‘Give up': The one task Gen Z homeowners can't do
An Aussie woman and her partner have just bought their first home in Queensland – but what should be cause for celebration has turned into a major headache.
Maddison Smillie, 23, told her social media followers that she decided to 'give up' on a tricky renovation chore, to which many Aussies echoed her sentiments.
'We have decided to give up painting our own home,' she announced in a TikTok video.
'We just bought our first home and to save money we thought it would be a good idea to paint the house ourselves.'
'I'm here to tell you that it is not a good idea,' she said.
Amid the cost-of-living crisis it's become increasingly common for Aussies to undertake tasks usually done by professionals to save some cash.
In 2023, Aussies ranked third globally for their love of home renovation with over 57 per cent of Australians considered to be 'DIY-ers.'
A massive 44 per cent of respondents said their reason for doing the tasks themselves was to 'improve their home in a more affordable way.'
2022 saw Aussies put $12.3 billion into renovating their homes, up 33 per cent on 2020, reported the ABC.
Ms Smillie revealed they bought a two-storey house and had endeavoured to paint the top level first.
'We started the top-storey so we're going to finish that ourselves and then hire a professional to do the rest,' she said.
'The idea of painting your own home sounds good, but when you're actually doing it, it's tough work.'
She warned her followers that it's definitely a lesson learnt and that sometimes it's better to just hire a professional.
'I will in fact be putting this on my resume though,' she joked.
The clip, which has over 30,000 views, saw Aussies flood to the comment section to share her pain.
'I couldn't think of anything worse,' said one viewer.
'I'm a painter myself and I feel you,' added another.
'Painting is the worst. Especially the ceilings,' echoed a third.
Others pulled through with helpful suggestions for the couple.
'Dad's a painter by trade, don't hesitate to message and ask if you guys want to keep doing it yourself and need any advice,' offered one kind commenter.
'Nah, spend two days prepping and then buy a spray gun. takes you less than a day,' suggested one.
'We went to pay a professional until we were quoted $6k and then decided we'd suck it up,' said another.
In a separate video, Ms Smillie revealed she was 'so happy' with how the professional paint job turned out.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


SBS Australia
29 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
ASX200 hits a record high & what's with the Labubu craze?
Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox. Your email address * Morning (Mon–Fri) Afternoon (Mon–Fri) Weekend Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to SBS's terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Lightning speed': Coles worker's hack to shred roast chicken
A Coles deli worker has shared the 'insider secret' staff use to shred roast chicken at 'lightning speed' – and it doesn't require any special equipment. Ellie, a 22-year-old who regularly shares glimpses into her job at the supermarket giant, posted a video demonstrating her expert technique for quickly shredding chickens using only her hands. Her viral TikTok explains that hand-shredding multiple hot roast chickens is a regular task at the store. She explained that if Coles chickens aren't sold by the end of the night, they are taken from the warmer to be shredded, chilled, and sold at the deli as cold meat. Ellie pointed out that many people prefer to buy cold shredded chicken for salads or sandwiches but do not want to purchase a whole chicken. The viral chicken shredding method First, Ellie puts on two sets of gloves to protect her hands from the heat. Then, she pulls the skin away from the chicken and discards it. 'And why is that? You want to release some of the heat (from the chicken) … and we don't want the skin in our shredded chicken,' she said. Next, she pulls the chicken apart with both hands, starting with the breasts and placing them on an empty tray. She then takes one of the drumsticks and turns the chicken over to access the underside. She lifts both chicken thighs simultaneously with her hands, showing how it 'comes off really quickly', before adding them to her tray. 'You don't want any of the dark meat (for shredded chicken) though, so make sure you're not getting any of that,' Ellie advised. The staffer then explained that it's Coles' policy to get around 450 grams of meat from each chicken – implying that the breast and thigh alone were enough. The next step is essential – ensuring no bones are left behind in the pile of chicken pieces. She 'mushes' the meat down, getting it into 'every crevice of the tray', which reveals any stray bones. Once it's bone-free, she moves on to the shredding, working systematically across the tray, 'squishing' and 'kneading' the chicken through her hands to pull it apart. 'There you go, quick and easy,' she concluded after just a few moments of using this technique. Holding up the tray of shredded chicken, she admits this method has made this her favourite part of her deli job. The clip has now been viewed over 330,000 times, with fellow deli workers and everyday Aussies alike shocked that they had never tried this simple trick. 'Do I work at Coles? No. Did I watch the whole thing? Yeah,' one viewer admitted. 'Honestly the best thing I've ever learnt from working at Coles,' said another. 'Comes in handy so much at home'. 'I feel very prepared for chicken shredding,' a third wrote. Others were just shocked that the shredded chicken they saw at the deli was from leftover rotisserie chicken and claimed it was unjustifiably marked up. Ellie replied, clarifying: '$12.50 roast chicken = approx. 450g shredded, which is approximately $27.8/kg. We sell the shredded chicken for $27/kg, but have to sell it within the day, so often discount it by about 7pm. But you do get the rest of the chicken with the rotisserie!' It comes after a $5 Kmart chicken shredder went viral in February for promising to make shredding cooked meat a breeze. Meal preppers and protein enthusiasts declared the nifty device a 'must-have,' as did parents who prepare their children's lunch boxes. It's simple to use – just place the cooked chicken inside, put the lid on, and turn the handles from side to side to shred the meat. The non-slip base keeps everything stable while the tool is in use, ensuring there's no mess.

SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Italian Opera Foundation–Australia selects Robert Adam for elite recital performance
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Assyrian-speaking Australians. SBS World News Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service Watch now