Aussie family reveal items they’ve been forced to downsize due to cost of living crisis

A chief executive in the pet products industry has revealed he is buying discount food and less steak to cope with the cost of living crisis.

Tyson Butter – a 39-year-old married father of two – runs Pet Parking, a company that sells wall-mounted dog racks.

But ironically, the Melbourne tenant can’t afford a dog.

“Unfortunately, we are between dogs. I don’t have a new one yet because, yeah, the cost and the time it takes to take care of two young kids,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

While vets continue to buy his product, outdoor dining cafes have cut back on spending, which means less revenue for his company.

“A lot of companies could probably help make their business more pet-friendly, however when you’re in survival mode, it can be far from your priority,” he said.

The businessman said lackluster trading, following the Reserve Bank’s 13 rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, was also taking a toll on the household budget as he raised two children, aged three and six, with his wife yes rachel

“The way we buy food has definitely changed,” Mr Butter said.

“We had to be a little more cost-conscious and plan meals in advance.”

This meant buying more specialty foods and cutting back on more expensive meats like steak.

“Food-wise, less prepackaged snacks, more fruit, less steak, slower roasts of lamb,” he said.

He described pre-cooked chicken as a “godsend” and now relied on Flybuys to save money.

“They’re cheap, taste great and save us time cooking,” he said.

“Taking advantage of special offers, which is easy to do with Flybuys as you are alerted when items you have previously purchased are available.”

The economic slowdown has left Mr. Butter, a former insurance industry manager with a master’s degree in business administration, working only 15 to 20 hours a week.

Although they can pay their rent and electricity, the family now only goes to one or two AFL games a year.

“Definitely not the finals.” Previously, we used to participate in almost a dozen,” he said.

It also reduced the number of streaming services to just one.

“Disney+ is the only asset we currently have, previously we had several at one time,” he said.

Leah Mano, founder of job listings site TYFU, said private sector employers in particular were struggling, with the unemployment rate at 4.2% at its highest level since early 2022.

“Looking ahead, the economic landscape is likely to continue to see restructuring and potential redundancies across sectors as businesses grapple with high interest rates and lower demand,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“While government spending is helping, the private sector appears to be experiencing a slowdown, with fewer jobs being created outside of government-funded roles.”

This meant a reduction in working hours or even people taking on more part-time jobs to pay the bills.

“There are many workers who make ends meet however they can, whether they’re taking on part-time roles because that’s all their employer can offer them, or juggling full-time work and multiple jobs at the same time,” said Ms Mano.

But Mr Butter hopes rate cuts in 2025 will boost demand for his product.

“We would also expect the rate of pet ownership to accelerate, given that some may have put off adding a furry friend to their family over the past couple of years given the cost of pet ownership,” he said .

“This should lead to more demand from our core segment of vets, groomers etc.”

If economic activity improves, he hopes to eventually adopt a dog for his children.

“With an increase in disposable income, adopting a dog from a shelter would be one of our first priorities,” Mr Butter said.

“I know the joy they can bring to all of us, especially as the children grow up now.”