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NewsFair Go for FiftyUps Campaign: The bills we love to hate
Fair Go for FiftyUps Campaign: The bills we love to hate

Fair Go for FiftyUps Campaign: The bills we love to hate

Tags: Cost of Living FiftyUp Club
Last updated by Chris Zinn on

No one looks forward to paying household bills but almost 60% of FiftyUps suffer stress doing so,  with up to 15% of those describing the pain as extreme or high.

A mighty 15,000 have so far answered the Fair Go For FiftyUps campaign opening up on the pressure of payments, the bills we love to hate and the sacrifices made to pay them.

Private health insurance stood out by a country mile as the hardest regular bill to meet and, worryingly, the key sacrifice to pay all bills was to dip into their savings.

Queenslanders reported the highest levels of hardship with 14% rating their levels of difficulty meeting bills as either extreme or high. In NSW the figure was 10.9%.

Around 45% of others in both states, where the bulk of our respondents live, said they suffered mild bill stress and sometimes had trouble with bills.

Adding together those suffering mild, extreme and high stress and the total reaches about 60%. As usual your comments paint a picture as telling as any bald statistics.

Take Shirley from NSW ‘Pension doesn’t cover bills I can’t get work so have to dip into super.’ Or Philip in Qld ‘Due to older age my partner has list her job and now unemployable therefore we are over borrowed’.

While cost of living pressures often focus on petrol, groceries and mortgages you listed these costs last amongst a list of the hardest to pay.

The most difficult to pay according to 30% of respondents was private health insurance followed by electricity at 23%, council rates at 13% and then home and car insurance.

As Linda from NSW commented, ‘ Health fund is higher than my weekly food bill and house insurance, car insurance and 10 times what we eat’.

At the very end came internet bills, perhaps a favourite complaint amongst the download demons, but only listed as hard to pay by less than one per cent of you.

Clearly with so much stress out there people have to develop strategies to pay up. When asked to list the sacrifices you took to meet bills 29% resorted to dipping into savings.

That’s a fair drain on funds which might have been set aside for longer term retirement goals instead of shorter term insurance and utilities needs.

Another 9% cut back on essentials such as food or heating, 8% going into credit card debt, 7% working more and 6% cancelling holiday.

There’s still time to make your voice heard on this important debate.

Older Australians are invited to make their voice heard by sharing their responses to the #FairGoForFiftyUp campaign questions at www.fiftyupclub.com .

The final survey results will be packaged up and delivered to key decision makers in Canberra to try and get some actions and answers on how to relieve and reduce bill stress.

Originally posted on .

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Fair Go for FiftyUps Campaign: The bills we love to hate

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Dot
Dot from NSW commented:

Hi. I agree with Trevor.. I switched to Click Energy also and find their rates higher than my previous supplier and quite confusing the way the bills are presented. I am looking for a new supplier at present. 

Trevor
Trevor from NSW replied to Dot:

HI dot, I got onboard with Click when first offered through 50 Up Club & deal was extremely good, but has since been eroded through above market rates per Kw! It appears that good deal was only a temporary & Click have lifted rates well above average market rate! Even when 17% dis , on Platinum Deal is taken into account, there are quite a few better deals available in market place! I have asked Fifty Up Club to investigate, a week ago, but as yet no response!!! I wonder if they will respond, if they don`t come up with better deal, I will take up better deal & let everybody know in Fifty Up Club of deals available! ARE FIFTY UP CLUB ( NOW ) REALLY LOOKING AFTER MEMBERS INTERESTS???? 

Dawn
Dawn from QLD replied to Trevor:

Thanks Trevor this is exactly how we have been treated with Click Energy, you have now explained how their rates have gone up, but we are not to know. We are so disappointed with our last Account. Please let us know if you are successful & thank you so much for airing your views. 

Dawn
Dawn from QLD replied to Dot:

We also agree with you Dot as we also changed to Click Energy last year & at the start they were so good, but as we went along our 3 mt bill increased by aprox $350. We are so careful with what we use & what time we use it, but I am disappointed & find the billing system so hard to understand. We sit at night time with no lights on, but it doesn't seem to make any difference, we are disgusted. We had to pay off our last 3mt $800 account, so missed out on any discounts as well. We have never had a bill like that ever, but nothing can be done apparently. Fell like we have been ripped off. So will see what happens next Acc & probably change supplier. 

brendon
brendon from QLD commented:

I have recently read BUPA HAS FINALLY after many many years are starting to get pissed of also, rising costs of 6-12% while CPI is around the 2.5% area, where does the money go. This area the Doctors want more, well its about time people got realisict about health here and costs, can't keep increasing forever about wages and CPI, I went to school and did maths, doesn't work that way.. Only the greedy get it, like power increases up to 50%/Y , give me a break, CPI is still around 2.5%, so I ask again where does all the extra $$$ go. Power/heath/rates all have to get real, so do the PEOPLE/Managers get real, as maths I learnt don't work this way, as things go WRONG. When is there going to be SOMEONE who says get real, CPI is 2.5% why the increases in the amounts that they do. When everyone stops paying someone will take notice, stop putting bandaids on things as this just continues till the cliff comes. Why can't people see this. But soon I won't pay the Medicare payment in my pay on top of Health Insurance, What if everyone just went onto public health, would get people high up to take notice then. Brendon Isbister Dutton Park Queensland. 

Warren
Warren from NSW replied to brendon:

This is quite a disjointed comment – hard to read and simplistic to the extreme. Have you given any thought to the cost of initial capital investment (MRI, Laser technology etc.), the cost of lead in to new and expensive treatments, the cost of new drugs and medical breakthroughs, in addition to high standards of medical delivery 24/7? Also, if everyone went onto public health system we would certainly be hell bent on achieving a 3rd World Health system. 

Trevor
Trevor from NSW commented:

I feel that it is about time Click Energy looked at the deal that they are providing for The Fifty Up Club! Their rates per kw are to high & there are better deals available in the market. In fact I think that it is about time that Management from Fifty Up Club contacted Click Energy in regards to this matter. Waiting to see what response will come forward to this situation! Please get on board, members, to show that this position is not satisfactory! 

Frank
Frank from QLD replied to Trevor:

I checked out the Click deal and could see no reason to switch, I have stuck with Origin, I don't understand why 50up was recommending this switch. They need to check things out better. I am dubious of any recommendation made by 50up 

john
john from NSW commented:

Definitely health insurance is the hardest of all to afford . We had to drop ancillaries so we could still have private hospital cover but now we find we need physio or chirp as we are ageing so we are still trying to keep costs down to cover these . I hope the government realises eventually the less stress they put on us now the more we will be able to afford to care for ourselves later 

Nancy
Nancy from NSW commented:

My husband and I just recently retired after working together for over 35 years (not by choice). We cannot get the pension as we have a holiday house and we do not have enough in our Super to retire on so we have to sell our holiday house which we have worked hard for so that we can survive. The Government makes it so hard for people like us. We have worked so hard all our lives to have a place to get away to and enjoy with our family and now we have to give it up so we can survive. We cannot afford to be in the private Health Fund anymore as well. The Government needs to step up !! 

Warren
Warren from NSW replied to Nancy:

Seems to me you’ve done well in lifeNancy – congratulations. I would rather utilise my own assets than rely on Government handouts. 

Frank
Frank from QLD replied to Nancy:

I understand Nancy, You are caught in an asset trap, selling your holiday house will add to your cash assets, and still prevent you from getting a pension. Perhaps you could add to your income by renting your holiday house out. You have done well for yourself, now take advantage and allow your asset to provide for you, you would still be able to use it yourself. With reliable property management to look after it for you, it should be easy to manage. In future you will still be able to benefit from increased value of your holiday home. You will be better off than others who have to rely on the pension. 

Nancy
Nancy from NSW replied to Frank:

Thank you for your comments Frank, but the situation is that we do need to sell our holiday house as we have a small loan to pay off and with no income coming in we cannot make the repayments. The holiday house is not in a growing area so the prices there are quite low compared to Sydney, so there will not be a lot left over to live on. 

Frank
Frank from QLD replied to Nancy:

Yes Nancy, If the extra income from rental is not enough to pay off the loan, Even if you are in an area suitable for Holiday rentals, It may be worth discussing it with several local real estate management agents. Find the type of rental that would work for you. If you can make it work it may be tough, but at the end you will have your holiday home free and clear. Or if you have family member or friend that you could share it with, you could sell a share of the house. It seems a waste to have a house sitting empty when you are not using it. Good luck and may find the advice that will help you. 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

We all know that private health care is expensive even though we pay medicare. Time for new modelling perhaps pay as you go for certain procedures only. 

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