. They don't even come out of my discretionary budget. It's a living expense as far as I'm concerned.’
Australians voted in a poll by Resolve Strategic commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald to see how many were worried about the cost of living.
Fifty per cent expected that the country’s economy will worsen in the next three months, and 52 per cent said that the cost of living is their top priority, compared to last year’s 32 per cent.
Goods and services sold by retailers grew by 0.9 per cent higher in September than markets’ forecast of 0.3 per cent.
After a few sluggish months, retail trade tracked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) bounced back from July and August, when retail trade grew at 0.6 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
ABS head of retail statistics Ben Dorber attributed the increase to various factors, including the release of the new iPhone and the introduction of an energy-saving appliance rebate program in Queensland.
The warmer-than-usual spring weather also played a role, leading to more spending on hardware, gardening, and clothes, resulting in a 1.7 per cent lift for department stores.
Additionally, major events, such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, temporarily boosted spending.
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