Donnybrook couple Alanie and Jake Carroll with their son Billy. They have been weighing hopes for a second child against a mortgage and bills. Picture: Ian Currie.
Melbourne’s cost-of-living crisis is hitting families hard, with one revealing between their mortgage and surging bill costs that they fear they will have to delay a second child.
Alanie and Jake Carroll built the biggest home they could in Donnybrook, hoping the property in Moremac’s Kinbrook estate would future-proof them against needing to upgrade as their family grew.
“We tried to build something a little bigger so it would last us as long as it could,” Ms Carroll said.
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But with the cost of living on the rise, they’re expecting they will have to delay a sibling for their 1.5-year-old first child, Billy.
Ms Carroll said their households major costs were their mortgage and childcare, which over a month could total in the thousands of dollars.
She said that Melbourne’s $75,156 average wage would be close to half their household income, but it felt like their costs were much higher.
“I would say we are coping, but there’s not much room for savings or to go on a holiday or if we need to upgrade something in the house,” Ms Carroll said.
“There’s just no room for extras.”
With petrol prices, groceries and utility bills all on the way up, the family fear it will take longer to become comfortable enough financially for a second child. Picture: Ian Currie.
But the biggest impact was on their plans to grow their family which were likely to be a little bit delayed by cost-of-living issues.
“That timing will depend on finances, so when we would think about trying for another will be dependent on getting a bit more of the house paid off and getting into a more comfortable position,” Ms Carroll said.
While an interest-rate cut would help, the young mum said her family would benefit from cost-of-living improvements for everything from petrol prices to the supermarket.
“Going to the grocery store, you come out with one back and it’s $100,” she said.
“So we need a general easing up on a range of things.”
Moremac sales and marketing director Lachlan Moore said they were encountering a growing number of families who couldn’t afford to upsize their life in Melbourne’s suburbs and were headed to new housing estates on the city’s fringes.
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