Couchsurfing single mum ‘fighting for survival’ through cost of living crisis
Amee Triscari, 38, is worried about her future as the rising cost of living and rental crisis bites.
Trying to make ends meet is no small feat for many across the country right now and Amee Triscari is among them — desperately trying to provide for her young daughter, 8, while the odds stack against her.
"I'm terrified for the future. I'm really anxious about it, I cry a lot," the single mum from Perth admitted to Yahoo News Australia. "At the moment it feels like a massive fight for survival and everyone's feeling it."
The 38-year-old is struggling to find a rental in the competitive market, afford childcare and keep a stable job all while contending with the rising cost of living and said it's been utterly "exhausting". She is unsure how she will get out of the tough spot she currently finds herself in.
Aussie currently bunking it in friend's son's room
After Triscari moved back to Australia with her daughter in May from overseas — a decision she initially made in a bid to find a more affordable lifestyle as prices began to rise at the end of last year — she was shocked to find her costs have only amplified despite being away for only five months.
"Since I left in December, for example, the apartment I was in was $520 a week, then they were jacking it up to $570, but now it's $750," she said. "It's just impossible."
She is currently renting and living in her friend's son's bedroom with her daughter while the young boy, 10, has moved into his mum's bedroom to make space for the pair.
"My daughter feels so unsettled and unstable, I just want my own space," she said.
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Triscari and her daughter will soon be moving to another friend's home and will continue to hop from one property to the next, with no end in sight. The uncertainty is making her question their future, unable to plan things like her daughter's education given their location is currently unknown.
Groceries have 'tripled' since she last lived in Perth
The cost of living crisis has also compounded Triscari's situation and she said the cost of her conservative grocery shop has "tripled" compared to last year, with her weekly petrol costs averaging $80 per week. The cost of childcare has also increased, meaning "the first three to four hours of work" she does just covers that expense.
"When you operate from a place of feeling stressed and strung out, you can't see solutions... I'm so deflated," she said.
With many factors out of her control, Triscari is focusing on a positive attitude — mindful it's the one thing she can control. She has also started her own business in the hope this will be the avenue to "boost her income" to get a space of her own.
"I find the mentality in Australia is 'Suck up and get on with it, stop complaining'," she said. "More needs to be done."
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