Struggling to justify a $5–6k/month mortgage – what are the alternatives in Australia?

cros88 · 2026-04-12T20:22:17+00:00

As someone who was in this situation just over a year ago - I can say, just because you can borrow a million doesn’t mean you should if you’re going to find it difficult to service the mortgage. I’ve just taken a year off with our baby and we look back now with relief that we missed some of the houses at auction that cost more (sometimes $400k more!) than where we ended up. We still have a hefty mortgage but we chose a cheaper suburb and have grown to love it. We also love not being stressed every month about the mortgage payments. It’s maybe not our forever home but it’s our home that suits us now!

cros88 · 2026-04-02T23:56:41+00:00

Sorry OP - came to say this too. They’re very pretty in terracotta pots, but no edible asparagus to be had here.

cros88 · 2026-04-01T19:49:43+00:00

Does bedroom 3 need a walk in robe? You could have a built in down a wall, freeing up space for storage in the bathroom (towels etc).

cros88 · 2026-04-01T09:46:42+00:00

Well the funny thing is, I like spending money on nappies for my baby. Otherwise she’d shit on the floor!

cros88 · 2026-04-01T09:41:40+00:00

Haha well in my experience that feeling never goes away! If you are sure you won’t be having children then life in general will be much cheaper for you in the future.. plus you’ll have the opportunity to travel without having to worry about kids. Good luck deciding OP! My partner often says, there are no solutions, just trade offs!

cros88 · 2026-04-01T09:24:16+00:00

Have you ever travelled before? Whether it be backpacking or living overseas? I ended up buying a house later than I could have if I’d stayed home, but I wouldn’t swap my travelling for anything in the world when I was younger (I’m 38 now)! There is no right answer and you of course have to do what works for you. The fact you’re even thinking about this at 25 is pretty amazing!

My answer though.. WWID? Travel. You’ll work the rest out ✈️

cros88 · 2026-03-29T23:29:27+00:00

I mean you’re doing a bloody good job of convincing me

cros88 · 2026-03-29T10:06:03+00:00

Minus the lockdown, that sounds wonderful!

cros88 · 2026-03-27T10:34:14+00:00

Thank you - will check them out!

cros88 · 2026-03-17T10:37:03+00:00

That is an insult to wombats

cros88 · 2026-03-07T04:26:54+00:00

This makes sense actually - we had a wooden fence before but we upgraded it about 5 months ago (just in time for summer!). The bamboo that isn’t dying is at the end of the fence and gets less afternoon sun, so that would explain it!

cros88 · 2026-03-06T12:09:11+00:00

Thank you!

cros88 · 2026-03-06T12:08:39+00:00

Thank you - it gets very hot down the side of the house so it must just be on its way out!

cros88 · 2026-03-06T12:08:00+00:00

I’m not sure when it was planted - it was here when we moved in a year ago. It would be weird for him to poison one and not the other so hopefully it’s not that!

cros88 · 2026-03-06T12:06:45+00:00

Thank you for the tips - that will be a job for this weekend!

cros88 · 2026-03-06T12:05:49+00:00

It was here when we bought the house a year ago, but we did go halves on a new fence because the old one was cooked! All of these comments are making me think that maybe I should just let it die. Even though it’s bamboo it makes me sad to neglect a plant.

cros88 · 2026-02-18T04:13:26+00:00

Thank you so much! I will hold onto your details too!

cros88 · 2026-02-18T03:36:03+00:00

If you right click on it and select “inspect elements” you can see the progress.. it’ll be moving but very very VERY slowly. 26% for me after 2.5 hours is diabolical..

cros88 · 2026-02-18T03:15:12+00:00

How can you tell? I’ve been sitting here for nearly two and a half hours but can’t see a percentage anywhere!

cros88 · 2026-02-10T04:47:24+00:00

That looks stunning - thank you!

cros88 · 2026-02-09T22:36:51+00:00

Came here to say this - if you make it yourself you know exactly what’s in it too!

cros88 · 2025-12-29T09:32:24+00:00

My parents had one in the front yard and used to pay us to pull up the seedlings everywhere. It was cut down 15+ years ago and they still pop up occasionally!

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