opinion

Hey mum, dad? Stop breathing down our necks - things aren't the same today as they were in your day.

Oh, it’s the people who created me! Welcome. So glad you could make it.

Mum, Dad, please be seated and prepare yourself for a cold serving of what we millennials call the truth.

You see, this week it was revealed that Gen Y is royally effed when it comes to finances. Yep, that goes for anyone under 30, including your cherished and favourite child (… that’s me).

I can see you rolling your eyes and saying “Good god Michelle, you’re not ‘royally effed’ when it comes to saving, you just keep wasting your money on vodka sodas.” But no, you are wrong. Also, vodka sodas are delicious – don’t you dare drag them into this.

You calling me lazy and ‘bad with money’ is – well – bullshit. And I’m gonna tell you why.

Aaaaaah feck. (Image: HBO)

Respectfully, you have no idea how hard it is for me and my fellow Y'ers to save money. Or how buying a house will be near impossible for us. And if you don't believe me, I'm gonna let the sciencey-researchy-people do the talking.

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Report (sounds fancy and LEGIT, doesn't it?) have gathered data from 17,000 Aussies over 15 years about their income, savings, health and family life. And you know what they found? Me not being able to afford anything you guys could at my age is Not. My. Fault.

Rejoice! This is all very disheartening but strangely liberating information!

Sadly, the chance of me ever owning a home is faaaaaalling. Rapidly and constantly.

Rocketing house prices mean the proportion of adults who own their home is sitting at 51.7%. And soon enough more than half of adults will call themselves renters.

OH and don't even get me started on the hikes to entry level homes. Did you know that in the last decade, the cheapest 10% of homes have GROWN 108% IN PRICE?! So, what you paid $200k for back in the olden days will now set me back $416k of my hard-earned cashola monies.

ADVERTISEMENT

WATCH: If only we were all savvy investors. (Post continues...)

If you two know where I can get my hands on an extra $216k, I'd really appreciate it.

"But you young kids earn more now than we did" I hear you say, but nope again, suckers. I write with a glistening tear rolling down my cheek that the average household income has been decreasing for five years now.

(I know I might sound smug, but I'm actually sobbing. Heavily. It's all very emotional and a lil' bit snotty.)

When I start popping buns out my oven (not for a while, Dad, I promise you) things are only going to get worse. Throw the never-ending increases to childcare costs into the mix and I've got myself a delightful Broke Pie.

Doesn't sound very comparable to you at my age, does it? Ahhh-nooooooo.

It's hard for millennials, now more-so than ever.

So please, mums and dads of the world, stop breathing down our necks about saving and buying a house and doing all the things you did at our age - because it's just not the same any more.

Believe me, I really, really wish it was.

For more from Michelle Andrews, follow her on Facebook.

00:00 / ???