Money was already tight when devoted Taylor Swift fan Caitlin Wintaur lost her job in December.
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"It's not the greatest Christmas present, getting made redundant just before the break," she told AAP.
The Melbourne IT project manager, 34, had just returned from maternity leave and had a baby and a mortgage to worry about.
There was another cost on the horizon: the Eras Tour.
Wintaur estimates she may have spent thousands of dollars on Taylor Swift albums and other items over the years, and admits she'll likely spend more than she should on Eras Tour mementos, but said her husband won't mind too much.
"He knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime, or certainly a once-in-a-little-while thing, so we'll make it work," she said.
Even Reserve Bank governor Michelle Bullock has acknowledged Australians are adjusting their spending to focus on what's important.
"Clearly, for a lot of people, Taylor Swift is very important," she said on Tuesday.
With the Australian leg of the tour still some days away, the singer's local online merchandise store has long sold out of, well, everything.
Online reservations for half-hour spots at the first Australian Era Tour merchandise stall at Crown in Melbourne next week went on sale at noon on Wednesday and were snapped up within half an hour.
There will also be stalls at the MCG and Accor Stadium in Sydney, opening days ahead of the concerts at both venues.
Like many others, Wintaur hopes to try her luck queuing outside the MCG - that's if she's not starting a new job she has lined up.
Swift's Eras Tour is the first in history to gross more than US$1 billion (A$1.53 billion), according to industry estimates, with fans spending even more on accommodation and merchandise.
Swiftie Jess Bowen, 33, has her fingers crossed that she can score some merchandise by arriving early to the concert on February 16.
She has already shelled out for two $1400 VIP tickets, almost by accident.
"It's nearly impossible to get tickets so I pretty much clicked on what I could, which happened to be the most expensive tickets. I just quickly bought those."
Bowen, a vet, has put together an outfit from the era of Swift's Lover album, and has been threading beaded friendship bracelets to share with other fans.
On Monday she clicked add to cart again, for a copy of Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department, just hours after the singer announced its release during her acceptance speech for album of the year at the Grammys.
"I pre-ordered the new album - I feel like you just get sucked into it," Bowen said.
Australian Associated Press
