Mount Isa pensioner Graham Brennan has learnt to stretch his budget to the limit.
The 88-year-old can make two meals last five days or he goes without food altogether, just to get by.
"[Supermarket items] are going up bit by bit, an extra 50 cents on something or 20 cents on something," he said.
Without Meals on Wheels, he said, "it would be difficult to exist".
Mr Brennan is among millions of Australians doing it tough and hoping Tuesday's federal budget throws them a lifeline to cope with skyrocketing fuel, food, rent and other everyday expenses.
Until then at least, they're doing whatever they can to pinch their pennies.
From Mr Brennan's $700-a-fortnight pension, he pays bills and $250 for food, petrol and other expenses (meals on wheels is $12 a week), leaving $250 in his account for emergencies, although he admits that's not always possible.
Mr Brennan lives in government housing and goes without treats like eating out or seeing a movie, but he's worried soon he will have to cut back even further.
"I speak from the heart when I say that there are difficult times ahead for different people," he said.
Crunching the numbers
There are 1.2 million Queenslanders reliant on income support, according to the Queensland Council of Social Services [QCOSS], and charities like the Smith Family and St Vincent De Paul Society are struggling under the weight of demand.
Cost of living pressures, as federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, are conversations "occurring around kitchen tables right now".
It's front and centre for 31-year-old single mother-of-two Minji Lim, who runs two food businesses from a commercial kitchen in Rockhampton.
A spike in the grocery haul has sent her overheads soaring.
"For almond meal, which is the main ingredient for macarons, I used to pay $120 per box, but now it's almost $200," Ms Lim said.
Her weekly food budget for the businesses used to sneak in at just under $2,000.
Now, it's up to $3,200 and Ms Lim is weighing up if, or when, to pass those costs on.
On the home front, the weekly grocery shop for her and her five-year-old daughter and six-month old son has almost doubled to $180, even after cutting out those little treats.
"That's why I'm trying not to buy any groceries apart from what I really, really need," she said.
Ms Lim has also re-worked her business deliveries to cut down on diesel expenditure, which has jumped by $30 a week.
QCOSS's cost of living report last year showed families were spending about 5 per cent of their weekly income on filling up their car.
Chief executive Aimee McVeigh said that was already out of date, with the figure jumping to 10 per cent.
On top of all this, a tight rental market is piling on pressure and Ms Lim has found herself in the middle of the housing crisis.
Her landlord is selling her house and she competes with 20 other people every time she applies for a rental.
Compared to her current rent, prices for something comparable are about $150 more a week.
"It's been really hard because as a single mum, [you] can be a little bit vulnerable compared to other applicants," she said.
Ms McVeigh said low vacancy rates were increasing the cost of rent.
"[And] that is hitting people on low incomes the hardest," she said.
Mortgage holders downsize
Homeowners are also taking big steps to ease their financial burden.
Sunshine Coast couple Karis Ramsay and James Porter downsized from a four-bedroom home to a two-bedroom apartment to reduce their cost of living.
Ms Ramsay lectures in international aid work and nutrition at several universities while Mr Porter runs a paddleboard business.
Their mortgage is now about $200 less a week.
"We definitely ended up deciding on the selling option, as opposed to holding on to a whole lot of debt when interest rates are probably going to go up as well and the cost of keeping the house would go up," Mr Porter said.
The budget-conscious couple shops around to find the best deals, like going to the butcher for discounted pet food, and they try to limit driving.
"It was probably costing me $95 to fill up and now it's $145," Mr Porter said.
"I wouldn't say we've had to go without as yet, but we've definitely made more conservative efforts with what we're doing," Ms Ramsay said.
"[Specialising] in nutrition … I never thought I would be one to buy frozen veggies … so I would say our food expenditure has probably gotten less, but the quality maybe has dropped."
Help forecast in budget
Mr Frydenberg has flagged help will be forthcoming in this week's budget, including "initiatives to address the cost of living, over and above what we've already announced".
The federal government has previously hinted at a one-off payment for low to middle income earners, but it's not clear whether that is to replace the income tax offset which was extended last year.
QCOSS wants to see more than one-off payments in the budget.
"While we would support any measure that puts money into the pockets of people on low incomes, what we need is sustained and long-term change," Ms McVeigh said.
"We need to raise the level of income support permanently, above the poverty line, and we also need to deal with the housing crisis."
