Barista is slammed for tearing into a millennial for drinking a ‘$7 iced coffee’

A finance influencer has divided opinion after tearing into a millennial for drinking an expensive iced coffee while discussing Australia’s housing crisis.

James Hayes, a barista who gives finance advise on TikTok, caused a stir after describing a young man as ‘frivolous’ for holding an iced drink while being interviewed by the ABC about the housing crisis that’s gripping the country.

The unnamed man spoke to business reporter Nassim Khadem in Melbourne as part of a Tiktok clip about if millennials or boomers struggle more to buy houses.

‘We have goals, we want to own a house, it’s still the Australian dream, but I guess we’ll see how we go, I might be a renter forever,’ he explained in his brief interview.

But Mr Hayes hit back at the millennial, saying: ‘He’s literally complaining about not being able to buy a house when he’s sitting there with a $7 coffee in his hand, come on bro,’ he said.

‘You need to take your personal finances more serious than that.

‘I know spending money on coffee isn’t going to get you a house, but my God, if your spending is as frivolous as that I could probably run a f****** semi-trailer through your budget bro.’

While many thought Mr Hayes spray was ‘judgemental’ and ‘ridiculous’, controversial commentator Prue MacSween said she agreed with the finance influencer and said young people hoping to buy a house needed to ‘budget’.  

‘If you are serious about saving, you need to cut out the indulgent stuff, a latte for example – or the three lattes you have a day,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘It all adds up. If you buy a couple of coffees and your lunch every day, you’re looking at about $20 a day or $100 a week. 

‘Sadly there are a lot of hand-wringers out there who still want to have what they call the ‘essentials of life’ – the fags, gym membership, latest phone, car to drive to work, Netflix etc. 

Sydney renters have been struggling to get their hands on a property in the city’s limited market (pictured, would-be tenants queued to view a rental)

‘But they don’t want to make the sacrifices we all did when we were paying 18 per cent interest on our mortgage.

‘I sympathise with young people trying to buy their own home when homes have gone up to such crazy prices, but there is so much help and advice out there these days and if you are prepared to suck it up, you will be in a much better financial situation.

‘Stop indulging. Stop whinging and start getting serious and don’t expect mum and dad to bail you out.

‘This is a generation of people who want everything and want it now. 

‘Sadly, Afterpay, social media and credit cards have fed this unreality. It sounds archaic I know, but not spending more than you earn, adopting a savings plan and growing up would be a great help for a lot of young people,’ she added.

Mr Hayes, who has a disclaimer on his YouTube saying he isn’t a financial adviser and is only providing ‘general information for education and entertainment purposes’ was slammed by other TikTok users who pointed out it was odd for a barista to slam someone for buying coffee – which rarely cost as much as $7. 

The Tiktoker often slams ‘frivolous’ spending, and claims he makes $7,000 – $10,000 a month as a barista and from investments he made from an inheritance when his mum died.

‘But isn’t he the one keeping you in a job lol aren’t you a barista?’ questioned one. 

‘Yeah he should like like a hermit no fun no luxury for the lower class,’ one commenter wrote.

‘Home owner and millennial here. It takes a really effing long time to save a deposit, you still have to live life and enjoy life,’ said another.

‘Yeah coffee and Netflix is totally the reason why housing is unaffordable. It’s definitely not the income to price ratios’ commented a third.     

‘Shut up bro let the guy enjoy a coffee,’ said another.

One person pointed out the median house price in Sydney is $1.2miillion, meaning a buyer would need a deposit of $240,000, so he would need to skip 34,286 coffees to get a deposit. 

‘Maybe he has a spending budget like some people do? Maybe it’s a once off, maybe houses shouldn’t cost  a million for a shack?’ said another.

‘A coffee might be the only luxury people can afford,’ another added.

‘If you’re judging the dude off of 10 secs from him drinking that then that’s ridiculous. Buying a coffee every now and then is called treating yourself,’ commented one.

The comments come as a major charity described the shortage of available housing in Australia a ‘national emergency’.

Housing experts say official records show no comparable shortage of available tenancies since the Great Depression in the 1930s. 

The queue to inspect an upstairs studio for 68 Gould Street, Bondi Beach, with each person waiting up to 20 minutes to get inside, was ‘like lining up to get into a nightclub’ in October

This week, a Sydney woman has revealed how her landlord raised her rent by $700-a-fortnight with no warning 

Homeowners are too struggling to keep up with payments as the interest rate continues to skyrocket. 

The outlook for next year appears to be even more dire, recent data shows, with double-digit rental price rises now predicted for 2023 and investor landlords set to rake it in while tenants deal with sky-high bills.

The only real reference point to what is happening in the rental market now is the worldwide social catastrophe which followed the Wall Street crash of 1929 – and became the longest, deepest depression of the 20th century.

Emma Greenhalgh, the CEO of housing charity Shelter said Australia is in a national emergency by ‘every available measure’.

Rents have soared an average 10.3 per cent in Australia since the start of 2022, and the national rental vacancy rate is at a record low 0.9 per cent, according to recent Domain research.

A major part of the problem is that more people are being forced to rent rather than buy due to the exorbitant cost of houses in major cities.

A landlord in Sydney asked $300 a week for balcony he’s turned into a makeshift ‘room’ (pictured, the Facebook advert for the room)

Photos show the landlord roughly constructed the room using curtains and tarps to separate it from the rest of the apartment (pictured, the balcony before it was made into a room)

The current cycle of interest rate rises has exacerbated the unaffordability, and even once the rate hikes abate or reverse, that will only result in asking prices again going up.

Sydney house prices are expected to rise by 8 to 12 per cent next year when interest rate rises are paused, with Melbourne tipped to see up to 6 per cent increases and Perth up to 13 per cent.

In Sydney the median house price of $1.243million is 10.8 times the average full-time salary of $92,030 – even after a 20 per cent mortgage deposit, CoreLogic data showed.

Little more than two decades ago, a house in Australia’s most expensive capital city market was still affordable for an average-income professional buying on their own, historical data from Macquarie University showed.

In 2000, the year Sydney hosted the Olympics, the city’s median house price of $287,000 was 5.5 times an average, full-time salary of $41,621 after a 20 per cent deposit.

Families across Australia have been forced into living in tents or sleeping in cars while renters have been seen queueing for hours to view apartments. 

This week, a Sydney woman has revealed how her landlord raised her rent by $700-a-fortnight with no warning.

 Chantelle Schmidt, a writer based in the inner southern suburb of Redfern, took to TikTok on Monday to reveal her rent increased from $1900 to $2600 a fortnight.

In the exasperated post, she explained she was on a monthly contract, meaning the landlord could increase rent at any point with no limits.

A recent photo taken in Bondi, in Sydney’s east, showed applicants queuing outside a home to inspect it.

The Perth property, which has been described by its agent as the ‘worst he’s ever seen’ has sold after getting 13 offers from buyers desperate to get on the housing ladder

Despite being covered in so much dirt the buyers can’t see the colour of the tiles or carpet, the three-bedroom home sold for the upper end of its asking price, between $450,000 and $500,000

Last week, a Melbourne landlord was branded a ‘nutcase’ after renting out a tiny room for $300 a week while banning tenants from using their phones or having guests over.

The owner of the property made the listing to Facebook on Thursday saying a room was up for rent at a house in the other southeastern suburb of Frankston.

Prospective tenants were left shocked by photos of the room that revealed a cluttered and dirty area barely big enough to fit a single bed.

Meanwhile, in Perth a home that was so run down buyers ran out and retched during inspections has drawn plenty of offers.

A Melbourne landlord has been branded a ‘nutcase’ after putting up a tiny room to rent for $300 a week, with would-be tenants not allowed to use their phones or have guests over

Alongside the room, which also had an unfurnished and exposed wooden wall, the tenant would also be able to use a dirty spa bath tub, but they would only be given access on weekends

The property has been sold after getting 13 offers from buyers desperate to get on the housing ladder.

Ray White agent Gary Warne described the property as the ‘worst he’s ever seen’.

The property is covered in so much dirt that buyers couldn’t see the colour of the tiles or carpet.

Elsewhere, a Sydney landlord has advertised his balcony as a room available to rent for $300 in the latest example of Australia’s out-of-control housing market.

The tiny room, which is barely big enough to hold a single bed, has generated ‘a lot of interest’ according to the landlord, who specified the tenant must be ‘one boy’ and must list their nationality.

The strange ad reads: ‘New, quiet and clean apartment. Next to World Square, only five minutes walk to Town Hall Station, China Town, UTS, Paddy’s Market, Coles and Woolworths.

‘All bills included, fast NBN WiFi and rice, basic cleaning stuffs and cooking stuffs.’

The landlord then states the tenant must stay in the cramped room at least four months, give an $800 deposit and a ‘$200 bond key’.

Photos of the room show the landlord has DIY’ed the room’s creation using curtains and tarps to separate it from the rest of the apartment.