Uber Eats link to $1500 a month spend cutting Aussie home loans

6 days ago 21

Nine in 10 Aussie homebuyers are leaking up to $1500 a month on “silent spend”, a broker warning it can derail deposits and serviceability.

Nine in 10 prospective Aussie homebuyers are quietly sabotaging their property dreams by leaking up to $1500 a month on silent spending habits.

Margin Finance director Damien Medici said streaming services, delivery apps, eating out and impulse taps of the card are among the biggest drains on household budgets.

“90 per cent of people who actually sit down and audit their last 90 days of spending find between $1000 and $1500 a month they could cut,” Mr Medici said.
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Modelling of major bank calculators has shown borrowing capacity can drop by 30 per cent to 40 per cent in many cases when living expenses are lifted, highlighting how quickly silent spend can hammer serviceability.

Westpac data shows how fast convenience spending can chew through a budget.

Analysis of customer transactions found the average customer spent $184.85 on takeaway in June 2025.

Margin Finance director Damien Medici says a simple 90-day spending audit can uncover $1000 to $1500 a month in cuts before buyers stretch for a mortgage.

The research also found three in 10 Australians admit losing up to $600 a year on duplicate or unused subscriptions.
Mr Medici said the warning came from internal audits of prospective borrowers, where small weekly habits repeatedly added up to four-figure monthly leaks.

“Subscriptions, eating out, impulse spending. All the silent drains,” he said.

“The pattern hits every demographic, from first-timers to seasoned upsizers.”

He told clients to treat their household like a business and review the last 90 days of spending before stretching their borrowing capacity.

Mr Medici warned banks treat these autopilot spends as ongoing liabilities in serviceability assessments, not optional extras buyers can simply switch off after settlement.

He said a $1500 monthly leak covers a major chunk of a mortgage repayment, especially for buyers struggling with upfront costs.

‘The damage is rarely one big splurge,” Mr Medici said.
“It is the steady drip of everyday spending that erodes deposits and chews through buffers before buyers even reach settlement.”

But Mr Medici said there is one radical habit that can stop the rot.

Netflix, streaming and app subscriptions are among the “silent drains” Mr Medici says buyers often forget to count when the bank is measuring living costs.

Small daily habits add up fast. Mr Medici says the “drip” of coffees, takeaway and impulse taps can wipe out a buffer before settlement day arrives. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“One simple habit I suggest is a money fast one day a week, no spending,” he said.

“Bring lunch, skip the cafe, avoid delivery apps and online shopping.
“Make it a day where money does not leave the account at all.”

“Know where the money is going before the bank does,” he said.

For many buyers, plugging a $1500 leak is the difference between entering the market safely or starting stretched.