A Facebook post, a free ticket, first come, first served: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But the inflation gods must have taken pity on me after my landlord slammed me with an eye-popping rent hike. Because there I was, this weekend, dancing – and singing criminally out of tune – to every Taylor Swift song. Inside the MCG. For free.

How did this sandgroper-turned-Sydneysider end up at the Eras Tour in Melbourne during a cost-of-living crisis? Dumb luck and a bit of thrifting. The latter can tell us a bit about Swift’s impact on the economy. Hint: it’s more to do with shifting spending than mindless splurging.

Dressed for the occasion with my friend Maxine Rae who hosted this Sydney Swiftie.

The luck part started with a Facebook status posted by a friend: “Free ticket to the Taylor Swift Eras tour. Yes you heard right, free!” By the time I saw it, the offer had been up for two hours.

Never one to retreat, I sent a message: “If someone hasn’t beaten me to the ticket, I would LOVE to come.” One person had nudged in ahead of me, but changed their mind. And so, I had a ticket: in the wrong city, and with a savings account which has nearly flat-lined over the past two years.

Inflation and higher interest rates have made life especially tough for young people, renters and those on lower incomes. Rents have increased 20 per cent in the past year across Australia’s capital cities, wage growth has only recently caught up to inflation and young people tend to have the least savings to use as a buffer during tough times.

So, why and how have swarms of young people flocked to see Swift? And can they complain about living costs when they’re spending hundreds of dollars on tickets?

The first thing to note is that concert tickets – like any big-ticket item – are an expense people tend to save up for, or pay for by forgoing future purchases. Like many others, I’ve been scrimping everywhere I can: walking instead of taking public transport, buying nearly-expired food for clearance prices and ditching almost every subscription – except to Spotify ... which I use to listen to Swift.

This sort of behaviour also explains why claims that the Swift tour will ratchet up inflation are probably overstated: the increase in demand is temporary and will be offset by reduced spending in other areas. As Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock said at a press conference this month, “people are deciding what’s really important to them”.