A young mother’s admission of feeling ‘pure desperation’ from living ‘paycheque to paycheque’ has struck a chord with Aussies in similar bleak financial situations.
Jordana Mintz, 28, said in a viral TikTok that despite she and her partner ‘having good jobs’ and putting aside some savings before having their first child almost a year ago they are struggling to make ends meet.
‘Is anyone else FIGHTING for LIFE financially right now???? Parenting in this economy is not for the faint hearted,’ the caption reads.
‘If it gets to the end of the fortnight and I am like if I am not paid on time as in if there is any delay in me receiving my pay this fortnight we won’t be buying food or I won’t be able to fill up my car,’ Ms Mintz said.
‘I feel this sense of pure desperation all I am thinking is ‘what can I do to increase our income as a family’.
‘I did not foresee how hard this was going to be.’
Ms Mintz said she is even considering giving up the home she and her partner Tim live in with their son Billy.
‘I’m at the point where I’m like, I don’t even want the house,’ she said.
‘I want to put it on the market, take the money, and run.’
She said even living in a tent looked inviting to get rid of the ‘heavy financial strain’ the family.
Ms Mintz was also seriously considering moving back in with her parents, as she recently saw another mum do on TikTok.
In the comments section Ms Mintz revealed the mortgage she and her partner pay on the house is $900 per week,which she told news.com.au is over a third of her and her partner’s combined income.
Ms Mintz said although everyone knows what a blessing children are ‘what maybe isn’t talked about as much is the stress financially and emotionally of being primarily responsible for the physical care if you are the mother’.
‘Everyone is juggling so much and yet I feel like we aren’t getting the rewards, I think we have bitten off more than we can chew,’ she said.
Ms Mintz said she had ‘so much empathy’ for anyone having a similar struggle.
She also asked for words of encouragement ‘because at the moment I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and this is just going to be my life now’.
‘I feel like I did all the right things to manage but we are not managing,’ Ms Mintz said.
A number of those commenting on the video, which had nearly 64,000 views, said they were in the same boat.
‘This is us,’ one said.
‘And we are experiencing big burnout. We want another baby but financially we know it will be a strain. I’m sad we can’t give our babies the same freedoms and life we were brought up with.’
‘It’s the daycare fees that are killing me,’ another commented.
‘Can’t afford to stay home with them. just making it by working fulltime and sending them to day care.’
‘I have to work 4 full days a week and my partner full time and we make okay money, nothing crazy! But we aren’t able to save anything,’ a third person lamented.
‘Just away for bills/medical cost. My car recently broke down And we now have to save for a new car or get another loan. Which has been harder to do than we thought!
‘My partner is looking at a side hustle or casual night job and I am starting uni to get in in a better job. It’s hard asf, I don’t know how people are buying houses! We are having to rent.’
‘Interest rates are a killer,’ another person wrote.
‘I’m a SAHM of 6 for the last 13 years with a 6 month old and I’ve had to get a nightfill job to make ends meet. We chase our tail too. Food is a killer.
‘We are deciding whether to sell and downgrade to have a smaller mortgage and it’s not even a big mortgage in today’s standards.’
‘It’s honestly exhausting, like we’re panicking cause back to school and how much uniform costs and just the general cost of living,’ another person said.
‘It’s just insane trying to give kids a life in this economy.’