Not too long ago, Sandra Davis had her retirement all mapped out.
But the rising cost of living has up-ended those plans.
"I'll have to look at selling … the place that I planned to, I was going to say grow old in. Grow really old in," she said.
"I had hoped this would be my last stop.
"It's heartbreaking really because I've put my heart and soul into the garden here … it suits me perfectly."
An $862 electricity credit from this week's state budget will help her somewhat but is unlikely to be enough to keep her from moving.
"I can't look at anything in my life that I would have said I could have budgeted better to be more secure now," the retired psychologist said.
"You lay awake at night thinking and planning, what else could I cut out?"
Ms Davis has even taken to cutting her own hair to try and keep costs down.
Cost of living major focus of state budget
When he handed down his seventh budget this week, Premier Mark McGowan said it would include "genuine" cost of living relief, with a $715 million package.
The headline electricity bill relief takes up most of that money, giving $826 to those on Commonwealth concessions – including an already standard annual payment of $326.
"That reflects the fact that cost of living pressures impact everyone," Mr McGowan told a business breakfast on Friday.
"I meet lots of people who aren't eligible for a Commonwealth benefit yet do it tough."
Other measures included:
- a $650 electricity credit for some small businesses
- government fees and charges kept below inflation
- the maximum Hardship Utilities Grant Scheme payment for people struggling to pay utility bills increasing to $640 for most households.
The measures were overwhelmingly welcomed by social service providers who say while the government could have gone further, every little bit counts, especially for those struggling most.
Support services feel left out
But the social service sector still had concerns with how the McGowan government will spend its $3.3 billion surplus over the coming financial year.
As more people's cost of living struggles grow bigger, demand for support services is growing.
Organisations had been hoping for extra funding to meet that demand, but there was very little of that in the budget.
"The electricity credits provide temporary assistance to households in the midst of the current cost of living crisis, but we are concerned there is a lack of investment in community services to provide the ongoing assistance households will need as this situation continues," WA Council of Social Service CEO Louise Giolitto said in the wake of the budget.
Her organisation, and others, had also been asking for the state government to offer things like rent relief for people struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
Listen to those on the frontline: Foodbank
Among those listening to the premier at Friday's business breakfast was Foodbank WA CEO Kate O'Hara.
Her organisation continues to see surging demand, with the record for their busiest day being broken on Easter Thursday when 1,048 households came looking for help.
"Never before could we have thought that would happen," Ms O'Hara said.
While welcoming the cost of living relief in the budget – and even the government's acknowledgement of the problem – she said there were frustrations that ideas being put forward by those on the frontline weren't being listened to by government.
"There have been many proposals presented, and perhaps a little more listening to those presented by the sector could have led to a bit of a different outcome today," she said.
"It's just an opportunity to take one more step forward, perhaps, and address some of those recommendations and collaborate on bringing those forward."
Financial counsellors ask for more support
Financial counsellors like the Salvation Army's Mandy Dehnel were also left wanting more from the budget.
They offer free services to help guide people through challenging financial issues and are seeing demand for their services increase as the cost of living continues to bite – nearing what they saw during the Global Financial Crisis.
"There was a study done way back in 2012 … [that] said for every dollar spent on financial counselling it actually saved the government $5," Ms Dehnel said.
"Every time you invest in financial counselling you're actually saving the government money."
At the moment, Ms Dehnel said most financial counsellors had about five people a week they couldn't see – but the number of people who would benefit from their services was even higher.
Prospect of renting 'very, very scary'
Ms Davis said despite what it meant for her personally, she was generally happy with the budget, in particular because of major spending in health and emissions reduction efforts.
Aside from the energy bill relief though, there was little in it to give her immediate help, leaving the prospect of moving out of her home and into the rental market looming.
But even that would come at a cost thanks to health issues that leave Ms Davis with "seven-out-of-10 pain" every day.
"Everything is now a struggle and there are a lot of people like me whose health isn't brilliant and they're struggling with the health system and the housing situation," she said.
"That creates stress which of course exacerbates your health situation. It's a vicious circle."
Promises to spend billions upon billions on various housing projects, including to attract international workers, encourage young people into trades, and to build 4,000 new social homes have been warmly received by many.
But they will take time to help ease housing pressures – and WA's incredibly low vacancy rates – which Ms Davis doesn't have.
It's left a very heated rental market, with very few, if any, properties considered affordable for those on Commonwealth payments.
"I have been looking just to get myself geared up for what will be coming and it is very, very scary," Ms Davis said.
