Next Federal Election

It's not unusual to pay 9 bucks over the bar for a tinnie of Heaps Normal non-alcoholic beer atm, and one joint in Melbourne tried to charge me $15 one night. I guffawed and left.

zenagain wrote:

Dunno how you guys do it- especially those with kids.

Ah how do we do it? Depends on the income I guess. I am very fortunate as I built a good career. I also travel for work and all expenses are covered when I’m away from home. They let me eat in the best restaurants and sleep in the best hotels. And believe it or not, the best restaurants are always packed. But anything below best is suffering.

Look how many festivals went broke. How many pubs are shutting down. People are just staying home, cities are dead. I’m in Melbourne a lot and I walk through the CBD often. I can show you retail spaces that were closed 3 years ago and that are still closed today. Nothing new is being open, it’s just the existing stuff trying to survive.

I’ve got 3 kids, we spend a lot of time doing the free things like hiking, beach. And like I said, no alcohol, coffee, smoking…Basically we’re just buying the essentials with a few extra things. That’s it, that’s the life.

old-dog wrote:

Most slabs are close to $60, which is cheap when you can pay $15 for a pint over the bar. I remember when you weren't worth knowing if you didn't drink VB, especially on the west coast. These days I hate to admit I've acquired a taste for Australias most popular beer XXXX gold. Apparently, Queenslanders call it XXXX because they can't spell beer.

Chuck some mangos on ice mate!

@ andy-mac, isn't that about $80 a slab, a bit fruity for me. Never had a craft beer I liked yet, especially the clove tasting ones. I like the watery stuff that's easy to throw down with no oyster at the bottom. Maybe I'm just not hipster enough.

"we spend a lot of time doing the free things like hiking, beach. And like I said, no alcohol, coffee, smoking…Basically we’re just buying the essentials with a few extra things. That’s it, that’s the life."

Yep, that's the re-adjustment that so many are coming to terms with.
If you're around the median income or below, you're something like working poor.
A few of us went to the Kingscliff pub yesterday, $10.50 for a schooner.
Steak and a couple of drinks, $100.
The number of people who can do that is dropping fast.

old-dog wrote:

@ andy-mac, isn't that about $80 a slab, a bit fruity for me. Never had a craft beer I liked yet, especially the clove tasting ones. I like the watery stuff that's easy to throw down with no oyster at the bottom. Maybe I'm just not hipster enough.

Haha, no I was referring to XXXX Gold, hear them being called Mangos.
$54 for 30 pack. Not a great beer but goes down ok if super cold.
I must admit to being very partial to craft beers especially a good West Coast IPA, but yeah exy and alcohol level can knock you around a bit.

Balter Captain Sensible if feeling wealthy. :)

Cloves and beer is a crime against humanity. If I want cloves, I'll go to the dentist.

See what Flollo says above is nuts. Above average earner and still has to be frugal to maintain quality of life. Not that frugality is good just as rampant consumerism is bad, the fact that people above are saying beer is a luxury or you can't have a basic meal and a couple of drinks without being bent over speaks volumes.

the flipside is, people cooking at home and going to growers markets, and the youth are more likely to throw a goofy dinner party at someone's house and slurp goon, than go to a stale mocha-decor tavern to hand over their rent money to an indifferent waitress for some average protein w chips n salad, which is deemed gastro cos there's a light above the servery, the gravy is called jus, and there's arancini balls and ramekins of aioli everywhere.

Again, de-constructed on mini wooden chopping boards.

X 2 Base, doesn't sound all bad, rediscovering the basics.

prolly like most things, upper and lower echelons do fine in these times. middlin nigh-luxury stuff (the middle of the bell curve) struggles.. which is a concern for employment, etc and we need thriving cities for ourselves and for tourists;

flollo is saying high-end restaurants are always full, and the same can be said for city street-food areas or chinatowns. you can sit at plain little well-known asian restaurants with some mates and fill your ribs with shared dishes for 30 bucks a head. a tiger beer or corona =$10. strangely, lotsa cbd asian grocers now have a takeaway beer fridge, with jaunty 500ml cans that don't attract attention as an on-the-street aperitif option.

Hardly ever go out for a beer these days, and drink very little at home - couple on weekends after a day in the yard or playing cricket with the groms. Hardly ever drink during the week. Not the cost, really, but it’s an added side benefit of living healthier. Going to the pub for a family dinner, couple of drinks with the missus is a $150 proposition. At least.

Did go to a lunar new year festival with the kids and a couple of mates last week. Grabbing a schooner from the craft brewery truck was $13.
2x 500mL Tsingtao cans from the little Asian stall next to it was $10. Easy decision.

AndyM wrote:

"we spend a lot of time doing the free things like hiking, beach. And like I said, no alcohol, coffee, smoking…Basically we’re just buying the essentials with a few extra things. That’s it, that’s the life."

Yep, that's the re-adjustment that so many are coming to terms with.
If you're around the median income or below, you're something like working poor.
A few of us went to the Kingscliff pub yesterday, $10.50 for a schooner.
Steak and a couple of drinks, $100.
The number of people who can do that is dropping fast.

That's ridiculous, that's way too much. How is that sustainable?

Local bowlo has a good Sunday night family special for $55 (2 adult meals, 2 kids meals, 2 beers or wine and two juice poppers).

You have to eat Asian if you want cheap. And Asian in CBD little shops, industrial, working class suburbia, maybe some shopping centres. Not those fancy, westernised Asian restaurants. Popularity of banh mi is soaring. It's like people have woken up and realised that banh mi is cheaper and 10 better than junk food. And on the topic of junk food, how expensive did that get? Shirinkinlfation + inflation all in one!? I strictly avoid big chains and the only time I would buy it is when I'm doing a long drive and I have no choice. Prices are shocking and you get nothing for it. You walk away hungry with one meal these days.

thermalben wrote:

Local bowlo has a good Sunday night family special for $55 (2 adult meals, 2 kids meals, 2 beers or wine and two juice poppers).

And then us with 3 kids get shafted everywhere we go, haha. And 3 boys are getting bigger, they can easily eat adult meals these days.

flollo wrote:

thermalben wrote:

Local bowlo has a good Sunday night family special for $55 (2 adult meals, 2 kids meals, 2 beers or wine and two juice poppers).

And then us with 3 kids get shafted everywhere we go, haha. And 3 boys are getting bigger, they can easily eat adult meals these days.

That’s a good deal. Might have to shift up to the Tweed just to save money on Bowlo meals.

Flollo, I’ve only got the 2 boys (9 and 7) but they can definitely eat. Kids meals at most won’t cut it for them. 4 adult meals tips you over $100 without drinks.

Taco night at our place is a knife fight. Grommets regularly eat more than me. It’s become a point of pride for them.

Just tried a new Vietnamese place today. Bahn Mi was $15
It was good but won’t be going back at that price.

flollo wrote:

You have to eat Asian if you want cheap. And Asian in CBD little shops, industrial, working class suburbia, maybe some shopping centres. Not those fancy, westernised Asian restaurants. Popularity of banh mi is soaring. It's like people have woken up and realised that banh mi is cheaper and 10 better than junk food. And on the topic of junk food, how expensive did that get? Shirinkinlfation + inflation all in one!? I strictly avoid big chains and the only time I would buy it is when I'm doing a long drive and I have no choice. Prices are shocking and you get nothing for it. You walk away hungry with one meal these days.

I went into McDonalds after being at urbnsurf one night and was driving back down the coast, I was starving, and it was the closest place. After not being in one for about years, I could not believe how much that total shit costs now.

flollo wrote:

AndyM wrote:

"we spend a lot of time doing the free things like hiking, beach. And like I said, no alcohol, coffee, smoking…Basically we’re just buying the essentials with a few extra things. That’s it, that’s the life."

Yep, that's the re-adjustment that so many are coming to terms with.
If you're around the median income or below, you're something like working poor.
A few of us went to the Kingscliff pub yesterday, $10.50 for a schooner.
Steak and a couple of drinks, $100.
The number of people who can do that is dropping fast.

That's ridiculous, that's way too much. How is that sustainable?

Unless I've missed something wrt the ongoing redistribution of wealth, I don't see that it is.
Our local pub has been abandoned and everyone goes to the bowlsie for happy hour and the dinner special du jour for $15.
Dunno who goes to the Beachie in Byron for $20 pints of Guinness.
As mentioned elsewhere, street food-type options seem to be growing.
I was up around Logan City a few years ago (super low socio economic area) and it had a bit of a second world vibe to it with pokey shops and cheap eats.
I guess that's the future for a lot of places, rent permitting.

Hiccups wrote:

flollo wrote:

You have to eat Asian if you want cheap. And Asian in CBD little shops, industrial, working class suburbia, maybe some shopping centres. Not those fancy, westernised Asian restaurants. Popularity of banh mi is soaring. It's like people have woken up and realised that banh mi is cheaper and 10 better than junk food. And on the topic of junk food, how expensive did that get? Shirinkinlfation + inflation all in one!? I strictly avoid big chains and the only time I would buy it is when I'm doing a long drive and I have no choice. Prices are shocking and you get nothing for it. You walk away hungry with one meal these days.

I went into McDonalds after being at urbnsurf one night and was driving back down the coast, I was starving, and it was the closest place. After not being in one for about years, I could not believe how much that total shit costs now.

KFC, two pieces of chicken, small chips and a gravy, $15!!
Or if you're in one of the local Northern Rivers hospitals, $17.50 for a tub of the worst curry or pasta you're ever likely to try :)
Treating staff with total contempt.

AndyM wrote:

Hiccups wrote:

flollo wrote:

You have to eat Asian if you want cheap. And Asian in CBD little shops, industrial, working class suburbia, maybe some shopping centres. Not those fancy, westernised Asian restaurants. Popularity of banh mi is soaring. It's like people have woken up and realised that banh mi is cheaper and 10 better than junk food. And on the topic of junk food, how expensive did that get? Shirinkinlfation + inflation all in one!? I strictly avoid big chains and the only time I would buy it is when I'm doing a long drive and I have no choice. Prices are shocking and you get nothing for it. You walk away hungry with one meal these days.

I went into McDonalds after being at urbnsurf one night and was driving back down the coast, I was starving, and it was the closest place. After not being in one for about years, I could not believe how much that total shit costs now.

KFC, two pieces of chicken, small chips and a gravy, $15!!

And save money in retirement as you won't live that long! :)

I used to get hard cravings for KFC every six months or so, but every time I ate it I felt revolting and feared for my clean underwear almost instantly. I no longer indulge those urges.

Hiccups wrote:

I used to get hard cravings for KFC every six months or so, but every time I ate it I felt revolting and feared for my clean underwear almost instantly. I no longer indulge those urges.

Haha, it's one of my road trip indulgences.
Time to kick it.

Here's a theory - neoliberalism has reached a stage where people are so used to getting treated like shit that when they're getting christ gouged out of them they no longer react like they might have a few decades ago.
Docile desensitisation?

Haven't had KFC for a while, but I usually stop at Coomera Macca's for a sausage and egg McMuffin on the way to Bribie.
God knows what that sausage meat is made out of.

Abattoir scrapings?

I go the favourites box, 1 piece original chicken, 2 wicked wings, 1 fillet strip,1 box of nuggets, fries, mashed potato with gravy and a small chicken fillet wrap plus a can of Pepsi max. All this for $15.95. Best value at the food court and only about 50000 k/j's.

Haven’t eaten Maccas since the early 2000s.
Don’t eat much of any of the others, except on a road trip.

The Mexican options (GYG/Zambreros) do seem more filling and healthy, albeit at the same price point. The breakkie burritos are good.

zenagain wrote:

Cloves and beer is a crime against humanity. If I want cloves, I'll go to the dentist.

See what Flollo says above is nuts. Above average earner and still has to be frugal to maintain quality of life. Not that frugality is good just as rampant consumerism is bad, the fact that people above are saying beer is a luxury or you can't have a basic meal and a couple of drinks without being bent over speaks volumes.

it's totally nuts

especially for anyone who's been outside of oz for prolonged periods

oz is now a different place in terms of lifestyle - all in a matter of a few yaers

literally can barely afford to go home

reading this I was thinking when's it gonna hit rock bottom? where places offer real bargains to get crew in the door, then thermalben's post popped up

was thinking this, because I was on the goldy for the dark days of 90's recession, if you knew where to go, that place offered some amazing bargain feeds and drinks at specific times and places for resident doleys...

rest of oz, not so much

when will the old staple fast food joints correct / adjust / fall?

haven't seen a two for one whopper voucher for decades...

a treat that'd just about do you for the day back in the day

and zen, I'm sure you remember when everyone thought japan was expensive

only certain people went for certain reasons, and usually short periods

now it's apparently the oz bogan new go to kuta...

when I was there was amazed how cheap and good certain foods were... accommodation maybe not so much...

now aussies are buying up the real estate!

kuta/ / legian definitely not as cheap an option as once was... seminyak, canggu, ulu definitely definitely not...

but at the same time, a surf bum can still survive on pittance a day of you know where to look

these surfbums pretty frowned upon these days though...

numbers of euro trash, russos / ukraine war refugees pretty much worn out that little welcome part of the market many aussies once inhabited

Syp, the Aussies are now being bought out by the Chinese. Real estate is soaring in Tokyo for the first time in decades- again, Chinese investors parking money up out of the homeland. Starting to price out the locals sadly.

Japan is very hot as a tourist destination now but tbh it's really only concentrated in certain areas and these areas are groaning with over-tourism. I have no desire to go anywhere near them. People ask to stay at my place and no worries but I'm done with showing people around.

My niece is coming and she's worried about the cost of meals for the five of them- I showed her our lunch receipt- 2 pastas, salad, bread, side of chicken wings and popcorn shrimp + drink and soup bar. $23 for two. Cheaper if we didn't go the drink bar. That's average in a family restaurant. Cheaper if you eat in local Japanese places.

"Syp, the Aussies are now being bought out by the Chinese. Real estate is soaring in Tokyo for the first time in decades- again, Chinese investors parking money up out of the homeland. Starting to price out the locals sadly..."

well that is interesting

if the (real) war breaks out...

imagine tensions heat up that part of word with unrest in the taiwan strait before austtalia

maybe these rich cats know something we don't?

maybe nowhere else to park the cash?

seems plenty of chinese crew looking for somewhere to park...

interesting regardless

locals getting totally priced out in bali

very disheartening to watch, like australia, but with about 100 x the disparity running

Reckon the second worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had was at Tim Horton’s, just outside Ottawa. 3 of us grabbed coffees, jet-lagged, on our way to a conference. Undrinkable. I’m not allowed to speak ill of Tim though. My wife’s Canadian.

Worst coffee I’ve ever had was from a servo in a town called Tiverton in Devon UK. Toxic.

Sorry, I digress…

sypkan wrote:

zenagain wrote:

Cloves and beer is a crime against humanity. If I want cloves, I'll go to the dentist.

See what Flollo says above is nuts. Above average earner and still has to be frugal to maintain quality of life. Not that frugality is good just as rampant consumerism is bad, the fact that people above are saying beer is a luxury or you can't have a basic meal and a couple of drinks without being bent over speaks volumes.

it's totally nuts

especially for anyone who's been outside of oz for prolonged periods

oz is now a different place in terms of lifestyle - all in a matter of a few yaers

literally can barely afford to go home

reading this I was thinking when's it gonna hit rock bottom? where places offer real bargains to get crew in the door, then thermalben's post popped up

was thinking this, because I was on the goldy for the dark days of 90's recession, if you knew where to go, that place offered some amazing bargain feeds and drinks at specific times and places for resident doleys...

rest of oz, not so much

when will the old staple fast food joints correct / adjust / fall?

haven't seen a two for one whopper voucher for decades...

a treat that'd just about do you for the day back in the day

Look, some stuff is not bad in Aus. I travel to Europe and the US on yearly-ish basis and stuff is out of control over there. Especially with AUD/USD at $0.60. But the stuff that brings joy in life - catching up with mates, having some drinks, going out to the festival, socialising etc is so fucking cost prohibitive in Aus that it sucks life out of everyone. Like, go to I don’t know, France and petrol is 2EUR+, tolls are everywhere. That stuff is a lot cheaper here but that’s not fun. Fun is cheap and abundant in Europe. You can just buy some cheap wine from a shop and drink it in a public square with the whole town. And have a great time socialising with other people. Having fun in Australia (with the exception of nature) kills the household budget. They are slowly but surely draining the life out of us. Especially once you factor in the insane safety extremism, rules that we apparently need to comply by.

Hey Eta, I'd have to say Tim Hortons is the worst purportedly coffee I've ever had.

Astonishingly, Canadians are proud of it.