‘Working until I die’: Aussie says what we are all thinking amid cost of living crunch

A video of a clearly fed-up worker has struck a chord with Aussies after perfectly verbalising how millions of people in this country are feeling right now.

A fed-up Aussie has perfectly verbalised how millions of people in this country are currently feeling as the cost of living crisis continues to put enormous strain on everyday Australians.

For years now, Chris Booy has been juggling three separate jobs in a bid to keep up with the rising cost of living.

The 35-year-old lives on the Queensland Sunshine Coast and has one job in the insurance sector, another delivering for Uber Eats and Doordash and also runs a YouTube channel.

Three years ago he was working 70 hours a week and, while it left him incredibly burnt out, he was bringing in more money than he ever had.

But still, he had never felt more broke.

It’s a feeling shared by a lot of Aussies right now. Between the housing crisis, rising rents, and skyrocketing grocery prices, it is very clear that peoples’ money isn’t going as far as it used to.

Appearing on SBS’s Insight program on Tuesday, Mr Booy lashed out at the government for its “inaction”, claiming many politicians are more focused on trying to protect their jobs than actually serving the Australian people.

“We are sick of this circus in Canberra,” he said.

Chris Booy, like many Australians, feels like it is almost impossible to get ahead right now. Picture: Insight/SBS

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The 35-year-old never thought he would be in a position where, instead of working a normal five-day week he was having to decide how many hours to work on the weekend and for which job.

When asked who he plans to vote for in the upcoming federal election, Mr Booy said, “whoever screws me the least”.

“I think we have lost faith a lot as Australians, at this point. We have our pensioners struggling to retire, they can’t retire,” he said.

“And, if our pensioners can’t retire right now, what the f**k is going on with me? When can I retire? Can I retire? Am I working until the day I die? Because this is looking pretty grim.”

A video of Mr Booy’s comments was shared to social media and instantly struck a chord with viewers.

“Well said Chris, spoken on behalf of millions of Aussie battlers,” one person said, with another adding: “This bloke is 100% right”.

“Me too, Chris. Just spent my public holiday delivering for Uber Eats instead of spending it with my family,” another wrote.

One added: “Australia is out of control. If you don’t have family money how are you surviving? Honestly. Having a high paying job isn’t enough.”

Mr Booy is currently working three jobs. Picture: Supplied

After working between 60 and 70 hours a week for two years, Mr Booy eventually decided he had to pull back as his work-life balance was pretty much non-existent.

Speaking to news.com.au, he said his dream is to buy a home, but it feels like the goalposts keep moving.

“Ever since I was a kid, I was told, you work hard, you will get a home in this country. It feels like that slipping out of reach,” he said.

“I’m still going to keep going 100 per cent towards it. I can cut down the budget and keep trying to save, but if housing prices keep increasing, almost exponentially at this point, I am going to get left behind.”

Economically, Mr Booy believes it is “significantly harder” to buy a home now, compared to when Baby Boomers were getting onto the property ladder.

For many, the Australian Dream of homeownership feels like it is getting further out of reach. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

He compared his current situation to one his parents were in when they were younger. When they started their family his mum stopped work to stay home with the kids, meaning the whole family was relying on his dad’s $25,000 a year income working as a bricklayer.

His parents bought their first home for about $40,000.

In comparison, Mr Booy said he will have to fork out about eight times his income in order to buy his first home.

“The generations right now, the working class, were really starting to stare down the barrel of wealth inequality,” he said.

“I think we’re losing the middle class here, and it’s going to get tougher and tougher and tougher unless something starts to change.”

Mr Booy said, if things keep going the way they are, it is going to get increasingly harder, to the point where it will be “impossible to live”.

Chris Booy appeared on Tuesday night’s ‘Tough Time$’ episode of Insight on SBS. You can watch it on SBS On Demand here.

Originally published as ‘Working until I die’: Aussie says what we are all thinking amid cost of living crunch