Sydney family says interest rate rise and cost of living crisis destroying ... trends now A desperate family can no longer afford to take their kids to the beach and fear they may lose their dream home as mortgage stress and the spiralling cost of living hit hard. The Reserve Bank of Australia put up the cash rate by another 0.25 percentage points to 3.35 per cent on Tuesday, with major banks expected to pass on the rate hikes to customers. Now Sydney mother-of-five Ash Kettley, 30, and her husband Greg, 31, face having to sell up and return to renting, if the family can even find one they can afford. They are already saving every cent they can to make ends meet - but fear the latest rate rise on top of inflation could push them over the financial edge. 'Are we going to have to sell this house because we just can't afford the repayments on the mortgage?' Ash told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday. 'Every night I pray the interest rates will come down - otherwise we're going have to sell our house and go back to renting.' Ash Kettley revealed her family can't even afford to take the kids to the beach any more because they can't justify the $50 in fuel it costs as the price of food and power bills spiral The family bought their $900,000 four-bedroom home (pictured) in Oran Park, 70km south-west of Sydney's CBD, when their interest rate was just 2.9 per cent three years ago They bought their $900,000 four-bedroom home in Oran Park, 70km south-west of Sydney's CBD, with an interest rate of just 2.9 per cent three years ago, after previously renting nearby. HOW THE FAMILY BUDGET HAS BEEN SMASHED BY COST OF LIVING CRISIS The Kettley family have been hit by rising costs on every front - and as they are on a fixed income, they are unable to do anything but cut their spending. Food costs have soared over the past year, with Australian Bureau of Statistics last week reporting food and soft drinks have gone up by 9.2 per cent in the last year, even higher than the rate of inflation. Mortgage interest soared by 26.6 per cent in just one quarter for people in work, according to the ABS, while housing costs in general rose 10.7 per cent, year on year. The family have also been hit by school costs, with Ash's kids facing $409 uniform costs, with shoes and winter uniform on top. Kids are also expected to supply their own jotters, pencil, whiteboard markers, pencil sharpeners, hand sanitiser and even toilet roll at the local state schools. 'When I was in high school, that was all free,' added Ash. 'Now we're even having to supply dictionaries.' Advertisement When they first moved in the mortgage was almost the same as their previous $550 per week rent - but they've since endured nine rate rises while both on fixed incomes. Ash is a full-time carer while her forklift driver husband is on Workcover disability pension after he suffered a career-ending injury at work. 'We can't even afford to take the kids to the beach any more because we can't justify the $50 in fuel it costs,' said Ash. 'We need that money for food or bills. The kids are suffering badly because of it. 'The school holidays have been a nightmare because we can't afford to go away to Queensland or the Central Coast when accommodation is at least $200 a night. 'But what do you do with five kids for six weeks? You can't afford to do things with them. You take them for a walk or to the skate park but it's the same, day after day. 'It's just terrible for the kids.' The family had to massively scale back Christmas for children Armando, 10, Gregory, 6, Alex, 5, Corey, 3, and Ruby, one, to keep costs under control. 'We started to feel the pinch towards the end of last year,' admitted Ash. 'We've been trying to make it work - but now we're at the point where we're just making it work. 'For Christmas it was a set of clothes - five pairs of underwear, five pairs of socks - and then one toy each...and that was it. 'They're already all wearing hand-me-downs - but even the cheapest tracksuit from Best and Less is $50 a time. 'I was the one who chose to have five children, so that's on me - at the time we thought we could make it work. And then everything just blew out of control.' As well as the mortgage repayments, the family have also seen food prices spiral - and even expensive demands from their children's schools asking for supplies like paper towels and wet wipes. Mother-of-five Ash Kettley, 30, and her husband Greg, 31, face having to sell up and return to renting - if the family can even find an affordable home to rent Evelyn Agostino, 23 (pictured with her mother Cherie) echoed the fears over rising prices 'You used to be able to get bananas for $2 a kilo - but I just paid $6 a kilo at Woolworths,' she said. 'And the price of meat is ridiculous - I'm looking at the plant-based meat substitutes, but you have to feed kids properly. They need proper protein. 'But it just drives you to unhealthy choices - you can get a pack of five two-minute noodles for $2 in Woolies. 'I want to make my family healthy spaghetti bolognese with proper mince and vegetables and pasta - but it costs like ten times the price. IT worker Sethil Nathan, 37, said everything had gone up while his wage remains the same 'I try my best - I'll get frozen cauliflower rice and use that instead of normal rice to slip some more vegetables into meals but the cost of fresh fruit and veg is awful. 'What are you supposed to do?' Another Oran park home-owner, Evelyn Agostino, 23, echoed the feeling, saying she was struggling with the soaring food costs. 'Grocery shopping prices are definitely stressing me,' the skin therapist told Daily Mail Australia. 'All the bills are going up and putting the squeeze on.' In Schofields in Sydney's north-west, IT worker Sethil Nathan, 37, said everything had gone up. 'Interest rates and even milk has gone up one or two dollars over the past year, he said. 'But your wages stay the same. 'Luckily I have only bought my home eight or nine months ago so my mortgage hasn't gone up that much in that time. 'But all of my friends who bought in 2020 or 2021 at the top of the market and low interest rates are really suffering.' Ash and her family have vowed to try to stick it out as long as they can by cutting every cost to the bone and staying in - but realise they may lose their home if rates continue to rise. Food costs have seen mum Ash Kettley try to save money using frozen cauliflower rice in her cooking after fresh food prices soared and she tries to avoid unhealthy cheaper alternatives The family have focused on nights in around the firepit and days spent playing in their pool as they try to cut their costs to the bone 'The kids love the house and they love the pool because on a hot day, when they get home from school, they can go for a swim, and that doesn't cost anything,' said Ash. 'On the weekend, they have their friends come over and go for a swim, and on the cold days, you've got the outdoor firepit. 'You sit around the fire, the fire is enclosed and they're all warm and toasting marshmallows. It's low-cost family entertainment.' But they would lose all that if they were to return to renting, she said. 'If you rent, you just end up paying someone else's mortgage with your rent - and the home will never be as nice as the one you can own,' she said. 'There's no benefit. 'We either need to see interest rates comes down - or we win the lotto. That could be the only way we get to keep our home.' MORE RATE RISES ON THE WAY Australian home borrowers have been smashed with a ninth straight interest rate rise - and the Reserve Bank is warning of more increases in 2023, with major banks tipping at least two further hikes. The RBA cash rate has risen by another 0.25 percentage points to a new 10-year high of 3.35 per cent, up from 3.1 per cent, adding $93 a month to repayments on an average $600,000 mortgage. Annual repayments are now typically $12,000 higher than they were in May 2022 and the Commonwealth Bank is now expecting two more rate rises by Easter that will make this even worse. That would add another $281 to average monthly repayments, compared with now before the banks pass on the latest rate rise. The Greens are calling on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to sack RBA Governor Philip Lowe after he warned on Tuesday afternoon of more rate rises in 2023, despite borrowers already enduring the steepest rate rises since a target cash rate was first published in 1990. 'The board expects that further increases in interest rates will be needed over the months ahead to ensure that inflation returns to target and that this period of high inflation is only temporary,' Dr Lowe said. 'The board remains resolute in its determination to return inflation to target and will do what is necessary to achieve that.' All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility