30-yr-old with $50k savings savaged for whining about his life

A 30-year-old earning $85k with $50k in savings has had his habits savaged after complaining about only affording the “smallest, cheapest 1 bedroom unit”.

A 30-year-old earning $85k a year with $50k in savings has been absolutely savaged online after complaining about his “losing battle fighting to survive” in Australia.

The Reddit user struck a nerve when he asked “anyone else feel like giving up on Australia and moving to SE Asia?”, before diving into his worries over the cost of real estate and life in general on the Australian Personal Finance forum.

It sparked a flurry of reality check type comments about his situation, but also what life is really like in Asia, where some 20-somethings still sleep with their mother because they can’t afford their own bedroom.

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The Reddit user’s history including posting about a $490 a week Uber Eats habit was brought up, with some sage advice from over 1,000 people.

In the post, the man said “for an average 30 year old guy like me, with a mediocre job ($80k a year), a mediocre amount of savings ($50k cash in the bank), a HECS debt ($50k debt), no other assets, no kids, no house, no partner, no inheritance coming in anytime soon … it kind of feels like a losing battle fighting to survive here.”

“I mean what am I going to do? Spend another 1-2 years saving up a 20 per cent deposit on the cheapest, smallest 1 bedroom unit in a high crime rate suburb, just so I can be trapped in a job I hate for 30 years paying it off?”

“Does anyone else just feel like giving up on Australia and moving to South East Asia, a tropical paradise with warm weather, a vibrant night-life, cheap rent, cheap food and friendly people?”

Some former Asian residents said it was fine to live there if you were on an Australian wage in Australian dollars – not local wages.

Reddit users responded as expected with over a thousand comments effectively telling him “you have no clue how good you have it”.

“It’s so funny (and sad) when Australians show they have no clue about what living in a poor country is,” one said.

Another said the cost of housing and lower wages in SE Asia was “not cheap”.

“All of my friends back home (25 y/o smart, qualified university graduates) live with their parents because they can’t afford to do otherwise. Two of them share a bed with their mothers. I recommend you try living there on a SE Asian wage for some time and gain a new appreciation for your home.”

The Reddit user’s simple question was “anyone else feel like giving up on Australia and moving to SE Asia?”

Others dived into his older posts suggesting he could work on cutting his Uber Eats addiction – estimated at $490 a week – to boost his already ample savings.

“I don’t think the ‘average 30yo’ is spending this sort of money,” another user said. “I am all for people living their own life and doing their own thing, but if you are having UberEats twice a day and spending $200 a week on alcohol, you need to be having a pretty decent salary to justify that.”

For his part, the original Reddit poster recognises the value in such advice himself, telling another user who was “scared of being homeless” that he “moved back in with my mum when I was struggling to keep up with rent”.

“It’s never fun going ‘backwards’ in life; whether that be a demotion at work, a large pay cut, downsizing your car or moving back in with your parents. It hurts our ego and pride a lot. So I sympathise.”

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Originally published as 30-yr-old with $50k savings savaged for whining about his life