The Cost of Living Has Now Reached New Levels of ABSURDITY

[@AgeBlocked]

Hope you enjoy this video. Don't miss the section Odd, Funny & Depressing Properties where I show an actual road for sale for $399,000. Now that's Absurdity for one of the sparsest countries in the world.

[@fcukugimmeausername]

Just an FYI; the term 'lucky country' was first used in 1964 and was not meant to be taken in a positive light.

[@MrFastFarmer]

Luck has to run out sometime...

[@AgeBlocked]

What was the implication of the "lucky country" meant to be?

[@CA999]

​@@AgeBlockedfrom the book of it same name ( google it ) 'Australia is a lucky country, run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck.' The phrase 'the lucky country' has become part of our lexicon; it's forever being invoked in debates about the Australian way of life, but is all too often misused by those blind to Horne's irony.

[@ian-f5f]

@@AgeBlocked Donald Horne

[@AgeBlocked]

From the wiki... Horne's intent in writing the book was to portray Australia's climb to power and wealth based almost entirely on luck rather than the strength of its political or economic system, which Horne believed was "second rate".

[@hectorlamar806]

My God. I remember renting a 2 bedroom house at Kangaroo Point back in 1994 for $160 a week. What a joke. I feel sorry for the young of today.

[@AgeBlocked]

And that sounds expensive for back then too.

[@Professor__S]

First moved out to a 2 bedroom apartment in Malvern in 2009 for $300. I also had a roommate so my rent was $150. I had a manager's job at Safeway paying $23 and hour and $34.50 on Sundays. I'd work an 8 hour shift on Sunday, 4.3 hours of work to cover the weekly rent!

[@jackburton5337]

I've been wondering lately if there is such a thing as "redundancy face". I see age 55+ blokes at Woolworths at 3pm and we all have the same look! "You too?"

[@RealLifeFinance]

Exactly shocked weekly going shopping

[@AgeBlocked]

It's that grim I don't give a sh*t anymore look I think :)

[@anneest]

Same here in Norway, cost of housing (both renting and buying) has gone through the roof in all major cities, and that happened mainly post pandemic. The lowest interest rates are now about 5.5 to 6% (depends on how much one has paid on their property)... Only a few years ago, it was below 2%... The neighbouring countries have lowered their interest rates this year (some several times), while in Norway they recently discussed if they would not increase it a "last time" before end of the year. Wtf. The queues in the National Health Service have now reached a pathetic level. So what happens is that people who can afford buy private insurances, or employers now offer private health insurance to their employees, this has become quite the norm in the tech / energy industry. Which country does that remind me of, I wonder... More things have become absurd as well: strong devaluation of Norwegian kroner against USD, EUR, GPB, etc. Restaurants: only for very special occasions (or paid by work), otherwise to avoid directly. Food prices are ridiculous. One thing which is priceless though here is the proximity to nature, even with challenging weather, it is something that I appreciate greatly! The weather you have in your area of Australia looks lovely🙂

[@AgeBlocked]

Thanks for sharing your story from Norway. I find it mind blowing that many countries are facing the exact same situation which just seems too much of a coincidence for me. We do have a lot of big parks within the city. Should make a video of that walking around one day. And the weather here IS nice except for summer which is far too humid for my liking.

[@CA999]

We Australians often have the impression that Norway is far better governed. Also I thought it had a much better Media Culture with more investigative journalism?

[@jedics1]

It still the lucky county for politicians and corporations, the rest of us are becoming foreigners in our own country because we can't afford to live in it. Its the saddest time in living history, sold out by those who pretend to be serving us.

[@josephj6521]

Very well said. No wonder so many people are emigrating now. If the affordability crisis isn’t resolved, this nation will be royally stuffed.

[@AgeBlocked]

Good way of describing how I feel right now. Alienated.

[@seankinnane12]

Politicians here have 3 houses paid outright in Australia...they give themselves nice big pay rises for doing jack

[@rhonda1505]

@@seankinnane12 Same here in Canada. I am starting to think what do we need politicians for. They pay themselves huge salaries and perks and talk in circles and say nothing. Meanwhile, many are clawing to stay afloat. I am losing faith in Canadian democracy.

[@AgeBlocked]

Bit of a conflict of interest IMO

[@richardbrown9344]

Yes and they are a criminal organisation.

[@bambismomkelly7423]

At least Australia still has nationalized healthcare. Here in the States we have all the same problems, and have to pay for health insurance too.

[@PhilInAustralia]

Try accessing the "nationalized healthcare" here without health insurance.

[@streaming5332]

There is no such thing in Australia. There is a public system and a private system. You can go to a public hospital for free though you might have to wait and doctor's visits are subsidised by Medicare. But private hospitals are the better option...no waiting and doctor of your choice,

[@AgeBlocked]

The public system seems to be ok here. Just have to wait a few months for anything.

[@jimbothegymbro7086]

nationalized healthcare is a joke, I had a friends go in for some stitches and it took 14 hours, a child was there alongside him with a broken arm and that kid was waiting for almost 16 hours, yeah it's free but much like a free car, you often get what you pay for now is it better than the bloated and corrupt U.S version? you be the judge because grass always seems to be greener elsewhere

[@MrFastFarmer]

@@AgeBlocked In truth, the public system is excellent.

[@danielryan4102]

Absolutely agree with everything you say, mate. Most political parties and citizens (even the poor) are psychologically invested in the status quo.

[@AgeBlocked]

Glad you like it!

[@wendyparry437]

Hi I am in the UK and we saw inflation go out of control from 2020 onwards . Mortgages , food , rent , the basics too . We had some help from the Govt but not enough . Our NHS is so bad that people are going private as they cannot wait for treatment . The lucky ones are the ones who can afford this . Also , our welfare state is poor and the benefits are so low that only the essentials can be met . Wages did go up a bit in 2022/2023 and the likes of train drivers are getting massive pay rises due to the unions involvement . But they are already getting like 70/80 thousand pounds a year , so are they greedy or what . So sorry you lot in Oz are suffering too . Mind due the standard of living is much better in Oz than the UK and you have a glorious climate . There is so much rain in the Uk that it damages our roofs etc so more cost here . Anyway thanks for the video as always it is superb .

[@rhonda1505]

Much the same here in Canada. Only the well-to-do can afford this cost of living crisis.

[@AgeBlocked]

The waterfront workers over here get massive pay too from lots of union action decades ago. I don't think our NHS is bad, but I don't really know as I don't get sick. But seeing my mother had to wait under 2 months for eye surgery. The summer here in Brisbane is NOT glorious. It's hot as! Rest of the year is great though.

[@josephj6521]

@@AgeBlockedSorry about your mum having to wait 2 months for eye surgery. I think Australia’s health system is designed that way to make us wait, although we do pay a Medicare levy tax plus income tax plus GST taxes plus private health insurance (which is a scam). “We have the best healthcare in the world” we are constantly told. Total lies. I’ve had better and cheaper treatment overseas in other 1st world nations. A lot of our rural land is useless and dangerous. There is no interest by governments to invest in these areas to make them nicer places to live.

[@jask00]

Unions are not the problem

[@skyblazeeterno]

I will point out that the rail union represents more than just train drivers and covers the "grunts" that do the other menial jobs

[@kazbah1217]

I used to laugh at the concept of the end of life pods. Now I'm looking at brochures. The future is bleak and no one in power cares to help.

[@workinprogresssince1974]

It's the same story in the UK. Any first world country is in this situation. There is nowhere to go to get away from it.

[@AgeBlocked]

I can see everyone migrating to 3rd world countries to beat the prices.

[@tanthaman]

I left for Vietnam

[@AugustusOmega]

@@AgeBlocked how do you leave for thailand if you dont have an income lol

[@AgeBlocked]

Those countries you can live comfortably on an age pension, unlike here is the answer.

[@Boababa-fn3mr]

Straya hasn't been the lucky cuntree for awhile now. I shudder at the thought of where we might be in another 20 years.

[@AgeBlocked]

Everyone will be probably living in Bali/Thailand by then.

[@myday2704]

​@@AgeBlocked100%

[@tanthaman]

Australia is cooked

[@rhonda1505]

Here in Canada, as a single pensioner with two sweet cats, every day is becoming a struggle to stretch my pension. I am too old to go back to work so just keep cutting back. What the heck is going on with this financial/inflation crisis. I used to buy a 20$ bottle of wine once a week but found a nice shiraz for 12$...🎉 Your videos are getting better and very interesting. Like the part in the country where the son was getting out of jail😁

[@AgeBlocked]

Thanks for finding it interesting! Yes I found it a bit scary because it was in the middle of nowhere.

[@kimsherlock8969]

Foreign business Investors in large amounts of hoarded land Houses purchased everywhere people are loosers to the Foreign markets they win on a phone call with a bidder representative. The money invested is laundering to escape from taxes safely moved into real estate . How can this scenario of business Not impact on a wage earners limitations to competing ??? It has a huge impact when people can't ever hope to own their homes.

[@AgeBlocked]

Almost no countries allow foreign investment... except here. And those investors have much deeper pockets than we do.

[@kimsherlock8969]

@@AgeBlocked Thats what Im saying. We aren't competing . We cant .6 Loosing as real estate investments are Open to anyone who has the money Anywhere in the world they can own Australian land. The devil may have shares proportionately in expensive estate's.

[@mr.t114]

Same in Sweden, it’s not so i personally need to make drastic descisions but everything have fast become more expensive, rent, food, electricity and gas. With gas i don’t mean fuel for cars but both have gone up.

[@AgeBlocked]

You definitely need that for the cold? That should be cheap. Oh, I should have filmed the price of gas (petrol) for cars, my bad for leaving it out. It fluctuates between $1.70-$2.60 a litre. That's almost $10 a gallon for you imperial people!

[@mr.t114]

@@AgeBlocked No it’s for cooking, here it’s a gas oven.

[@tanthaman]

Swedisitan

[@AgeBlocked]

They are trying to phase out gas here. Apparently it's carbon footprint is too high. So instead they are giving it away overseas. How stupid is that? And how is that reducing the so called carbon footprint? Just burning the gas in a different location.

[@zomgoose]

Canada is doing the same, but probably worse.

[@AgeBlocked]

i heard it's in a very similar position to here. Good luck!

[@blueeyes402]

You've run out of troops...what now?

[@zomgoose]

@@blueeyes402 what?

[@Sunshine-zi4nq]

These problems like migration, surging rental and housing costs seem to be affecting many several developed countries now.

[@AgeBlocked]

Yes! I've read all the comments and it's common throughout the 1st world. Not just here.

[@TheWomanattheWellJohn4v14KJV]

Try and grow as much as you can.

[@AgeBlocked]

You mean the channel, or something else?

[@TheWomanattheWellJohn4v14KJV]

@@AgeBlocked I think your channel will grow. I also think grow as much vegetables etc as you can.

[@el_carbonara]

those sorry excuses for houses out in the middle of no where are laughable. I still wouldn't take them for free. That portable house for 70k, are you kidding me, jesus what a ticking time bomb. criminal behaviour even listing them. A million and 1 beer brands now, yep and all as awful as each other.

[@AgeBlocked]

Yeah I found the road for sale was particularly amusing.

[@myday2704]

Interesting video!

[@AgeBlocked]

Glad you think so!

[@WhoCares_Official]

Dont vote the major parties

[@kimsherlock8969]

Who are the people who appear to be able to pay 🤔 😮 huge weekly rent? These rentals are difficult to compete for . We already have the social divide . those who can pay without financial hardship Or those who are out of the market as they can't afford it.

[@AgeBlocked]

Funny you mention that. There are a lot of young people in this suburb now..Times can't be too bad for some for sure.

[@Lion_McLionhead]

Funny how inflation is out of control & they're cutting interest rates like crazy because the inflation calculation cuts off after 1 year.

[@AgeBlocked]

It's just crazy times.

[@roswb5388]

I’ve always loved the old Queenslander houses

[@AgeBlocked]

I lived in one at one stage. I see the reasoning why they were built that way. High ceilings and high gables means cooler inside. Big verandahs keep the sun out. Raised off the ground means less mosquitoes. The houses they build now are mandatory for a/c because otherwise it would be like living in an oven.

[@roswb5388]

@@AgeBlocked 👍

[@modvs1]

I don't know where the current inflation rate of 3.8% comes from. The least anything has gone up in 2 years is 9% (rates). The most is electricity- 25%. Apparently mortgage repayments aren't included, which is nonsense- most investment rentals have incumbent mortgages.

[@AgeBlocked]

The same goes for unemployment. Because I'm not getting gov benefits, I'm not counted as unemployed. Also younger people who live with mum & dad are also not included in the statistics. This is straight from a Social Security officer who told me this. It's all manipulated statistics. It's not accurate at all.

[@kayeh6186]

The people who “ own” multiple properties are usually mortgaged to the hilt. What they own is a house of cards which can easily come crashing down. Their net worth is. Often very small.

[@AgeBlocked]

In the last few years it's gotten to the stage where the rent people are paying is much higher than the mortgage for the owner, so they can pay their unit off quicker, or invest in another property. I know that's exactly the case where I live where the owner has a 15 year old mortgage. My rent payments are almost double what their mortgage repayments are. That's not fair at all.

[@kazbah1217]

I worry for those living in Brisbane leading up to the Olympics. Rental prices will skyrocket and more homelessness will ensue.

[@AgeBlocked]

OMG yeah, and I bet that 8 years comes quick.

[@zodiacstorm]

hey bro, i missed you say what drink that you buy?

[@AgeBlocked]

Oops that's my bad. Accidentally cut it out. It was Stones Ginger wine at $11 a bottle

[@walsakaluk1584]

Those remote properties would be ok if you didn't need to work to survive. I'm not sure why you think embarrassment is the reason property prices aren't disclosed. If people weren't buying or renting then the cost wouldn't be going up. Anyone retiring now who owns a home can sell up or rent it out and move overseas, not Nowhere, for a less financially draining and more comfortable retirement. A mass exodus of baby boomers would alleviate the housing shortages in the cities. Is it really the cost of real-estate that's increasing or is it the value of human labour that's decreasing? The baby boomers won't all go abroad or move to Nowhere and they'll all need taking care of in short time. The cost of dieing has gone up too. Oz needs more cities. I don't know who will build them but they're needed. "They" tried culling with a pandemic but that didn't really work. What next?

[@AgeBlocked]

It seems like a new trick the real estates are using to not list the price. I noticed they started doing that when prices started jumping up, so I assumed they were too embarrassed to disclose how much they are asking for a property that isn't worth that much. (not to me anyway) I've been an advocate to decentralization for years, but nothing has changed for 40 years. As for moving overseas, many young couples have migrated overseas. So many in fact, it's amazing the media don't talk about it.

[@michaelcalder9089]

​@@AgeBlockedtrue, and 10 Indians take their place.

[@kazbah1217]

Oh that's easy to answer. They will kill you off with poverty now.

[@jimbothegymbro7086]

if you notice those houses are cheap because it's on a centrelink budget, centrelink on the high end for a single is just shy of $1k a fortnight, and the remote rents are roughly a third of that (give or take)

[@michaelcalder9089]

Yes, dystopian society like in the film Elysium

[@AgeBlocked]

Yes there's a few films that go with that story.

[@storiesincardboard9420]

Is that standard in Australia to rent by the week?

[@AgeBlocked]

Yes it’s always quoted by week

[@AugustusOmega]

The thing about it is there is no peace, you do a bad deal and they are all bad deals and then you are stuck paying week in week out, a big part of it is getting a comparative good deal then you can sort of live with yourself, its like when I buy a used car i paid too much for, I begin to hate it even though theres nothing wrong with it, same for renting, theres no good deals out there so I type this from my van

[@tanthaman]

Australia is cooked, done like a dinner!

[@mogwai6707]

your mate ben is cooked

[@tanthaman]

Maggot ​@@mogwai6707

[@2rightsmakeauturn]

Prices less than CA

[@AgeBlocked]

That's absurd.

[@Jasmin.M-hz5ty]

In movie Elysium,two guys from poor class,has find way,how to move in luxurious space city.And i think,that they have bring other people to.But their primary reason to sneak in luxurious space city,was to bring sik person for life saving surgery.

[@AgeBlocked]

Yes indeed.

[@tanthaman]

1250 a week to rent? That's cooked

[@mr.t114]

1.250 a week! Not 2 fifty lol. Aaaaw, my bad. It sounded so good for a moment there.

[@streaming5332]

Your bad what.... talk proper English.

[@AgeBlocked]

Ridiculous isn't it.

[@josephj6521]

@@AgeBlockedsure is. Where we live the homes are now available for rent between $1,000 per week for a dump to $2,500 per week! What type of salaries are people earning or is o.nl.y fans the method used now?

[@AgeBlocked]

@josephj6521 I think the average salary here is about $60k a year. Somehow I doubt I would make any money from on.ly fans because I'm not a 19 year old model. Where are you located

[@walsakaluk1584]

You mean vacancy (not occupancy) rate is zero...

[@AgeBlocked]

That's me talking without engaging brain.

[@walsakaluk1584]

@@AgeBlocked you get that.

[@thewholls7176]

I saw a bloke on TV who described himself as a divorcee and medical professional with a daughter. He puts his house on Airbnb and when they rent it out they go and couch surf somewhere and even then they’re running behind with bills but it’s helping.

[@AgeBlocked]

Personally I know I can never own a house (let alone even a unit) in the city now. I will have to either go overseas, live in the middle of nowhere, or live in a bus.

[@streaming5332]

@@thewholls7176 Airbnb is the last word in gross.

[@thewholls7176]

@@AgeBlocked One of those decent RV's - couple of hundred grand sort of thing would have its advantages....... but when you get really old it's a bit too nomadic to keep up with and you need to maintain a driving license etc etc....... but whist healthy it would be OK if you used it to your advantage.....

[@AgeBlocked]

I've seen some trucks converted which look fantastic. And cheap too.

[@LisaSulingMaslin]

Love to see your research and thoughts on living overseas. Asia?

[@AgeBlocked]

I did make a video on that of sorts here kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJeUc4asadSbb8U Since making that, I have discovered that Malaysia has great options for older people, and the houses while not super cheap are very reasonable at about $110K and up.

[@jimbothegymbro7086]

if you've got savings it's a no brainer, you can live in the Philippines for about $20k AUD a year, whereas in Australia you're up for almost $50k (one bedroom place and a normal diet) for most it's not even an option to holiday overseas, work from home is only for a few now highly competitive industries and there's just not enough savings for most people to do it

[@zodiacstorm]

do a vid on the blockies. the weirdos who live on those qld blocks like where the cops got ambushed.

[@AgeBlocked]

Is that what they call them ? lol. The ones from Tara?

[@zodiacstorm]

@@AgeBlocked yep, it was near Tara somewhere.

[@AgeBlocked]

@zodiacstorm I did actually mention that in this video in the cheap acreage section. Did you see it?

[@zodiacstorm]

@@AgeBlocked yep, that is what made me think of the Tara 'blockies'. If you think Brisbane is bad on prices, the Sunshine Coast has gone mental.

[@AgeBlocked]

Haven't checked out Sunshine coast. It's always been expensive. I have seen prices in the hinterland... who can actually afford 3m or more?

[@bambismomkelly7423]

I am plant based because I don't want to support the extreme cruelty of the factory farms....you can't say you love animals, then turn around and buy supermarket meat or fast food, because the cheaper the meat, the higher the cruelty.

[@AgeBlocked]

I don't buy the supermarket meats/produce. I usually seek out grass fed stuff on special. There's always stuff on special. Last week was 2kg of organic chicken legs for $8. Apparently the grass fed animals have a better life. When I had acreage my farm pets had a lot of fun at least.

[@GreenTeaViewer]

@@AgeBlocked all Australian beef cattle are basically grass fed by international standards (there might be a bit of grain finishing). We have great beef that people in other countries pay a premium for, even the cheap Coles beef.

[@smike9884]

@@GreenTeaViewer It's not too popular over here in the UK: "Farmers in Australia are allowed to use some hormone growth promoters, pesticides, and feed additives that are banned in the UK. According to the National Farmers Union (NFU), Australian farmers are able to produce beef at a lower cost of production, and could undercut farmers in the UK." BBC News

[@AgeBlocked]

That's where the organic meat comes in. Noticeably different taste to supermarket meats. And I always feel good the next day!

[@GreenTeaViewer]

@@smike9884 your source is the BBC and a UK farmer's union. Not exactly unbiased towards Australian beef. 40% of Australian beef is raised with hormones not allowed in the EU. Even some cheap supermarket beef does not have these hormones, so it's easy to avoid.

[@piggypiggypig1746]

These films are always ahead of their time. The Matrix stands out for me and these politicians are all bought and paid for.

[@AgeBlocked]

The latter part never changes.

[@roswb5388]

Sydney is terrible. I feel for people trying to get ahead here.

[@AgeBlocked]

i lived in Sydney in my 20's. Even then it was too expensive for me!

[@roswb5388]

@@AgeBlocked 👍

[@Gizziiusa]

Just curious, why are you saying that the USA might be heading into civil war ?

[@AgeBlocked]

Oh that's from chatting online with US people, not my thoughts. Some of them have concerns, which mostly seems to be from dividing political parties.

[@Gizziiusa]

@@AgeBlocked ok thanks. Sounds about right. Yeah, only time will tell I guess. Does seem there are a whole lot of people that are very disappointed and disgusted with it all.

[@MbisonBalrog]

Oz has so much room and like 1/10 the population of US. What is COL in Brisbane, Cairns, Newcastle or Darwin? Or can you just live in Outback just close enough to the East? Maybe you need HSR to Outback and people can settle it.

[@AgeBlocked]

What's COL? That's the stupid part. There's so much land. But almost all the land is owned by someone. Some people here own vast amounts of land. Land should be cheap here. It's low quality fertility land.

[@MbisonBalrog]

@@AgeBlocked Cost of living. Is all the Outback and the coastal beachfront between Melbourne, to Perth, to Darwin, down to Brisbane, back to Melbourne all owned ? No free land to pick up? Sucks man. Who owns it?

[@AgeBlocked]

All the beachfront's are gone yes. There was some land when I was young (the 80's) but all gone now. Further inland is all owned too, but the properties are huge. When I had my flower venture (another video) about 200km inland most of the farms were about 5000-7000 acres. They get bigger the more arid it becomes. And a lot of it is foreign owned too. We have been scammed for decades now.

[@Techtuyi]

Is rhat Million?

[@ian-f5f]

Perths pretty cheap still.

[@AgeBlocked]

I did have a look. Yes it's cheaper, but not bargain prices.

[@MrFastFarmer]

Depends what side of the fence your on. For many "older" people life has NEVER been so good! Both Porsche and Ferrari have broken all sales records in Australia this year. Private plane sales are also at record highs. And BTW while I agree the price of alcohol is stupid, SOMEONE is buying it at those prices! The only way Australia is currently surviving economically is through immigration, and in reality it needs to be quadrupled... so you are right - it's absurdly low!

[@AgeBlocked]

I don't agree with too low. It's way too high. It's the major cause of our inflated house prices and rent. Not enough supply (houses ) for demand = inflation.

[@MrFastFarmer]

@@AgeBlocked supply has nothing to do with the house market. That's all smoke and mirrors. It's to do with debt. Assets HAVE to increase year on year for several businesses and financial reasons. I can tell you for a fact if land and house values didn't increase every year we wouldn't be able to continue farming.

[@Fiend404]

I'm leaving to vietnam

[@AgeBlocked]

Good on you. Been there once some years ago. It's hot like here!

[@allykhan8594]

Print more money, sacrifice less when your young, go thailand.

[@lmoned]

Vote lab lib nats green last. A safe seat is bad seat.

[@CA999]

They are all equally hijacked by special interest groups and lobbyists.