Cost of living prices continue to strain our budgets with little reprieve in sight

With childhood complacency long shaken off, the realities of adulthood and the cost of living greeted me with a jarring slap to the face many moons ago.

But never before has that reality weighed so heavily upon us. While the cost of living has not been cheap for some time, it is even more expensive these days, with prices continuing to stretch the purse strings to the cusp of snapping.

I remember a purse full of shrapnel feeling like a gold mine. My brother and I would pedal to our corner store in Dalby and salivate over the rows of confectionery selections. For a couple of days, you could gorge on a sugar hit that would make your dentist cringe.

But now, a couple of dollars doesn't go very far. Since the Russians began marching into Ukraine in February last year, the carry on effects have impacted every Aussie motorist. The cost of fuel has made us all re-evaluate the cost of a trip away, and as the months tick over, I see little reprieve at the bowser. If anything, we're becoming accustomed to sky-high prices.

There is little difference in the supermarkets and butchers. My grocery bill has nearly doubled since COVID, and with more and more service industries feeling the pinch of availability and product price-hikes, the usual trip to the hairdresser and the like has many times been put on the back-burner.

My parents were vigilant at the start of the pandemic, utilising their green thumbs to cultivate vegetable gardens. Friends have jumped on the grow-it-yourself bandwagon, and while admittedly a little late to the party, my partner and I are tending to sprouting vegetable shoots of our own.

More and more people are turning to self-sustainability. Chicken coops are now becoming a common addition to backyards, and road-side signs lure in motorists with cheap fruit and vegetable options from local growers.

Living in North Queensland, we are in the lap of luxury when it comes to fruit. Mangoes, bananas, and - provided you beat those thieving bats to the punch - luscious lychees are common staples. We share amongst ourselves, because we know how hard it gets after all the bills are paid.

I've seen the generosity of our beautiful slice of paradise time and time again. I interviewed a cane grower in Ayr last week, and after our interview he gifted me with a bag of beautiful R2E2 mangoes. A couple of locals in my area of Seaforth, renowned for its access to prime fishing spots, went out on a trip a couple of months ago. One of the blokes asked me if I wanted some fish. "How much would you like for it?" I asked. "Nothing. I just like helping people out". The next morning, I had a bag full of beautiful, fresh fillets dropped at my door.

Home produce is the ticket. It's a way we can help not only ourselves, but our neighbours, get through these tough times. It takes a village, and we may need to come together to help each other along. Access to local markets, where growers can exchange things like honey, vegetables, and home-made bread is also invaluable.

This is what is keeping us going during these tough times. Good old fashioned mateship. When the times get tough, that's when we get strong. That's when we find solutions, when we come together. That's when the North Queensland spirit really shines through.