The surprising items young Aussies have been forced to give up as cost-of-living crisis bites

Many young Australians are cutting back on spending on basic necessities such as fresh food and medicines to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to rise.

Inflation in Australia is slowing, falling from 6.8 percent in April to 5.6 percent in May, but still above the Reserve Bank’s target.

The supermarket checkout is still a stressful place: prices of dairy products are rising at an annual rate of 15.2 percent, while costs for bread and cereals have risen by 11.6 percent.

Housing costs, including rent, continue to rise and increased by 8.1 percent in the past financial year.

In the face of these rising costs, many young Aussies are taking to social media to reveal their struggles.

Yash, a 23-year-old psychology graduate student from Queensland, revealed the stuff she’s given up in an effort to save money.

‘The first thing that I have specified is fresh fruit. So you won’t really catch me buying fresh fruit unless it’s a banana,” she said in a video posted to social media.

“It’s just too expensive. I used to buy mixed berries, but they were more expensive than just the frozen strawberries or the cheapest (frozen) berries you can get at Aldi. So I just buy a bag of that for a kilo, and it lasts me that long.’

She has also reduced her spending on other items such as sportswear, treating her friends to coffee, buying alcohol and buying shampoo.

“I stopped drinking completely. Drinks are so expensive I can’t afford to buy my own drinks,” she said.

And if you drink you can’t drive home, so that means you might have to take an Uber. I just stopped drinking because I can’t afford it.

“I left out shampoo It sounds really gross, but I think this applies to most of my beauty products, where I’ve tried minimizing it, because constantly replacing them is just way too expensive for me.

“So instead I just use conditioner and don’t wash my hair as often so I can let it stretch a bit longer.”

Another young Australian said she had to forego lunch, therapy sessions and even essential prescription drugs due to financial constraints.

“Number one is lunch,” Allyssa Ablon explained. ‘Three meals a day? What am I, a millionaire? There is breakfast and dinner. A third meal every day? Yes, absolutely not,’ said Mrs. Ablon.

“Yash was talking about fresh fruit. My number two is everything fresh. I have frozen berries, canned fruit, frozen vegetables, frozen meats and fish. Fresh fruit – insane.

“I’ve also cut back on the medications I’m prescribed for my chronic illnesses because of my debilitating health issues. It is no longer possible for me to pay for them all. So some of them had to be circumcised.’

“(For therapy) I went every two weeks to do EMDR and things like that to treat my PTSD,” Ms. Ablon said.

“We’re also starting to figure out how I’m learning to live in the world now that I know I’m autistic and I have all these sensory needs and other things, but I can’t afford that anymore. Even with the Medicare discount.

She concluded by revealing that the most heartbreaking thing she’s had to give up in the face of the skyrocketing cost of living is her sense of “hope.”

Brisbane woman Allyssa Ablon (pictured) said she has given up all fresh food, essential prescription drugs and therapy

The outcry comes as Australia’s dominant supermarket chains, which together control 65 percent of Australia’s food trade, are making huge profits.

On Tuesday, Leah Weckert, CEO of Coles, admitted that Australia’s high inflation is boosting profits as more people eat at home instead of eating out.

“Dine-in, take-out and coffee from the café are increasingly seen as a special occasion treat,” she told analysts while announcing earnings of $1.1 billion.

Brad Banducci, CEO of Woolworths, who received a raise from $1.25 million to $8.6 million, spoke of customers struggling.

“We had to dig into the whole issue of inflation and provide more value for our customers,” he said in a video message Wednesday, announcing the chain’s $1.6 billion profit.